People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care!

Over the past few months I have been meeting with a number of professionals who happen to work at professional service firms including Accountants and Attorneys. As the typical professional meeting protocol goes, we exchange cards, suggest connecting via LinkedIn and promise that we’ll someday co-operate on a project. Sometimes, these meetings do result in a continuing dialogue through additional networking meetings or email inquiries for leads or suggestions. More often, I find that I soon become another name on the firm’s Email list.

Emailing has become such a common staple that I feel that we’re losing the ability to speak directly with people. In fact, one LinkedIn group that I belong to asks, what Email service are you using? The response rate has seen an unbelievably high amount of participation. Often times these responders are restating the same thing over and over again. My conclusion to this activity is that Email is of high priority to many marketing departments.

What troubles me is that the email messages I receive are obviously meant for an audience that requires much higher level of accounting or legal help than, (hopefully) I’ll ever need in this life time. I began to wonder if all of the recipients of these email messages really do read them. Is automation is taking the place of good old, face-to-face conversations? At what point will business communications evolve to the point where the conversation is done solely through technology?

“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”

Before you send out that email, ask yourself, when was the last time I called my client directly?

The clients you know are worth far more than the ones you don’t know. Take the time to nurture those relationships. Doing so will result in more referrals which, in turn lead to new clients and the cycle continues.

The 6 essential messaging components to develop New Clients

Often times, people tell me that when they need to develop copy for a new email campaign or are working on new collateral, they suddenly get writers block. In an effort to make this process easier, I have put together the six essential components you should include when communicating your business message to your targeted audience.

The 6 essential components of a well structured business message:

1) Compelling Message & Title: Should include a title that immediate catches the attention of your intended reader and contain strong message of what the target prospect has to loose and /or gain.
2) Value Proposition: why my solution is uniquely the best solution
3) Call to Action: Ask for the business
4) Incentive: Offer an incentive to lower the barrier to entry
5) Time Limit: place a time limit on the offer
6) Re-state the issue: re-state the issue and why your targeted audience needs to take action now.

Compelling Message

Start with a Message Title that immediately attracts the attention of your intended reader.

Your compelling message answers the question: why your audience should listen to what you have to say. The message needs to include those issues that are of top priority to your targeted audience. Too often, businesses are so focused on their own deliverable that they focus on the “Me” rather than “You”.

Brevity and concise messaging is important. Select one but no more than two top priority concerns that directly affect your targeted audience. Include facts supporting the importance of these concerns and clearly indicate what they or their business has to gain or lose.

Value Proposition

Your value proposition should contain elements of the following items:
1. What problem you solution are trying to solve
2. Brief explanation of how your solution solves the problem
3. Why you offer the most unique and viable solution
4. Time frame to action

Call to Action

Surprisingly this is one of the most overlooked areas of sales. Basically, you’re asking for the opportunity to do business. To be effective consider the most likely potential barriers or objections that your targeted audience might use. These typically include the following excuses, budget, time, resources, ability, etc. Make the ability to do business with you as easy as possible.

Incentive

In your mind, your solution is a no-brainer, your price is more than fair, yet your audience may still need an added incentive to take action. When offering an incentive which has become so common-place in many businesses, try to offering something that is relevant to the subject you’re dealing with and most importantly has definite and immediate value to your prospect.

Time Limit

The main purpose of setting a time limit is to create a sense of urgency. There are two ways you can achieve this. The most compelling way is by suggesting a deadline based upon a real issue. An example could be some type of filling deadline, or other client focused identifiable deadline. The other method is by limiting the time of your “special” offer. The first is much more compelling and effective.

Restate the issue and value of what you’re offering

Close your message by re-stating and re-emphasizing the importance of the “issue” in relation to your target audience. Likewise, you should restate uniqueness of your solution and again suggest a call to action.

Additional point not to forget

Before any of these steps can be undertaken with success, it is crucial that you know and understand the business issues facing your targeted market.

New Business Resources – Value Proposition

With increasing competitive pressures and a challenging economy, professional service firms are faced with a growing the need to develop new business opportunities and improve client retention. By providing hands-on practical guidance and new social media solutions, I empower my clients with cost efficient tools to improve client retention while developing new and referral opportunities. With over twenty years of business development experience, New Business Resources is uniquely positioned to provide professional services organizations with best practice solutions to enable more opportunities to meet with qualified prospective clients.

Twitter – a must read for those who just don’t get it.

As I continue my journey into the new world of social media, I tend to hear one common theme; that a lot of people are still having a hard time understanding the value and business potential of Twitter. Generally, those who don’t understanding Twitter will have the same response, “I don’t care that so and so is getting a hair cut!”

