Vol1No4June2004

Ideas, strategies, and tips, far growing your consulting business

Vol. 1, No. 4 June, 2004

From the Editor: In this issue you’ll learn how to follow-up with prospective clients…how to advertise your services without spending any money…how speaking at local meetings and conferences will dramatically increase your credibility…and a few tips about “positioning” your business. Special thanks to Bob Bly, Allan Kaufman, Mark Amtower and Katie Yeakle .

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent."
--Calvin Coolidge

When you don't hear back, you call to follow up and the prospect says he hasn't had time to look at your proposal yet. You wait some more and, though you dread it, you call again. Or maybe you don't. In any case, you never hear from him or her again.

This happens all the time-not just to you-and there's little you can do about it. Here's what it may look like from your prospect's perspective: On the day you spoke with the prospect, this project was at the top of his list. But the next day, something else came along which took priority and kept pushing the project further and further away, until it was on a permanent back burner. He never bothered to let you know, probably because he didn't have time. Or, more likely, he got caught up in his own world.

The reality is you can't control your prospects, and it's almost impossible to know in advance if a lead is a good one or if the project you're quoting will go anywhere. On first impression, you can't always tell the literature collectors from the bona fide prospects. Sometimes you may want to say, "Tell me either yes or no, but don't keep me hanging on like this." But they can't. Only time will tell.

What you can control is how you spend your time. And you decide how vigorously you want to pursue each project and how much time you can afford to devote to each prospect. In order to do that, you have to rate your prospects and prioritize your efforts toward them.

To satisfy anyone's urgent need, have the basic information about your consulting services ready and faxable (three pages maximum). Then, if necessary, take your time to put together a more tailored package and mail it. Even better, register a domain name on the Internet for your consulting business, then post this literature on your Web site. That way, prospects can access it at any time of the day or night.

When you promise to send information, be sure to send it promptly. Sloppy lead handling looks really bad and, as marketing consultant David Wood writes: "Failure to fulfill your first commitment to a client establishes you as unreliable and undependable. In addition, the sooner your material gets there, the fresher your conversation is in his or her mind and the more quickly your relationship can be continued."

These days, people rarely return phone calls. It's unprofessional, but it's a reality. So now, more than ever, it's up to you to follow up.

For qualified leads, (e.g., hot prospects-especially those who've contacted you) follow-up calls make sense. The call should be made approximately a week after the information is sent out, on any day but Monday.

For cold prospects (e.g., people who don't know you), follow-up calls can only help. It's unrealistic to think that you could do follow-up calls to everyone on your calling list, but you could certainly make calls to the top 10 percent of potential customers on the list.

Chances are they got your mail and it's in a pile somewhere. Your phone call will resurrect your piece of paper from that pile and, because timing is everything in marketing, that follow-up call could provide the final push needed to get the project on track. A prospect might surprise you with, "You know, I've been meaning to call you."

From the time you make your first contact with the prospects, until the time they are ready to buy from you, these follow-up activities are all effective:

"I don't like to assess success simply by measuring response," says Ilise Benun, publisher of The Art of Self Promotion quarterly newsletter. "There are too many unknowns that figure into the ultimate results. This is a lesson I've learned many times, but I'll never forget one time several years ago.

"I spoke at a conference that was very poorly publicized and, thus, poorly attended. My workshop had five people. I spontaneously changed the format of my presentation, put us into an intimate circle and gave a highly interactive self-promotion workshop (which I wouldn't have been able to do with a big group). It turned out to be extremely productive and everyone left feeling great, myself included. If asked the next day how many people showed up, the number five would have drawn a groan from anyone. But more is not always better and it wasn't that day. A year later, one of those five became an important client for me."

Of course, response is important. But, while response is indeed significant, it's not everything. It's difficult to imagine that those who receive phone calls but don't respond are affected in a positive way. But don't assume they're not.

There are too many unknowns. People's needs and interests are constantly changing. You'll never know, for example, how many people put your brochure in that infamous "in-basket," which they really do plan to go through just as soon as they get a free minute. You'll never know how many people file your material for future use, or bookmark your Web site for future reference. You'll never know how many people pass your catalog along to a colleague who may be calling soon. You'll never know how many people are presenting the idea of working with you to their bosses but haven’t received approval.

Yes, they're intangible and unquantifiable but all of these events can have an impact on the results of your promotional efforts and you'll never be able to trace them back to any one mailing.

Give each marketing effort six months, minimum. More often than not, it's not just one communication that brings a client; it's the succession of messages. It can take four to nine calls to make a sale.

