Marketing Your Consulting Services.pdf - epiheirimatikotita.gr

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38 ASSESSING YOUR COMPETITION One of the most important, but also one of the most difficult, aspects of your marketing research is to learn as much as you can about your competition—those organizations that are competing for the same consulting dollars that you are. Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your competition will help to illuminate the unique attributes of your company. It will also help you define your niche later in this chapter. Competitive Analysis You should spend some time examining the competition you have now as well as the competition you expect to face in the near future. Your competition consists of more than just other consulting companies. Remember to include colleges and universities, industry associations, non-profits, governmental agencies, and those located outside your immediate geographical area. You can compile your data in three different formats. You may wish to use the questions here to tell a story and put it in a narrative format. A second option would be to use the Competitor Comparison Form shown in Exhibit 3.1. I suggest that you expand the form to at least two or three times the size in this book in order for you to have enough space to list everything you will need. I like to do this on a flip-chart page, using a small marker. A third option is to use the SWOT format from the previous chapter and complete one on each of your competitors. 1. Who is your competition? 2. How do you describe your competition in the geographical area you service? 3. How do you describe your competitors’ ability to deliver in the specialty areas you have targeted? 4. How do your consulting products and/or services differ from your competitors’? Marketing Your Consulting Services
5. How do your competitors’ pricing structures compare to yours? 6. How much experience do your competitors have? 7. How strong is each of your competitors’ name recognition? 8. What share of the market do these competitors have? 9. Is your competitors’ business increasing, decreasing, or remaining steady? 10. Why would someone buy from them instead of you? 11. How do your competitors market themselves? 12. What are your comparative strengths and weaknesses in sales or marketing? 13. What differentiates you from your competitors? Temper any industry statistics, sales information, and other information that you may have with your experience and a dose of common sense as you fill out the form. External Assessment: How Do Your Competitors and Clients Stack Up? 39
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About Pfeiffer Pfeiffer serves the
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“In her new book, Elaine continue
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“Elaine has done it again—a boo
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Copyright © 2003 by John Wiley & S
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CONTENTS Dedication ix List of Figu
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SEVEN Prospecting in All the Right
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LIST OF FIGURES AND EXHIBITS ONE Fi
Page 19: Figure 9.5 Expanding the ABCs: Addi
Page 22 and 23: xx almost hands-on guidance, she in
Page 25 and 26: PREFACE It is rare that I am writin
Page 27 and 28: • I promise to teach you creativi
Page 29: One Last Thing I have lots of last-
Page 32 and 33: xxx Celia Rocks, publicist, thanks
Page 34 and 35: 2 Market Research and Market Plans
Page 36 and 37: 4 receive something to put in a box
Page 38 and 39: 6 it that. Whether you like it or n
Page 40 and 41: 8 add value for your clients? Do yo
Page 42 and 43: 10 6. If your attitude about sellin
Page 44 and 45: 12 A: Assess the Situation Assessin
Page 46 and 47: 14 tools available to you. Try to s
Page 48 and 49: 16 • Start a file of marketing id
Page 51: Assess the Situation L part ONE
Page 54 and 55: 22 As mentioned earlier, a marketin
Page 56 and 57: 24 Luick tip . . . Subscribe to the
Page 58 and 59: 26 My customer base suggests that:
Page 60 and 61: 28 Marketing Your Consulting Servic
Page 62 and 63: 30 Luick tip . . . One of the easie
Page 66 and 67: 34 • If you are currently using a
Page 69: External Assessment How Do Your Com
Page 73 and 74: Where to Get the Scoop Where can yo
Page 75 and 76: If you decide that the survey will
Page 77 and 78: keting, authors Ries and Trout clai
Page 79 and 80: It doesn’t have to be that diffic
Page 81 and 82: you are known for and of what you a
Page 83: 2. Most consultants offer similar s
Page 86 and 87: 54 may start out with a white busin
Page 88 and 89: 56 You may also serve on advisory b
Page 90 and 91: 58 Luick tip . . . If you might use
Page 92 and 93: 60 through your logo. I have had pe
Page 94 and 95: 62 • Produce just enough brochure
Page 96 and 97: 64 Your Bio Sketch If you’ve been
Page 98 and 99: 66 OTHER IMAGE BUILDERS Sometimes t
Page 103: Build a Potential Client Base L par
Page 106 and 107: 74 dozens of personal notes, or you
Page 110 and 111: 78 Demonstrations or Showcases Demo
Page 112 and 113: 80 • Once your basic presentation
Page 114 and 115: 82 Considerations: • Select a cau
Page 116 and 117: 84 • Select something that is eas
Page 118 and 119: 86 professions it is appropriate to
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88 Luick tip . . . Three of the mos
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90 Website Your website should be s
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92 • Be sure to check the copyrig
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94 • Be aware of the many variabl
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96 Considerations: • Identify the
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98 Obtaining Information • Reques
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100 “We’re getting ‘around’
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102 reason is so that they will see
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Your Marketing Plan Can You Market
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You could also save time by finding
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Commitment also means that you cont
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What’s the Minimum I Need to Know
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Listen. Listen to whom? Everyone. T
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Exhibit 6.1. Your Marketing Plan, C
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products and services, position, pr
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You need to determine whether you w
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some that require the entire year.
