3 Tips to Jump Start your Marketing before end of Q2
With the year about half over, is your book where you want it to be? Are you on track to meet your metrics by year-end? Don’t wait 
another quarter to pick up your efforts to insure you end the year as planned.What can you do? Try one – or all three – of the efforts below to accelerate your business development now.
- Conduct a client audit. Research new matters and clients of the last 18-24 months. How did the work come to you? Who referred it? What business development efforts contributed: networking meetings, conferences, writing, speaking, board involvement, etc. You will notice themes, including key relationships who referred many of your new matters and clients, and clients with whom you are extending your reach internally. These are the people you need to regularly engage with and offer value to.
ACTION: Conduct your audit within the next 4 weeks.
- Market internally. Don’t forget about your colleagues! Meet individually with them and truly understand who their ideal clients are and the type of expertise they offer. Similarly, be sure they understand exactly the kind of work and clients you serve. How can you support each other’s clients?ACTION: Make a list of 5 - 10 colleagues you will meet with in the next six weeks.
- Turn relationships into work. Where do you spend most of your time outside of the office? If you sit on a volunteer committee or board, meet with every member individually. Do you spend a great deal of time on the sidelines of a field, a rink, or a deck? Are there other parents who are well-networked and worth getting to know better? Meet with them individually. Start a conversation by asking open-ended questions to understand what they do, their challenges, and whom they need and want to meet. These individuals may not be able to hire you, but they may be able to introduce you to the people who can. Your relationships are the key factors to building your book. Whom have you not met within the last 8 to 12 months, who are good contacts?
ACTION: Make a list of 5 to 10 contacts who you will meet within the next six weeks. Reach out to them and set a date. Building and sustaining your book of business is in your control. Try one or more of the efforts above. Don’t put it off. Take action so you end the year where you want. If your current efforts aren’t producing as anticipated, try something else. What are complementary or different conferences, publications, professional associations to meet your ideas, referral sources or clients? Take action…today!
