Getting Clients And Keeping Clients For Your Service Business

Many books are written on how to attract more business for retail stores or new products, but this is the only book written for the small business service provider. Whether you are an attorney, doctor, accountant, consultant, personal trainer, insurance agent, Web or computer consultant, graphic designer, dentist, landscape or pool caretaker, professional cleaner, wedding planner, tree trimmer, caterer, or pet sitter, this book is for you. The truth is unless you keep a steady stream of clients coming through your doors, you will never be as successful as you would really like to be. If you're great at working with clients and you do an excellent job of providing your services, you have the capability to turn your service business into a highly profitable firm, easily. If you are like most small business service providers, getting and keeping new clients is hard work and takes up most of your time. And it is a big challenge. Yet this was not the reason you went into business. You went into business to assist your customers and make a financially rewarding business for yourself. This new book will guide you back to your original goals for going into business while making your life easier. Developing a low-cost proven marketing system doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming. This book details the principles and practices of marketing for the professional service business. In 30 days or less, you will be so successful in attracting all the business you will ever need that you can select the clients you want to serve. This specialized book will demonstrate methodically how to market and promote your services easily, inexpensively, and most important profitably. You will learn how to find new business clients quickly and keep existing ones satisfied by selling client based solutions and services by putting technology and low-cost marketing devices into place that take little or no time on your part. You will learn to develop a marketing plan with hundreds of practical marketing ideas to help successful service providers attract new clients and increase business with existing ones. Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company presidentâe(tm)s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.

"It is easy in the tumult of our everyday lives to ignore the client's words and needs as we struggle to promote our own interests. Easy, but dangerous. . . . Operating our business in the client's interest is the pivotal element in a successful marketing strategy. Marketing, in turn, is a mandatory investment in your business. It pays dividends immediately and in the long term. It will carry you to liftoff."-Dan Richards Achieving success as a financial adviser is no longer just a matter of aggressive salesmanship backed, hopefully, by a good track record. Today's clients are highly knowledgeable about their investment options, and they aren't shy about letting you know it. They expect you to be extremely attentive to their unique financial concerns, and they are much more likely to switch advisers if they sense they are not getting the sincere commitment they feel they deserve. That's why, in today's competitive marketplace, building a successful financial services practice is all about forging long-term relationships with clients built on attentiveness, empathy, and trust. And, as expert Dan Richards explains in this groundbreaking guide to finding and keeping clients, the key to cultivating such relationships is marketing-the art and science of defining what clients really need, and then letting them know that you can satisfy those needs, now and in the future. Drawing on his extensive experience as a consultant to many of North America's most successful financial service providers, Richards arms you with proven tools and techniques for building a steady and devoted client base. From using print, broadcast, and other media to market your services, to making the initial contact, from automating the prospecting process, to performing target marketing, he outlines an array of surefire client-getting techniques. With the help of scenarios and sample dialogues, he helps you to develop and sharpen the skills needed to build lasting relationships with clients once you've gotten them. For instance, you'll learn how to become a better listener and interpreter of client concerns, as well as simple methods for systematically gathering and effectively responding to client feedback. Dan Richards also provides a complete program for seamlessly integrating the tools and techniques described into a successful client-centered practice tailored to your unique style and professional goals. Getting Clients, Keeping Clients is a complete guide to surviving and thriving in today's increasingly competitive financial services market. A complete program for building a steady and devoted client base Getting Clients, Keeping Clients In this groundbreaking guide, expert Dan Richards explains why marketing is the key to thriving in today's more competitive financial markets. He provides you with the powerful client-centered marketing know-how, tools, and techniques to connect with today's more savvy, demanding, and value-conscious clients. Praise for Getting Clients, Keeping Clients ". . . teaches advisers how to be profitable and ethical at the same time."-Investment Executive ". . . a book most independent financial advisers will want to read."-The Financial Post ". . . many ideas in the book that will help keep existing clients while generating new business."-Research

The Long-Awaited Update for Building a Thriving Consultancy Completely updated for today’s busier-than-ever consultants, this classic guide covers the ins and outs for competing and winning in this ultracompetitive field. You’ll find step-by-step advice on how to raise capital, attract clients, create a marketing plan, and grow your business into a $1 million-per-year firm, plus brand-new material on: Blogging and social networking Global consulting Delegating labor Profiting in a troubled market Retainer business Internet marketing Praise for the previous editions of Million Dollar Consulting: “If you’re interested in becoming a rich consultant, this book is a must read.” Robert F. Mager, founder and president, Mager Associates, and member of the Training & Development Hall of Fame “Blast out of the per diem trap and into value billing.” Jim Kennedy, founder, publisher, and editor, Consultants News “The advice on developing price structure alone is worth a hundred times the price of the book.” William C. Byham, Ph.D., author of Zapp! “Must reading for those who are beginning a practice or seeking to upgrade an existing practice.” Victor H. Vroom, John G. Searle Professor, School of Management, Yale University