Last evening I attended a networking event and stayed late, getting into a discussion with a person whom I had just met about the value Twitter. My focus was less on trying to convince this person that he/she should be using Twitter, and more on helping this person understand the concept. The conversation ended with the person stating that they would give it another look, but I wasn’t convinced personally that I had done an adequate job in explaining its value. Driving home I realized that I needed to do a better job in describing this medium and decided that I needed to create an easier way for people to get a picture in their heads. After all, I’m a veteran sales guy, who has spent most of my professional career selling intangible services which requires a strong ability to create a vision of the outcome in the minds of my prospects.

So here’s my explanation for those who just can’t get the concept and value of Twitter.

First of all, in addition to being a business person, I am a musician. I have played trumpet for nearly 40 years, having taken private lessons in public school, played in numerous school and commercial bands, as well as receiving a Bachelors Degree in Music. Music has always been an important part of my life and I’m happy that I’m still at it. In other words, I know how to play the trumpet, but more than that I understand and know how to play musically.

Using my favorite instrument, the trumpet as an example, anyone can pick up the instrument and make some sort of sound. But the experienced player knows how to make music whereas the untrained person attempting to play the trumpet only makes noise. More than likely no one would listen to the untrained person regardless of how many times this person tries to play. Twitter is similar in that there are certainly a lot of people saying things that have little apparent value which would cause anyone viewing general twitter communication as just a lot of noise. So where do people find value in Twitter? By finding those people who are communicating information in an area or issue that is important to you and has value.

Need another example?

Suppose you are totally addicted to playing golf. Your full time job is working in an office, shuffling papers and answering the phone. But you absolutely love golf and it dominates your thoughts almost 24 hours a day. So, you’re out shopping with your wife or partner at a large department store. He or she is shopping for shoes or something that you have no interest in and the buying process will undoubtedly take a while. However, this is a huge department store with a large sports section, including a full array of golf gear. Where do you think you’ll end up? More than likely in the sports section looking at golf gear. Like Twitter everything else in the store is of little interest to you and like the prior example just a lot of noise. When first entered the store you notice a sign that instantly grabs your attention displaying “Sports Department this way”. This also happens within Twitter messages that may include the golf, along with a link to a larger web site or blog that provides greater depth on the subject. But it gets better. A friend sees you walking buy and he/she is with their significant other, suffering through a demonstration on vacuum cleaners, and asks where you’re headed? So you tell them that you going to the sports department to look at golf gear. In Twitter this is similar to a re-tweet where you are passing a message, to people that you are connected with, containing a brief message suggesting a link to more information on a subject of mutual interest. And that is the key, finding people who are interested and passionate about the same area interest. These are commonly called communities of interest. People who communicate within these communities of interest understand that the objective is to ADD to the conversation, not to dominate it.

OK, so what does this have to do with the business application?

Have you ever heard the phrase,” The more you give the more you will receive”? Social media is not about instant gratification but rather the nurturing and ongoing development of building trusted relationships. Twitter is a way of sending and sharing short messages to people who share common interests. Yes, occasionally people will announce that their going on a vacation or met a celebrity, but isn’t that what friends sometimes do?

The first step is to find and begin listening to those people who share your interests. A simple way to do this is through SearchTwitter.com. Here you can type in an area of interest and begin to find people who share the same interest. Begin following them and when appropriate join the conversation. I promise that you may be surprised at what you may learn.

Law firm marketing , a social media dilemma?

Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to attend a couple seminars presented by law firms the where focused on the subject of social media. The first session that I attended included a panel of two attorneys represented by the firm’s IP practice. Recently, I attended a similar session at another firm, this time with a panel consisting of attorneys from the firm’s labor practice. The only thing that differentiated these two sessions was that the panel headed by labor attorneys spent a portion of the time demonstrating the value of social media. Their presentation even included the YouTube video Social Media Revolution which, through its content and ominous music gave a foreboding sense that social media is or will be taking over the world. The discussion then primarily focused on the potential liability issues facing companies and by their employees who may mention the company, even on their own personal Facebook or LinkedIn pages.

The question that arose in my mind was; how can a law firm adopt and/or promote the virtues of social media for their own use, while at the same time send a message to potential clientele suggesting a course of action while warning of its potential damaging affect? While the argument can be made when dealing with any type of legal issue such as discriminatory or other unlawful activities can occur within any business including a law firm, however because of its very nature as an internet based phenomenon whose reach is global, social media carries a certain mystifying persona of uncertainty. That is, the uncertainty of knowing how I or an individual will be portrayed in someone’s response or comment, who will view my picture, video or comment, and where will my message go?

