Marketing Your Consulting Services.pdf - epiheirimatikotita.gr

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do so. The ebb associates vision states: “Our clients are so satisfied that they will
market for us.” It has taken a long time to achieve that vision, but it is a vision in
action today. We can trace more than 80 percent of our business back to three of
our original clients.
So why is it important to retain clients? I think it is quite clear there are benefits
to both you and the client. Now how do you ensure that this occurs? To retain
clients you need to build a relationship with the organization as well as the people
who work there.
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ORGANIZATION
Every organization that you work with will be unique. What is not unique is the
list of things you can do to build a relationship with each of them. You may already
be involved in some of these activities. In addition, some of the things we discussed
in Chapters Five and Six may be useful.
Know Where You Stand
There are four things: (1) Ask them if they are satisfied; (2) Find out what is important;
(3) Gather data to determine how you compare to your competition regarding
what is important; and (4) Develop an action plan. “Wait a minute,” you
might say, “that sounds suspiciously familiar.” It should. It is the same thing we did
in Chapters Two, Three, Four, and Six. Conduct a customer satisfaction audit. That
might be as simple as a letter or a telephone call. You might also take them to lunch
and ask how you are doing. Do you know where you stand with your clients? All
of them?
Continue to Learn More About Them
Learn as much as you can about your clients while you are on the job. Interview
employees throughout your project and gather data to add to what you may
have learned at the beginning of the project. For example, after implementing a
new software, conduct a mini survey to learn what skills employees still need in
order to be successful. Always share your findings with management. Tour stores,
plants, branch offices, and other locations to better understand the entire organi-
Marketing Your Consulting Services