Getting Your Services Used

Every day I talk with professional service providers who do great work, have a valuable service that really helps people?and struggle to get their services used as much as they'd like.

They get a lukewarm response after an initial conversation while networking, the referrals come in but don't convert to real business as often as they'd like, and they can't seem to get prospects to see them as that much better than other professionals offering similar services.

Or they may get some attention from prospects as a result of an ad, published article, or speech?but then the early attention kind of fizzles into phone tag and no real client, in the end.

So what's the problem? In most cases, they're not getting far enough with the prospect to reveal the quality of their work?so it's not about their professional work. And some professionals DO have decent positioning and credibility-building things in place like client testimonials and case studies on their websites (although the latter -- done effectively ? is rare, unfortunately).

There are a lot of things that can go wrong in the marketing and sales process. But in most cases, the key thing I see missing is a decent approach to packaging your professional services. Part of successfully packaging your services means putting what you offer into a variety of formats and "packages" that your clients need, at prices they'll pay.

Networking and asking for referrals are a waste of time (or are a lot harder), if you don't have something for prospects to easily buy?a choice of easy "yes's" in the form of thoughtfully packaged versions of your services.

Real Life Examples that Work

Here are some examples to illustrate what I mean. These are simple ways to repackage what typically is only offered as consulting services (whatever your specialty may be). Each format offers your clients a different level of commitment, time, and money?increasing the chances that you'll find the right fit for their needs:

* Weekly Coaching to Get & Stay On Track: Good for prospects who hesitate to take that first step or just need a little encouragement to start small. Great for people who need the structure and discipline of a regular meeting (telephone or in person) to keep on track.

* Multi-Hour Strategy Session: Particularly useful if you sell to other businesses. A quick, affordable way for prospects to get specific feedback and new ideas on their existing approach to what you offer.

* 1-Day Jump-Start Retreat: A more in-depth version of the idea above. Especially useful if you bring a management team together.

* Multiple-Day or Monthly Workshop or Clinic: A different way to impart your expertise and help your clients "learn to fish for themselves."

* Quick Audit: An affordable, finite commitment to let a prospect get a small sample of your approach. Can often develop into a longer engagement.

* Strategy + Action Planning: A safe way for prospects to get real value, without buying the whole nine yards. Again, this is a finite engagement that produces a blueprint for future work.

* Implementation Services: This is typically the primary service professional service firms offer. To make this more "buyable," break it into phases and smaller, incremental commitments.

* The Round Table: Collaborate with trusted peers to provide a multi-faceted approach to helping your clients.

How do I know that these approaches motivate prospects to become clients? Because I use all of them in my practice and they all get results. My business model represents a mix of revenue streams, none of which is tied completely to a traditional consulting model.

For more tips on how to get your services used by offering options through creative packaging, keep reading...

Give your prospects choices and you'll increase the odds they more quickly turn into paying clients. Here's how:

1. Package your services to offer clients have a variety of ways they can work with you. Think small, then incrementally add steps in larger sizes. Before you know it, you'll have a range of ways to help your clients.

2. Give each service a catchy title that's all about how your client will benefit. For example, I offer the "More Clients Than You Ever Thought Possible!" Marketing Clinic and the "Maximize Your Online Strategy" Website Audit. Make the title about your clients, not you.

3. "Productize" your services to generate passive income. Record your public talks and sell them as tapes on your website. Combine sets of articles and sell them as mini-books. These are fairly easy, low-cost things to do.

4. Go back to current and past clients with your new range of services and/or product-based solutions. Just because they bought one type of service from you in the past, doesn't mean they wouldn't be interested in new ways you can help them.

5. Make sure your pricing structure offers prospects a range of choices. Make it easy for them to take the first step by offering something small and relatively inexpensive. There's a lot that can be said about pricing, which I'll cover in a future issue of this newsletter.

6. Don't be afraid to spell out your range of services in your marketing materials and on your website. Demystify what you do by offering lots of information, including details of what your clients can expect in terms of deliverables, timeframes, targeted results, and what they need to do to ensure success.

7. The bottom line is to use client-centered descriptions and language. Even though this is about your services, it's not. It's about how your clients will succeed and what problems they'll solve by choosing a particular service. I just can't emphasize this enough!