When you do make a judgment, take a wide view and go with your gut. You will know if what you're doing is worth the time and energy involved. You will know if you enjoy the process. You will know if people like it, remember it, and notice it. You will know if, over the course of a year of consistent marketing, your business has grown.

About the Author: Besides being a professional consultant, copywriter and member of ACL’s Board, Bob Bly is the editor of Mailbox Millionaire, ETR's program to help you start your own successful direct-mail business. For information click here.

A great way to sell your product or service -- without spending a dime of your advertising budget -- is to send newsworthy press releases to magazines, newspapers, and radio/TV stations.

In fact, much of the "news" that you see or hear every day has been pulled from press releases. Instead of digging for material themselves, overworked editors are more than happy to use stories that come to them. But they don't print just any old press release.

The key word, here, is "newsworthy." Your press release must communicate something of real value. Something that is new, different, better, stronger, or faster. Information that will make an editor think his readers (or listeners) will feel better informed. That's why press releases that do nothing but blatantly promote a company end up in the trash. Boring, badly written releases share the same fate.

Writing a good press release is as easy as writing a short newspaper article. And when you think about how many newspapers you've read in your life, you can see that you already have a lot of experience with the form and structure of press releases.

Press releases, like news articles, are written in the "upside-down-pyramid" style. The most-important information (the "who, what, when, where, why, and how" of the story) is stated first and is followed by supporting information and relatively less-important details. That's because you want your readers (the editors you're going to send your releases to) to get the meat of your story by reading one or two lines. Then, if they want to know more, they'll read the rest.

Surveys and polls give instant credibility to a story, because pollsters are usually perceived as neutral, impartial people who just report the facts. So, if possible, include some statistics to prove that there's a real need for your product/service.

Remember that you want to provide enough information to communicate something of real value to potential clients/customers -- but not so much that they won't need you.

Give it a shot – you’ll be building up your portfolio while generating interest in your work.

About the Author: Katie Yeakle is the Executive Director of American Writers & Artists. For more information about AWAI, please visit their website at: www.awaionline.com

How would you like to develop additional income streams and grow your consulting business by 10%, 20%, 30%, or more?

In your consulting practice, you have acquired years of experience, knowledge and expertise. Capitalize on this knowledgebase and increase your income by presenting seminars and writing informational reports on your area of expertise.

For example, Gary has over 25 years experience in the painting and home improvement fields, and he is very good at it. He probably could double his income by sharing his knowledge and experiences with others. He could become a painting consultant. He could speak at various venues and sell time-saving, home-improvement tip sheets that he would create.

As an expert, you could speak at various local organizations for a fee or for free. For example, if you are a financial planner, you could create a short presentation on "The Ten Biggest Financial Planning Mistakes People Make and How to Avoid Them!" You could create and sell, or give away, a special report on the same topic. By sharing your ideas in a presentation, you establish credibility as a consultant and develop a reputation as a leader in your field. You acquire new clients, get additional referrals, and sell your knowledge.

This idea could work for you whether you are a dentist, lawyer, chiropractor, financial planner, management consultant, or interior designer. Speaking in front of potential customers is your ticket for increasing your business and expanding it.

Hundreds of organizations are looking for speakers. Some may even pay you. There are charitable organizations, homeowner associations, alumni groups, work groups, religious organizations, brotherhoods and sisterhoods, industry organizations, etc. These groups meet locally, regionally and some nationally. Let them know you are available to speak, and your business will grow.

To do this, you will want to reduce or get rid of your speaking anxieties and develop effective communication skills. In future articles, I’ll share tips on how to...

For now, develop a presentation and create informational reports on your area of expertise. Practice speaking in front of friends or family members. Then begin to market your presentation ideas to organizations. In time, you will develop additional income streams and your consulting business (and reputation) will grow.

About the Author: Allan Kaufman, is a freelance writer and consultant with Allan and Allan, Inc. Go to his website: www.nosweatspeaking.com and sign up for his free monthly speaking tips e-letter.

You might be a consultant if…You print your business cards every week from your desktop; your spouse or kids ask why you don’t go to work like “normal” parents; you don’t take orders from some wet-behind-the-ears MBA.

Success should be defined by you or you will be measured by others. I hate when that happens, but it only does if I allow it to.

Positioning, as defined by Jack Trout and Al Reis, is the real estate you own in the mind of your prospects and customers. Positioning can be done by you, for you or to you. The choice is yours.