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mail do not work very well for prom
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azine advertising or sponsorships,
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process that ensures you can comple
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one phone call after five months. Y
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Exhibit 6.2. Annual Marketing Plann
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quarter. Contract amount is also li
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6. List your company in free direct
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Prospecting in All the Right Places
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into someone who frankly cannot use
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Exhibit 7.1. Five-Step Prospecting
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Luick tip . . . Examine your mailin
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How can you select another industry
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If you have not conducted this kind
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July 12, 20xx Exhibit 7.4. Sample I
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Letter Mechanics The mechanics of t
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will be in your area next Tuesday o
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How About Results? I enjoy the proc
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tion, a proposed approach, a timeli
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Figure 7.1. Prospecting Is Being a
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Contact Potential Clients L part TH
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164 RAINMAKER? The term rainmaker c
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166 YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT—NOW W
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168 Exhibit 8.1. What to Ask Potent
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170 First, it seems too sales-like
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172 for what is working well or for
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174 Ask About Money During first me
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176 • Wrap-up close: Summarize th
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178 After Your Sales Call Follow Up
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180 much will it cost? How long wil
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182 4. The last paragraph of this c
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184 Gerald Weinberg, author of The
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186 do so. The ebb associates visio
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188 service, hot food, and a friend
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190 In Closing As you end your work
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192 One of the most important thing
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194 Individuals at the “take-char
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196 Individuals at the “task-orie
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198 of the styles on both sides of
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200 for someone they met coming in.
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202 tude gives them an upbeat focus
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Figure 9.4. Adapt to Your Client’
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206 How Much Time Can Referrals Sav
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208 Build Relationships Figure 9.5.
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210 Exhibit 9.4. Continuously Impro
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212 4. Determine how many of your c
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214 ESTABLISH A WEBSITE What can yo
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216 Your website is the only market
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218 Luick tip . . . If you have wri
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220 MARKETING: TAKE ACTION 1. Visit
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Marketing Can It Be Fun? As a consu
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Compare and Combine Risk Taking Exp
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The year Babe Ruth hit the most hom
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Asking “What if?” can be just a
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A friend of mine who had never serv
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8. Incubate Remember all those time
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Personally I like to sit down with
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most were probably unaware that the
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Ask What’s Good? and What If? The
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The company remembers the first tim
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MARKETING AND CREATIVITY: A PERFECT
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Where to Look for New Ideas Sometim
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248 Do Things Differently Marketing
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250 Marketing Your Consulting Servi
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252 3. Share the load. Find someone
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254 ebb’s THIRTEEN TRUTHS I intro
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256 for your clients, you will see
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258 red to connote power, or making
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260 • Research by September 10
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262 September 30-November 5 • Wor
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264 Goal: Bring in Six New Clients
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266 Now read the letters a second t
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READING LIST Beckwith, H. (1997). S
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INDEX A ABCs of marketing: descript
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your client’s, 153; marketing pla
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Learning International, 239 Learnin
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Out-of-town clients, 179-180 The Ov
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179-180; rainmaker concept of, 163-
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282 Newport News Shipbuilding, Kohl
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• Participant’s workbook Contai
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MODEL A graphic depiction of a syst
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