For the law firm using social media to promote its expertise and reach within its targeted market the need for understanding and vigilance of social media policies and practices increases. The issue that may cause a dilemma for legal community; is understanding what affect a law firm’s social media practices have on a client or potential client who is facing legal issues related to social media? So the real question for a law firm considering adoption of social media is similar to deciding which comes first, the horse or the cart? In either case law firms cannot ignore social media. Clearly a firms’ understanding of social media can only be enhanced by their adoption and use. As the saying goes, “do as I say, not as I do”, just won’t cut it.

Why is it then that social media has become the 800lb. Gorilla in the room? The reason is relatively simple. The rapid growth and user adoption of social media is unprecedented. Many seek to take advantage of social media’s growing adoption and use. It’s fair to say that social media has grown so big in such a short period time that the “rules” are still being debated and decided upon.

Thinking back just a few years ago to another recent technology phenomenon, WiFi, I remember the fervor and hype surrounding this new technology. Overnight there where advisory and consulting firms claiming expertise and suggesting best practices. One of the biggest unanswered questions regarding WiFi was determining how to monetize its capability and potential, which never really materialized. Instead WiFi became another application the enhanced and improved the capability of an even greater technology, wireless devices. Social media is certainly different in that it has helped many businesses gain new clients while saving thousands of dollars on other marketing media whose effectiveness has long been difficult to measure and suspect.

Many marketing savvy firms seeking to better understand the effectiveness of their business development efforts now track client acquisition. Often times this involves asking the client how they found and decided upon a particular attorney within the firm. Conversely, those seeking professional legal counsel, will utilize the recommendations and referrals of associates and colleagues. However, recent studies are showing an increasing interest amongst “younger” corporate counsel towards firms utilizing blogs and other social media. The growing number of social media and tech savvy professionals should provide additional reinforcement of the importance for law firms to continually adapt their business development practices in order to remain competitive and relevant to their targeted audience.

A dilemma may or may not exist with regards to a firm’s use of social media and a client’s legal issue involving social media. But social media’s ability to affect and influence all levels of business and personal activity clearly should not be ignored.

Act now, but Hurry up and Wait!

As I was riding back from a lunch meeting in Cambridge yesterday, I began to notice a lot of store signs, many of which were suggesting to act now or only 2 days left, etc. What I realized is how almost every offer vendors make now typically ends with the recommendation/suggestion that you “better act now”, or else! Closing a sale by a pre-determined date, is one of the more frequent dictates stressed by many sales organizations to fulfill the need to know when a sale is going to close and/or meet sales goals. Likewise many marketing messages, after gaining your attention with an unbelievable product often will suggest a quick call to action by placing a time limit on the offer. This “deadline sales tactic” is used so often that I’m beginning to fear that marketers know about something that’s going to happen, like the end of the world, unless I act now!

Act now! Why? Because the company announcing the time limitation needs to make a sale by that date in order to make their monthly or quarterly number. This philosophy/strategy, I feel is one of the main reasons that hinders greater adoption and integration of social media within many organizations marketing mix. My belief is that we’re so used wanting things happen this instant, that when something doesn’t happen right away, we’re quick to abandon ship.
Having sold services over a span of two decades, I also had to overcome the internal desire to “go after” and try to sell to every new contact that I have garnered using social media. But as most adopters of social media understand this is counter-intuitive to the idea behind social media.

What I’ve come to learn and more importantly internalize, is the understanding that the internet has resulted in a 180 degree shift in the sales paradigm, where more often the prospect is initiating the sales process. I’ve mentioned this in a prior blog post and am becoming increasingly convinced of this shift. My belief is that social media allows the synching of sales and buying cycles.

My point in this discussion is to help those who are struggling with how to integrate social media.
1) Take a step back and try to better understand your prospects buying cycle.
2) Listen to what they are saying and what interests them
3) Tailor your “nurturing” messages to your prospects interests and needs.
4) Understand that social media is a communication vehicle not a billboard.

None of this advice is really new; rather it is what good sales & marketing people have always done. Using social media is an on-going nurturing of a relationship that rarely, if ever pushes a sales message. It allows the customer to select a vendor on their terms. The chosen vendor will more than likely be the one that demonstrated a real “vested” interest in the long-term well being of the prospect.

An analogy that I shared with a colleague during my lunch meeting was that of the Tomato plant. You can plant the seedling in May and probably begin to see tomatoes forming in June. The plant’s early tomatoes could be harvested then, but they’re probably green and quite bitter. The worst part is once you’ve picked them, you can’t put them back. The plant lets you know that when the tomatoes become red, they are ripe and ready for picking. Similarly, if your care for and nurture your prospects they will let you know when their ready to make a buying decision.