The real-world guide to selling your services and bringing in business How Clients Buy is the much-needed guide to selling your services. If you're one of the millions of people whose skills are the 'product,' you know that you cannot be successful unless you bring in clients. The problem is, you're trained to do your job—not sell it. No matter how great you may be at your actual role, you likely feel a bit lost, hesitant, or 'behind' when it comes to courting clients, an unfamiliar territory where you're never quite sure of the line between under- and over-selling. This book comes to the rescue with real, practical advice for selling what you do. You'll have to unlearn everything you know about sales, but then you'll learn new skills that will help you make connections, develop rapport, create interest, earn trust, and turn prospects into clients. Business development is critical to your personal success, and your skills in this area will dictate the course of your career. This invaluable guide gives you a set of real-world best practices that can help you become the rainmaker you want to be. Get the word out and make productive connections Drop the fear of self-promotion and advertise your accomplishments Earn potential clients' trust to build a lasting relationship Scrap the sales pitch in favor of honesty, positivity, and value Working in the consulting and professional services fields comes with difficulties not encountered by those who sell tangible products. Services are often under-valued, and become among the first things to go when budgets get tight. It is now harder than ever to sell professional services, so your game must be on-point if you hope to out-compete the field. How Clients Buy shows you how to level up and start winning the client list of your dreams.

A study by MCI found that most professionals believe that over 50 percent of meeting time is wasted. More than 90 percent admit to daydreaming in meetings, 73 percent have brought other work, and 39 percent have fallen asleep. You might think that there would be fewer meetings. However, in the survey 46 percent said they attended more meetings than a year ago. Meetings cost time and money. Many meetings end with no results or outcome. How can you be sure you are using your time and money effectively? The answer: with proper training. Even MBA graduates have never had a course in how to plan, organize, and present an effective meeting. That is the subject of this new book which will teach the proper skills and training to get great results with every meeting, every time! You will learn the checklists for planning your meeting, setting the agenda, strategic planning, how the physical setting can be improved, how to properly open a meeting, handling difficult people and maintaining control, how to assess and evaluate your meetings, and the correct method to end a meeting. Good meetings don't just happen, they are planned and created. Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company presidentâe(tm)s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.

An innovative approach to winning more profitable sales in the growing professional services industry In recent years, professional services providers have had to rethink their sales methods and adapt to profound changes in the way clients buy services. In response, Winning the Professional Services Sale argues for fundamental changes in the seller's mindset and sales strategies. Rather than pressing the sale, salespeople must help clients buy--the way that works best for each client. This new approach gives buyers what they now want in a services seller: a consultative problem solver, change agent, and solution integrator, all rolled into one. Author Michael McLaughlin presents a strategy for winning new business with a holistic approach to each client relationship. Only by fully understanding a sale from every angle, including its impact on the client's business and career, can salespeople thrive in the new era of the service economy.

Book CD-ROM. There are nearly 12 million children under the age of five in child care each week in the United States. The trend is to move away from large operations and turn to the small services. This increase in small day care operations creates a huge opportunity for someone who loves children and wants to create a business dedicated to their care. A child care service makes a ideal part -time or home-based business with low start-up costs. You need an office but no costly specialist equipment. All that is needed to get started is an approved facility and a desire to succeed. This book with CD-ROM contains all the relevant forms as well business plan to adapt to your own use.

Book & CD. This comprehensive book will show you step-by-step how to set up, operate, and manage a financially successful food service operation. This Restaurant Manager's Handbook covers everything that many consultants charge thousands of dollars to provide. The extensive resource guide details more than 7,000 suppliers to the industry -- virtually a separate book on its own. This reference book is essential for professionals in the hospitality field as well as newcomers who may be looking for answers to cost-containment and training issues. Demonstrated are literally hundreds of innovative ways to streamline your restaurant business. Learn new ways to make the kitchen, bars, dining room, and front office run smoother and increase performance. You will be able to shut down waste, reduce costs, and increase profits. In addition, operators will appreciate this valuable resource and reference in their daily activities and as a source of ready-to-use forms, Web sites, operating and cost cutting ideas, and mathematical formulas that can be easily applied to their operations. Highly recommended!