Part 15 (1/2)
Every agency, noa fore its new business develop a sales systeeneration, and is scalable with your long-terency leaders should have 24/7 access to lead volume and opportunities in order to effectively forecast workflow, staffing needs, and revenue
Agencies need a reliable CRM platform in which they can post activities, track opportunities/deals, and segment leads based on their position in the funnel
Selling is both an art and a science, which requires experience and education, as well as an inti You are selling an idea, vision, service, agency brand, personal brand, and belief that your firm is more capable and qualified than the next one
Your account teams are your most valuable salespeople Their perfor client relationshi+ps deteroes and whether clients provide referrals and testiather and leverage lead intelligence at every stage of the funnel and use that infor efforts and dra and building ies around buyer personas enables agencies to better target coeneration and conversion
The agency that comes to the table reater understanding of the lead's business, has an ie over the competition
You can consistently earn referrals by keeping your agency in thea reputation based on proven performance, loyalty, honesty, and innovation
Content y available to agencies today
Effective proposals demonstrate that you clearly understand your prospect's needs and goals and have the knowledge and capabilities to positively ier/lead consultant, not the salesperson, should be dictating the preliic recoe or retainer that will be featured in the proposal
Chapter 7
Commit to Clients All clients are not created equal
Build Relationshi+ps and Loyalty
The strength and stability of your agency is directly related to your ability to retain and grow accounts Loyal clients lead to higher retention rates, greater profit er referrals
Everything laid out in the Blueprint to this point-value-based pricing, hybrid services, top talent, a scalable infrastructure, an Inbound Marketing Gaency in the position to build loyalty Now, it is time to commit to your clients, deliver on the promises you have made, and make a measurable i client relationshi+ps ency's culture Froency professionals must understand the importance of each client and the financial impact retention has on sustainability Employees should be 100 percent focused on the happiness and success of their clients
Create Value Push yourself and your agency to create as much value as possible for every client Becoht, consultation, services, expertise, friendshi+p, and professionalism
Treat them as partners, and take a passionate approach to their success
Hold your tea innovative ideas to the table
Publish and share blog posts relevant to your clients' challenges and opportunities
Coe of clients' businesses and industries
Take a Personal Approach Create deeper connections with your client contacts Do the little things that build relationshi+ps, and take the time to show them you care about their successes, both on the individual and organizational levels
Knohat matters to theht of the fact that they are real people, too
Recognize milestones in their lives with personal notes and handwritten cards
Use your agency's custoement (CRM) systes, and notes
Connect through social networks to stay in touch hat is going on in their businesses and their personal lives
Make every client feel like the most important client Never appear too busy with other clients to help theency executives should regularly be thinking about and co with client contacts, especially if they are not involved in the day-to-day account ement
Seek opportunities to ood, and help build their careers
Send personal communications to clients when you have published or found content of interest to them
Be Open and Honest Your clients should trust you, and you should trust your clients For this to happen, youis not working out, and let the really well If you communicate openly and honestly, they will be more likely to be open and honest with you
Listen to Their Problems, and Respond When Appropriate If clients are unhappy about so the you caused or have control over) Then, if you can, devise a solution to fix it Soh to calm frustrations
Do What You Say You Will Do Keep your pro to do so, only to be disappointed Be so, and Apologize Face it Eventually one person in the relationshi+p is going to make a mistake, no matter how hard you both try not to If it is you, own up to it Adize, and make it up to them Your client will appreciate that you took responsibility for your actions
Go Out of Your Way to Make Them Happy Show you care in your everyday actions Keep the little things inarticles, wish them a happy birthday, take them out to lunch, or introduce them to like-minded people Go above and beyond their expectations for custoe Rey As discussed in Chapter 2, y are able to continually increase efficiency and productivity, evolve client caly unrelated infory news, trends, and innovations through your agency social networks
Publish content on your website de theindustry
Push your account teaies and ideas into client caies you think would be valuable to their businesses