Myth- Busters: Twitter and your Brand.

I was reading an article this morning from CRMbuyer entitled: 4 Steps to Social Media Success written by, Pete Gombert. Of particular interest was a statistic from the research firm Perfomics stating that approximately 50% of people who viewed a brand name on Twitter then went on to search that brand’s website. For those who don’t quite get the Twitter “thing” the reason for this is that people who connect on Twitter generally trust one another.

As I continue to use and learn more about social media, I frequently find myself having to explain or in some cases defend myself to those who have not yet begun to understand the business opportunity with social media and specifically Twitter. In many ways social media includes multiple technologies and applications that seem to get bundled into a category. People have been communicating on a two way basis forever, and now we add technology calling it social media. (I happen to like HubSpots term “Inbound Marketing” much better.) Part of the difficulty in greater adoption and acceptance is the fear caused by those who have used the internet for inappropriate and often-times illegal means.

One surprising statistic that many believe is that Twitter is for the “younger” crowd. Truth-be-told, “kids” don’t Twitter they SMS. Twitter users tend to be aged 31 – 45 and growing more acceptance with even older adults. Twitter and social media, are in many ways just like any other marketing media. The intent is to not make money directly from the advertisement rather, it is a way of guiding your prospects to what you really make money on. The key benefit of Twitter is that your customers and prospects are the ones really driving your brand.

So the myth that Twitter is just valueless chatter is an unfair conclusion. Sure you can find out when your friend is getting a haircut, but when people do mention your brand or product, statistics prove that those listening and watching will act.

Social Media for Law Firms – another way to point your clients and prospects in the right direction

In speaking to a number of law firm marketers, a frequent concern raised when discussing social media is the concern for controlling the message. In other words “fear” that someone will say that wrong thing within a response. This seems to be especially true when considering Twitter. However the advantage to Twitter is that the message can only be 140 characters long. LinkedIn Group discussions also offer an excellent platform to respond to questions or discussions. Your response should be relevant to the discussion topic and can either directly or indirectly point the readers to additional resources, like your firm’s blog or white paper on your web site.

Communicating on social media is a way to help others with relevant information to help them with the issues or matters that are of immediate concern. The wonderful part of social media is that while you’re responding to an individual you are also, quite possibly, simultaneously helping hundreds of other people with the same concern. Therefore, your response is not providing direct legal advice but rather a way of pointing people in the right direction. When you have the resource of additional information on your blog or web site, there is nothing wrong with pointing a client or potential client in that direction…. To the content that you provide on your blog or web site.

Social Media is NOT the new, next generation marketing Billboard

There, I said it. One of the most common and understood rules on the use and participation on social media is that by giving you will receive. Lately, I’ve seen the total opposite occurring, especially within LinkedIn group discussions. What am I talking about, the self-promoting of one’s own personal interest.

The objective of contributing to a discussion is to add content of value to the discussion. In doing so, increases your chance to become noticed by the group members which, in turn, can help establish your thought leadership on a particular subject area. However, some people find this an opportunity to introduce the group to their product or service. Recently, on one group discussion related to technical sales someone was offering a vacation package! Another instance someone was trying to sell financial services! These types of extremes are quickly rooted out and most put these people into the category of spam.

So here’s a recommendation I have for LinkedIn. When a person posts a new discussion or adds a comment, add two additional pieces of information to their profile box. First, add the date in which they joined the group. Second, like Twitter displays the number of Tweets an individual has made, add the number of times a group member has added comments to the group’s discussion. While this may not end the problem, it will help those viewing the response to gauge the validity of the responder.

Social media can and does drive business results. It achieves this objective by providing content of value to those seeking advice leading to the establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship off line.

So my message is first ask yourself, before posting a simple question: am I adding value or just trying to be seen in the crowd? Feel free to share your thoughts.

Social Media Obstacles Facing Law Firm Marketers

While the addition of social media into the mix of legal marketers’ tool box is gaining some traction, many firms are still exhibiting reluctance. Understandably, some of the frequent issues that arise is the concern for not breaking ABA rules, or that someone will distribute information that is deemed inappropriate.

The ABA rules dealing with social media will certainly continue to evolve, and the most effective solution dealing with inappropriate comments on social media involve establishing and communicating a clear social media policy. But these are not the type of obstacles that I sense that are really slowing down the adoption of social media. Not understanding the media, its value and place within the marketing mix seems to be the greatest obstacle.

