professional services marketing 3.0<\/i><\/a><\/p>\neditor\u2019s note: 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 was privileged to have a long relationship with bruce w. marcus, who was ahead of his time in his thinking and practice in marketing for accounting. we are publishing some of the late expert\u2019s evergreen work, which retains wisdom for the present.<\/i><\/p>\n
the conventional wisdom is that getting a new client costs more than keeping an old one. and for once, the conventional wisdom is correct.<\/p>\n
yet, many professionals too readily take clients for granted. or don\u2019t look for opportunities to increase revenues from perfectly satisfied clients.<\/p>\n
then there\u2019s the classic story of the client who went to another firm for a particular service. \u201cwhy didn\u2019t you come to me for that service?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cbecause i didn\u2019t know you did it.\u201d it happens too often.<\/p>\n
some firms have full-scale client retention programs. some firms simply have a philosophy about clients \u2013 a point of view that says that new business is terrific, but \u201cour business is built on our existing clients.\u201d<\/p>\n
and on the other hand, some firms don\u2019t seem to grasp the dynamic of client service. there\u2019s the story about the guy whose wife was suing him for divorce. \u201cjudge, he never tells me that he loves me.\u201d and he answers, \u201ci told you i love you when i married you. it holds good till i revoke it.\u201d<\/p>\n
the reality is that this new world is competitive in ways that it\u2019s never been before. ask your clients how many times they\u2019ve been approached by your competitors, and pursued aggressively. and then ask yourself if you can continue to be sanguine about keeping your clients happy, on a day-by-day basis.<\/p>\n
there are, of course, some things that are clearly necessary in client retention. doing good work, obviously. being responsive, obviously. being timely in delivering promised reports and material. being polite to clients.<\/p>\n
but these are things that should be taken for granted \u2013 things inherent in the meaning of professional. it\u2019s what the client is paying for. you get no credit for doing them, but you lose clients for not doing them.<\/p>\n
the larger picture of client retention, on the other hand, is predicated upon recognizing the competitive and changing nature of the marketplace. sophisticated marketers have a strong handle on who their client company is, what the company does, what its needs are and how to address those needs in marketing approaches.<\/p>\n
which means that if you don\u2019t have that same knowledge, and the kind of relationship that means total involvement in the client\u2019s concerns, then you\u2019re in danger of losing that client.<\/p>\n
client retention, then, requires more than the obvious factors of doing good work and delivering it on time. and in fact, in a dynamic business world, it\u2019s often more than a personal relationship. it\u2019s at least\u2026<\/p>\n
\n- being immersed in a client\u2019s business and industry. <\/strong>while the professional has a stake in some aspects of arm\u2019s length relationship, this doesn\u2019t preclude knowing enough about a client\u2019s business to anticipate problems in your professional area, and to seek new ways in which other of your services can help the client.<\/li>\n
- frequent contact points, <\/strong>beyond the engagement. you do, of course, what you\u2019ve been hired to do. but you help both the client and yourself when you send a brochure on a subject of mutual interest. or a copy of a clipping in which you\u2019ve been quoted on a subject the client might care about. or a simple newsletter, either your own or one of the excellent packaged ones, covering information of interest or concern to the client. the client should know you exist between contracts, between matters, between consultations.<\/li>\n
- maintaining personal relationships. <\/strong>not just drinking and dining to keep the client happy, but establishing and reinforcing a sense of mutual understanding and trust. the degree to which the client calls on you for business advice is as much a matter of personal trust as it is professional trust.<\/li>\n
- visible quality control systems. <\/strong>you may have your internal quality control systems, but if the client doesn\u2019t know that, then the client has no reason to believe they exist. more importantly, the quality control systems should relate to the client\u2019s business, not yours.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
quality<\/strong>, a buzzword frequently used in business, relates to the client, not the professional firm. if the client doesn\u2019t perceive quality in terms of the client\u2019s needs, then your service can be the best there is, but not for that client. the client-driven<\/strong>, rather than the practice-driven<\/strong>, firm is the only safe way to compete in today\u2019s market. recently a major accounting firm took a highly conservative position on a matter pertaining to a client\u2019s problem. the problem was not the position, but that the position was taken for the firm\u2019s protection, and not the client\u2019s \u2013 and the client was made aware of this.<\/p>\n\n- needs change. <\/strong>your services change. by constantly reviewing the client\u2019s needs, you not only assure that you\u2019re giving the client the best service, and that you\u2019re maximizing the relationship, but you\u2019re also telling the client that you\u2019re concerned.<\/li>\n
- regular client surveys. <\/strong>new york\u2019s former mayor koch used to walk the streets of the city, asking people, \u201chow\u2019m i doing?\u201d he didn\u2019t always like what he heard, but he always knew. anybody who doesn\u2019t take active steps to keep aware of client attitudes toward the firm is somebody who likes surprises. a simple one-page survey, annually, goes a long way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
successful professionals are those who\u2019ve learned the difference between client relations<\/strong> and client service<\/strong>. both are important, but one is not the substitute for the other. in client retention, you have to have both.<\/p>\nit\u2019s the peculiar nature of professional services that quality plays little or no role in getting new business, except perhaps in terms of reputation. it plays a crucial role in client retention, on the other hand, if you define quality as giving the client what the client needs, wants and expects. most frequently, in order to know what the client needs, wants and expects, you have to be immersed in the relationship. and you have to ask. here, quality<\/strong> is not an abstraction \u2013 it\u2019s a reality.<\/p>\nthose who are most successful at client retention are those who actively work at it. they have programs and checklists. even small firms that are aware of the need for it have programs that focus on paying attention. they listen. they contact. they understand the economics, and know what kind of return they\u2019re getting on their investment in it.<\/p>\n
and they know, at first hand, why it\u2019s true that keeping a client is still cheaper than getting a new one.<\/p>\n