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Reaching Out to Clients Pays Dividends
Far too many professional
services firms only see their customers once or twice a year, usually on
the basis of clients paying a fee for every minute you spend together.
You should think of the clients you already have as a bit like old
friends – you already know each other and a degree of trust has been
built up during the relationship. This makes it much simpler to build up
business through existing clients than it is to source new ones if you
go about it the right way.
It’s up to you to do something
to instigate contact more than the usual ‘once or twice’ annually.
Follow up with your clients and keep in touch with them between the
yearly events and your practice can benefit from some previously
untapped sources of growth.
The first way to do this is to follow up on your last assignment. Tell
your client that you’re conducting an informal survey and that you’d
like some feedback on your service. A better but more expensive option
is to have it conducted by a third party such as a survey or market
research firm.
Ask if they were satisfied with the outcomes from the work you’ve just
completed. Do they have any suggestions about how you could improve your
service? If they like what you’ve done for them and don’t have any
problems with your service you’ve just confirmed a potential source of
referrals for new business.
This is not just a means of finding out any negatives about your
practice. You will also verify what it is you’re doing right and where
your strengths really lie. This kind of information can be invaluable
when developing a marketing strategy.
And of course if clients do have some issues with your services you can
reassure them that you’ll address the problems immediately. It’s better
to know about problems and do something about them than to let
dissatisfaction cost you a client as it inevitably will.
Clients that raise problems with you and then see you take action to
correct them will feel they’ve been listened to. They’ll see that you
care and sincerely want to give them the kind of service they need and
want. This earns their loyalty and respect.
Take the opportunity to give your clients more than they expect from the
relationship. You may have to look for these opportunities but it
doesn’t take much to do something personal and earn a lasting
appreciation. At least once a year, and at a time they’d least expect to
hear from you, do something special for every one of your clients.
If you see a publication related to a client’s business activities send
it to them with a brief note. If your client enjoys a particular cuisine
and you can get a book of recipes for it surprise them with it. Don’t
wait for a birthday or Christmas. It’s the informality of the gift that
counts most.
The ease and availability of communications makes it possible to keep in
touch through a variety of methods – emails, text messages, newsletters,
faxes and even the traditional telephone calls and letters.
At least four other times a year prepare a communication for all your
clients and get it to them in the most appropriate way. Let them know
about the full range of services your practice offers. Whenever possible
personalize it with their name at the top and your signature at the
bottom.
If you’re doing a promotion of any kind don’t forget to include all your
existing clients. You might be offering a complimentary succession
planning consultation for prospective new clients and that should be
offered to your existing clients as well.
So, where does your practice benefit from this investment of
non-billable time and an expenditure of a few dollars, pounds or euros?
If there’s additional work to be had from your existing clients you’re
much more likely to get it than if you just sit back and wait for your
client to make that annual pilgrimage to your office.
You’ll also prevent the defection of existing clients to a competitor
who’s better at ‘schmoozing’ than you are. Many changes of professional
services firms take place gradually – beginning with just one assignment
unrelated to the existing work.
Clients that are happy with the service they receive from you will tell
others. Their friends, members of their trade associations, others in
civic and community groups – it’s amazing just how many people they
interact with if they’re all counted up.
Will all this happen if you don’t reach out to your clients? The answer
may be ‘yes’, but to a much lesser degree and definitely not as often as
it will if you don’t just wait for your clients to visit you once or
twice a year. |
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