Good Morning and Happy New Year!

Let’s get back to the 14 factors that our research predicts could prevent growth in your service business… Lack of a business development strategy and competence is Factor Ten.

66% of firms say sales effectiveness must be balanced with practicing your technical craft and it’s not happening fast enough in today’s competitive world. It’s a big factor in preventing your company from reaching its growth potential, because:

Everyone is getting into your market and offering similar services.

Only 14% of service purchasers can tell the difference between offerings. This is causing extreme price pressure. Everyone’s service is commoditized.

Only 38% of purchaser’s rate the traditional drivers of speed, responsiveness or quality as their number one want.

The other 62% want to deal with trusted advisors, not product pushers or just nice people.

Traditional selling isn’t working like it did. The mobile empowered, digitally informed service purchaser doesn’t respond to typical sales pitches. 55% of a potential customer’s mind is made up before a purchaser even talks to them.

Few leaders of firms are willing or able to change their culture to match up with what clients are asking for today.

Fewer than 10% of companies have truly executed on a trusted advisor method of attracting and keeping clients business.

Finally, because of all of the above, non-traditional sellers have seen a need to have a new ‘go to’ market sales strategy and new business development process.

The truth is, every service business believes it’s based on service, not sales. If we effectively provide it they will come back. Well, it isn’t happening like that anymore. Whether we like it or not, we have to access the market with a story that gets attention on the web and everyone in the firm can tell. We need to be search-engine optimizing in order to fish for new leads. We need to be strategizing around what the trends are in our markets, determining what we can offer that matches up and engage every new lead, referral and existing client around insights that a prospect hasn’t got around to figuring out yet. That is valuable, and very few service providers do that. Their belief is that they out-service their competitors. Well, even that design can be questionable.

Firms need to present insights that truly create new value right from the first conversation with a new prospect or a new conversation with an existing one. We need to take those insights and engage our teams in creating point of views that, when given boldly enough, engage the attention of prospects or clients. Our top, high value, 30 percent (big producers, big billers) need to be able to frame and choreograph a series of new prospects or existing client conversations that show your unique value to persuade a client to purchase your services. Theses conversations need to be framed and practiced. There is no room for winging it and depending on your past education, experience or successes. Every company has the same expertise according to our research.

• The first conversation must lead to waking up your customer/prospect to the truth about a big reoccurring problem that your high value, big billing experts can solve.
• The second conversation is about the customer digging into the problem and realizing what it costs their business.
• The third conversation is a truly collaborative one, in which answers are identified. The help needed in terms of strategy and resources required are developed and you show that you can create value in every step of the required process to fix the problem. A few customers want high expertise in helping them grow their business. It isn’t necessarily about problems but about opportunities and their market aspirations.

These conversations will be bigger so more choreographing and rehearsals are required.

Let’s see – strategizing, rehearsing, practicing. Sounds like the best in any field do that. Uh… that’s what professionals do. They are paid for what they do – not for what they know. They work highly valuable strategies and processes that solve client’s problems. Unfortunately, technical expertise isn’t enough. Business development competency is another story.

My experience over many years of helping professional and service companies grow is that very few firms think they need to strategize, choreograph conversations, improve their stories on the web, provide rehearsal’s for their top revenue generating teams and continue to expect growth from compliance customers, from RFP’s, satisfied customers and referrals from other professionals and networking events. Well, that will get you by but more is needed in order to grow today.

Most professionals are repelled by the word selling or business development. After all, they’re paid for their technical expertise. They don’t think they have to be business people who market and develop markets and hunt for new clients. That’s changing.

Being a trusted advisor is usually about how you are with an engaged client.

But how do you access the market? How do you find and grow your client list? How do you find bigger billings?

You need to be a value-creating, trusted advisor just to attract new business – a business developer. Very few are good at it. Period!

We have been doing plenty of work with service companies and we see more awareness for the need for sales/ business development strategies, external thinking, and higher-level skills. If you don’t go there, then your only alternative is to become a low cost, margin producer who is constantly cutting costs.

Changing a culture and building the habits that drive your strategy is not just talking or reading about it. The development of strategies takes thinking. Habits take work over time – coaching and training must be in place. Pep talks or reports will suffice. Openness to reality about our behaviours must be developed and adjusted. Work with your top 30% to develop these habits. Make sure the 70% keep the customers engaged, happy and supported with their goals and strategies.

We have been offering complimentary, two hour workshops on being the Trusted Advisor on an in-house basis and in small group dialogues. It doesn’t change a culture, build your strategies, build your top teams skills, but it is a great eye-opener and a good beginning. It can wake you up! This is our gift to you. I suggest you request one for your team or attend an open public meeting.

Let me remind you, for things to change you have to change. For things to change for your organization, to achieve incredible growth during the best time to be in business in Ontario, someone has to lead the change! For things to be better for your team, your team has to adapt and get better.  Register Now – Become a Trusted Advisor, complimentary workshop.

Are you changing, are you leading change, are you building a better team who can seize more growth opportunities? Make 2016 the year you produce more and achieve more growth. Most read and discuss – few take appropriate action. The producers do! Which are you?

Have a great week!

Kevin D. Crone
Chairman
Dale Carnegie Business Group
kdcrone@dalecarnegie.ca
(905) 826-7300 / 1-800-361-2032
www.dalecarnegie.ca

Differentiate yourself and your business by becoming a trusted advisor to your clients.

 

Program Objectives:

• Build trust and rapport with clients in your initial conversations.
• Have essential business conversations with clients to position you as a Trusted Business Advisor.
• Create high value collaborative relationships with internal and external clients.
• Position yourself as a trusted advisor who creates value.

COMPLIMENTARY MEETING!

Become a Trusted Advisor (9:00 am – 11:00 am)

Cambridge/Kitchener: Wednesday, January 27th – Four Points by Sheraton – Cambridge Kitchener, 210 Preston Parkway

Burlington: Tuesday, February 23rd – Halton Hive, 901 Guelph Line

Questions? Please Contact Karin Batev: 905-617-7542 or Troy Treleaven: 1-888-850-1849 ext. 101