I started my company in 1985 in a default mode: I found I could not work for others because I have a big mouth, and there seemed to be few employers willing to give me what I thought I was worth. I am a person of strong opinions, and I express them pretty well. My candor has become a trademark, no longer a detriment (although I never viewed it as a detriment).

The 19-year road from then to now has been bumpy, often grueling, but always fun. The simple reason is that I defined the terms of my success myself, and always presented myself as successful regardless of how much I made or what I drove. My success definition was simple: I was good at what I did, and would constantly strive to be better and become the best. The terms of my success were predicated on what I knew, not how much I made. They still are, though I make considerably more now.

Those who have met me along the way will attest to the fact that my confidence level maintains at an extraordinary level. It has also helped me define and manage my “position” in the market.

Working hard at defining your niche and becoming the best at what you do is critical for obvious reasons. First, the value it provides your clients, and your subsequent ability to retain them and obtain more. More importantly is the self-worth it brings, and the knowledge and confidence that accompanies that self-worth. But just because these are obvious reasons does not mean everyone works hard to accomplish them.

As a result of my constant self-education (reading not simply marketing books and trade publications, but carefully watching my market – government- and applying the techniques and watching others do the same), I am a recognized authority in two universes. My core competency is marketing to the government, but because of my work in bringing many direct marketing companies (especially catalogers) in to the government market, I speak at almost as many direct marketing events as government events. And at my seminars, you will see both many companies like Northrop and IBM as well as catalogers like PC Mall and Viking.

Not only do I get speaking opportunities, but the respective trade publications that cover each industry call me for my views. In any given month, I can be found in Catalog Age, Catalog Success, Direct, DM News, Federal Computer Week, Government Computer News or the Washington Business Journal. I have also shown up in mainstream publications, including Forbes, the Washington Times and others.

The press likes me for a couple reasons. First and foremost, I speak my mind. Second, if I think there is someone better qualified to address the topic, I will tell the reporter who they should talk to and how to get in touch with them. Often, I will contact the person myself and tell them to take the call. Reporters appreciate this and remember me, which leads to more press. And I work hard to stay in touch with the press, maintaining relationships with many reporters and editors.

When I started my e-newsletter almost two years ago, the first people to sign up were many of these reporters and editors. Since then, readership has expanded to my core audiences (companies that sell to the government in the traditional contracting mode as well as direct marketing firms) and my sphere of influence has expanded to include Board of Directors and stock analysts as well as many high-level government employees. The newsletter is sent out late Monday morning and has become one of the water-cooler, cubicle topics. Why? It maintains my point of view, my candor, and an ability to state what many may be thinking, but few willing to say aloud or in public. My newsletter rattles cages, and enhances my position as the market watcher with a critical eye, someone you should consider having on your team. At worst, you almost have to know what I wrote about in “Off-Center Observations” because it is likely to become a topic of conversation anywhere!

The issues of defining success on your terms and the development of creating and managing your “position” are intertwined. Only by consciously staying at the cutting edge of your niche can you hope to grow a recurrent client base. By staying at the edge, your will develop a reputation as the go-to consultant for that niche. As this occurs, it is critical to manage your message, to define your market position clearly. Do this publicly, proactively seeking speaking and interview opportunities, making certain you stay in front of core audiences on a regular basis, defining yourself for those audiences instead of being defined by your competitors.

None of this happens overnight, so do not be discouraged if there seems to be little progress. Concentrate on becoming among the best in your niche, then read my next article! I will also be discussing this at the fall conference in Florida. (For more information about ETR’s Wealth Building conference, contact Barbra or Scott at 866-879-2924)

About the Author: Mark Amtower is founder of Amtower & Associates, and is one of the leading authorities on marketing to the federal government. Mark is a Board member of ACL and one of our contributing editors.

Periodically, the editors of Consulting Tips will make recommendations on books or other resources that we believe would be of interest to our members. This month, we’re recommending: Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank, by Bryan Eisenberg, Jeff Eisenberg and Lisa Davis (Wizard Academy Press, Austin Texas)

Like what you see? Have suggestions for topics that you would like Board members to address? Send us your comments and suggestions t American Consultants League, c/o Early to Rise www.earlytorise.com or email us at: support@earlytorise.com. Be sure to mention that you are a subscriber to ACL.

245 NE 4th Ave Ste 102
Delray Beach, Fl 33483
Ph: 866-344-7201/ FAX: 561-278-5929
Editor: Denise Ford

ACL Board Members: Mark Amtower, Ilise Benun, Bob Bly, Tony Narinesingh,
Ruth Stevens, Valerie Young, Deeba Jafri, Michael Masterson