To keep your competitive edge in the marketplace, you must find practical and inexpensive ways to retain the clients you have, develop new clients, and increase your bottom line. Marketing Your Consulting Services is a complete how-to guide that will help you develop and implement a dynamic marketing plan that will make your consulting business more visible to clients and more competitive in the marketplace. Written by Elaine Biech—one of the foremost experts in the field of consulting—this practical and easy-to-use resource includes useful guidance, practical ideas, special consulting considerations, and creative tips. Marketing Your Consulting Services is filled with the information you need to help you: Develop a successful marketing plan Understand the marketing ins and outs of a small consulting firm Find new clients Get your clients to refer you to other clients Implement inexpensive and effective marketing tools Develop creative marketing ideas Retain the clients you have today Biech urges you to develop a "market all the time" attitude, and to help you get started, she recommends hundreds of ideas that can be easily implemented. In addition, the book's "Fast Fourteen To Do Today" are suggestions you can put immediately into practice to help jump-start your business. Written to be a hands-on resource, Marketing Your Consulting Services also includes Quick tips throughout each chapter for easy reference. Marketing Your Consulting Services offers you the practical tools and helpful suggestions necessary to market and sell your consulting services. It includes everything a consultant needs to know about marketing to be—and stay—successful.
Author(s): Elaine Biech
Publisher: Pfeiffer
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 320
Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 12
FORWORD......Page 20
PREFACE......Page 24
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 30
MARKETING 101......Page 32
CONSULTANTS AND MARKETING......Page 36
THE ABCs OF MARKETING......Page 42
MARKETING FROM DAY ONE......Page 46
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 47
Part ONE Assess the Situation......Page 50
2 Internal Assessment:ONE Marketing: What’s It All About?......Page 52
WHY MARKET RESEARCH?......Page 53
ASSESSING YOUR CONSULTING COMPANY......Page 54
SWOT YOUR COMPANY......Page 58
OTHER DATA REQUIRED......Page 60
CLARIFY YOUR PRESENT PREFERENCES......Page 61
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 64
3 External Assessment:How Do Your Competitors and Clients Stack Up?......Page 68
ASSESSING YOUR COMPETITION......Page 69
ASSESSING YOUR CLIENTS......Page 73
WHAT¡¯S THAT POSITION THING?......Page 75
EXPLORE OTHER MARKETS......Page 80
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 81
CONSISTENCY IS CRITICAL......Page 84
MESSAGES YOU SEND IN PERSON......Page 85
MARKETING MESSAGES ON PAPER......Page 87
OTHER IMAGE BUILDERS......Page 97
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 100
Part TWO Build a Potential Client Base......Page 102
WORD OF MOUTH......Page 104
MARKETING TOOLS......Page 105
NEED AN EXCUSE TO STAY IN TOUCH?......Page 128
TIPS FOR SENDING A KEEPER......Page 130
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 134
MARKETING PLAN PRELIMINARIES......Page 136
WHY A MARKETING PLAN?......Page 141
A MARKETING PLAN FORMAT......Page 144
Wallow in Your Junk Mail......Page 148
You¡¯ll Spend the Same Time Baiting the Hook......Page 151
Mail a Lumpy Envelope......Page 155
Personalize Your Marketing......Page 157
The Time to Market Is All the Time......Page 163
Keep Yourself in Front of Your Clients......Page 164
CAN YOU REALLY MARKET ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET?......Page 165
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 166
7 Prospecting in All the Right Places......Page 168
PROSPECTING IS A TRANSITION......Page 169
FIND NEW CLIENTS......Page 170
PROSPECTING PROCESS......Page 171
PROSPECTING IN OTHER WAYS AND PLACES......Page 186
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 190
Part THREE Contact Potential Clients......Page 192
8 Selling Services:How Do You Sell You?......Page 194
VALUE- ADDED SELLING......Page 195
YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT ¡ª NOW WHAT?......Page 197
OTHER MEETING PLACES......Page 210
CONTRACTS......Page 211
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 212
9 A Client in Hand Is Worth Ten in Your Plan:Will Your Clients Market for You?......Page 214
CUSTOMER LOYALTY AND RETENTION......Page 215
WHY RETAIN CLIENTS?......Page 216
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ORGANIZATION......Page 217
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE INDIVIDUALS......Page 222
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS MARKETING......Page 236
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 242
10 Marketing Technology:What Will Work for You?......Page 244
ESTABLISH A WEBSITE......Page 245
E- MAIL MARKETING......Page 248
OTHER TECHNOLOGIES TO EXPLORE......Page 249
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 251
Part FOUR Marketing Support......Page 252
PROVEN WAYS TO GENERATE MARKETING IDEAS......Page 254
MARKETING AND CREATIVITY: A PERFECT FIT......Page 274
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 276
LISTS......Page 278
TIGHTWAD MARKETING......Page 282
MAKE MONEY MARKETING......Page 283
ebb¡¯s THIRTEEN TRUTHS......Page 285
MARKETING PLAN EXAMPLES......Page 289
AND THE VERY LAST THING ¡......Page 295
MARKETING: TAKE ACTION......Page 298
READING LIST......Page 300
INDEX......Page 302
ABOUT THE AUTHOR......Page 312