Experiment with a number of packages and see what works and what doesn't. Play with the variables: title, size, price, description, deliverables, and so on. You've got nothing to lose, but future clients.

© 2004 TurningPointe Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. We encourage sharing and publication of Your Monthly TurningPointe in whole or in part if copyright and attribution, including live web site link and email link, are always included. Please let us know where and when it will appear. Thank you!

(c) 2004 TurningPointe Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved.
Marketing educator, Kelly O'Brien, is creator of the "Create a
TurningPointe!" Marketing Bootcamp. To learn more about this step-by-step
program, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and 20-page marketing
guide, visit http://www.turningpointemarketing.com

---

Discover the Winning Marketing Strategy Secrets of Donald Trump Apprentice Wanna-bes

The highly entertaining Donald Trump's search for an apprentice turned... Read More

Private Practice Marketing: 3 Secrets I Wish I Knew When I First Started Out

I don't know about you, but I am still waiting... Read More

Make Out Marketing

What is the single biggest fear of teenagers, business owners... Read More

PowerPositioning: WillYouAcceptThisRose.com

Positioning is a powerful concept in marketing. To illustrate, have... Read More

What to Look for in Display Graphics and Trade Show Graphics

Display graphics are graphic images used for illustration or "display"... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - What Your Client Wants

Your business depends on the success of your marketing efforts.... Read More

Are Keywords Destroying the Flow of Your SEO Copy?

With all the shuffling that's been seen in the search... Read More

Making a Hit with Your Marketing Campaign

Considered a vital link in a show's promotional plan, direct... Read More

Alarming Marketing Trend

One key discipline of successful direct marketing has been to... Read More

How to Develop an Effective Company Profile -- and Why

What is a company profile? ... Read More

When Business Cards Arent Enough: Unusual, Unexpected, and Uncommon Networking Tips

There comes a time in every small businessperson's life when... Read More

Tipical Mistakes in Marketing

To prevent the risks of a promotion campaign for our... Read More

Embracing The Future - Marketing Yourself, Your Business And Your

IntroductionMany businesses and organisations have a perception that marketing means... Read More

Every Days a Holiday!

You probably know that February 2nd is Groundhog Day. But... Read More

Direct Mail Formats: How to Choose the Right One for Your Next Mailing

Which pulls the best response, a postcard, a self-mailer or... Read More

When, Why, and How to Use Mailing Lists

Mailing lists may be the cause of more heartbreaks than... Read More

Break Even On Your Next Direct Mail Campaign...And Still Generate Huge Profits

With direct mail, you can break even and still claim... Read More

Growing Your Brand Assets

Okay. Raise your hand if you think brand management is... Read More

Marketing Through Associations

©2004 Jeffrey DobkinIf you're in direct marketing, you're continually looking... Read More

Use a Guarantee In Your Headline To Increase Trust

Sometimes you can use a guarantee effectively in your headline.... Read More

A Tool For Selling New Ideas!

Imagine tossing a pebble into a crystal clear pond on... Read More

Logo Facts

What makes one logo better than another?Simplicity.A good logo works... Read More

Why Smart People Dont Know How to Market

As an educated professional, your success is based on what... Read More

Peek a Boo - We See You -- 7 Trade Show Tips for Marketing Managers

Peek a Boo - We See YouDoes your company have... Read More

Hello, My Name Is . . . What Your Name Tag Says About You

When you attend networking functions, what kind of name tag... Read More

Creative Marketing: Just Your Style

You've enlisted some of the traditional marketing methods to sell... Read More

Mortgage Marketing and Advertising ? The Magical Ingredient

Do you offer superior service, consistently close loans on time... Read More

How To Recover Your Almost Customers

You'll always need to find new prospects for your business.... Read More

Why Your Business Need a Website

Web Presence gives your business a distince edge over your... Read More

People Do Business with People They Like

People do business... Read More

Should You Clap For Your Customers?

Does it make sense to clap for your customers? It... Read More

Three Ways to Put Fresh Spins on Old Marketing Concepts

Are you struggling to find a new twist for... Read More

Website Marketing: 10 Uncommon Bonuses That Will Help Make Your Product Hotly In Demand

Giving away free bonuses is an important website marketing secret... Read More