Can you help us get to the next level?

PUBLISHED May 29, 2013 IN Growth

WRITTEN BY Myah Shein

Can you help us get to the next level? image

The most common question I get from professional service firms is “Can you help us get to the next level?” This open ended question is like going to the doctor with the complaint of some pain and asking for guidance on how to feel better.

The most common question I get from professional service firms is “Can you help us get to the next level?”

This open ended question is like going to the doctor with the complaint of some pain and asking for guidance on how to feel better.  Like a doctor, it is one of my favorite parts of the process to evaluate and recommend a plan for reaching your firm’s goals with the allotted resources of time and money.

What is the “next level” to your firm?  What is the goal that marketing can help you reach?

Marketing is one word that describes a tremendous span of activities along the spectrum of Awareness to Revenue drivers.

Awareness activities include branding, advertising, public relations, sponsorships, and having a website.  The impact of these activities is inherently harder to measure so you’ll hear terms like “views” or “attendance” or “readership” to describe how many people see your company name or logo.

Revenue driving activities include niche development (being known as an expert in and targeting clients in a specific industry), the proposal process, websites with in-bound marketing programs, using LinkedIn, strategically networking with referral sources, cross-selling to current clients, one-on-one coaching for professionals responsible for business development.  These activities should pay for themselves and then some.  In addition, with proper tracking, you should gain additional insights the strengths/weaknesses about your firm, your prospects, and your competitors.

If you want to drive revenue and you put all of your money into an awareness driving activity, you’ll be disappointed.  Like going to a doctor to get the proper prescription, a marketing professional can help you understand which marketing activities can help you reach your goal.

So, want to get to the next level?  Let’s talk!