If a client called in or sent an email to an attorney within your firm, would/should the attorney respond? How many times has your firm offered or participated in an outside event, visited by clients and prospects, where an attorney is too busy to participate? Are your attorneys just too busy to provide customer service or customer outreach? My guess is that your attorneys jump at any opportunity to communicate or mingle with clients and prospects. However, when asked if their firm participates in social media, either with blogs or LinkedIn, the response is that the attorneys are too busy to do that.

So if an attorney receives an email or letter they will respond in kind, but if a prospect or client is communicating using social media, you’re now too busy to respond? Of, if your top revenue producing client is attending a dinner or another event, my guess is that your attorney will be there as well. But if the same top client and/or someone in their organization is frequently posting on a LinkedIn discussion board, the attorney would not be interested in investigating what is being said?

Essentially, social media is really nothing more than another way to communicate with clients and prospects. But in some ways it is more than just another venue. Social media by its very nature provides a way for people to communicate more openly. What makes it truly unique is that the service itself is Free.

The goal of any marketing efforts is to gain and engagement or meeting with a prospective client. My friend Adrian Dayton wrote an article entitled: Social Media Gets You on the Golf Course Quickercouldn’t have said this better.

Many companies are embracing social media because it provides results. If you feel social media is not in your firms’ best interest, then by all means don’t participate. And don’t adopt social media just because everyone else is. You need to know your clients and communicate with them where and when they desire. As you wouldn’t dive into any pool until you know how deep the water is, the same holds true for social media. So consider just dabbling your toes. There are a number of ways of monitoring conversation. My firm, New Business Resources does offer a solution that provides my clients with the ability to monitor conversations. You can also monitor your clients on LinkedIn, Twitter Search and many other sites.

The water’s warm, see you at the pool!

6 Simple Steps Every Accounting or Law Firm Planning to Take Advantage of Social Media Should Do

There is no shortage of advice about using social media for businesses. Because of the plethora of information those firms that have not adopted social media can easily get confused. So, I decide to put together a simple outline to help those considering taking that leap of faith into the world of social media.

(1) The first question to answer, why do we even want to explore using social media? Have a clearly defined objective. Wanting to get involved with social media, because everyone else is, is not a good reason. Having the goal of expanding your business by reaching more people or, expanding your relationships with current customers is. What does this mean? You should have a clear idea of who your prospects are. This includes knowing if they are using social media.

(2) Design a plan, measure and test the results and make necessary adjustments. Consider what information is appropriate to share. Be sure to identify more than just a few white papers. Decide on who will be managing your social media presence. Inform your company about your objective and company policy. ( there are certainly more issues to deal with, but this should provide some initial ideas on social media planning)

(3) Social media is about listening not pontificating. Start by FINDing communities of interest, that is, people who share an interest in what your organization does or offers. Listen to what is being discussed, before you jump in.

(4) The next step is to CONNECT with individuals and communities of Interest. You want to begin to follow people who have interest in what you do. Also, try to find people to follow that are active, have a strong following as well. These contacts will help spread your message.

(5) NURTURE: As mentioned, Social media is all about listening and sharing information. No one will follow you for long if you provide neither. Listen to what you community of interest is talking about and where appropriate, add to the conversation. By adding to the conversation, don’t just agree or disagree with what’s being said, all new information. Here’s where you can even suggest some material available on your organizations blog or even better – web site which you’ve already invested heavily in.

(6) ENGAGE: the ultimate goal of using micro-blogs like Twitter, is to direct people to your blog or web site. Since Twitter only allows for 140 characters, your blog and/or website should be the place to provide greater detail. Participating in LinkedIn group discussions is also another place to engage with people. Remember, don’t just try to sell your wares, offer new and compelling information.

There are numerous social media sites that are emerging. A common question asked is: which ones should we participate in? The answer is: the ones where our customers and prospects are! Start with the ones that you are comfortable with and then add new sites are you become more familiar.
Watch your time. It can be a real drain on your time. So a bit of advice is, be selective.
Research suggests that 80% of purchases are buyer initiated. As I discussed in a prior blog http://jackg53.wordpress.com/2010/02/, the sales paradigm has shifted. Your prospects are gathering and sharing information on a variety of social media sites. The internet and social media has become a powerful source of negotiation power for the buyer. Getting involved will help you stay informed about the discussion occurring, as well as, aiding in becoming recognized as an informative, trusted advisor to your industry.
When I have conversations with friends and other business professionals and mention that I am becoming more involved with social media, the response often times is, “that’s for kids or non-sense”, or in the case of professional service organizations, a fear of saying something inappropriate. Okay, if you’re afraid to say something, shouldn’t you at least be listening?
Find me at www.newbusinessresources.net or follow me on Twitter @jgreene391