Practice Growth Wishlist
It’s that time of year. Deciding what presents to buy for yourself and others.
For those responsible for growing a Professional Services Practice, here are some great ideas to treat yourself and your teams.
A High-Performing Website ‒ Fast, credible, SEO & visitor friendly and built to convert visitors into enquiries. I don't build them, but I can point you to somebody who can.
CRM System ‒ Centralises client and prospect data, improves tracking and accountability. Allows for leverage of relationships across the whole organisation. More important than ever.
Client Review Meeting Program ‒ Regular structured meetings to uncover upsell, cross-sell and ring fence the relationships you already enjoy.
Thought Leadership Production System ‒ Consistent articles, videos and social content to build authority. Your largest challenges are visibility and credibility. This will help.
Brand Refresh & Messaging ‒ Clear positioning, compelling value propositions, strong visual identity. What do you do, who for and most importantly what is the result of what you do?
BD Enablement Toolkit ‒ Proposal templates, pursuit frameworks, opportunity dashboard, referral scripts etc. You cannot build a road if you don't know where you are going and can track tour progress.
Strategic Partnerships & JV Program ‒ Align with complementary advisers for mutual introductions and co-marketing. Massively undervalued. What services do clients source other than yours? Get close to the providers who you don’t compete with. They can be your 'salesforce'.
BD Skills Training & Coaching ‒ Partner/Director and team capability building to drive long-term cultural change. External help often unlocks the doors that others cannot reach and accelerates both learning and doing in individuals.
Social Proof Assets ‒ Testimonials, case studies, Google reviews, awards and success stories. I am sure you are good, but I need to hear it from someone other than you. Third party testimony is important. Tell me your 'Hollywood' story.
Client Experience Enhancements ‒ Improved onboarding, welcome kits, follow-up systems, surprise-and-delight moments. Map the journey and see where you can make things 10% quicker. Time is of the essence for both parties. Clue is in the title, 'Professional Services'.
Website Lead Capture Tools ‒ Chatbots, downloadable guides, research documents, podcasts and diagnostic tools. Create a lead generation mechanism rather than just an online brochure. Any rich fool can buy traffic.
Emerging Technology Budget ‒ AI tools, automation, video capability and experimentation with new platforms. Winning firms keep some profits back each year to invest in the business. Do you? Everyone is like a rabbit in the headlights about AI. Few are acting to take advantage.
A BONUS, for the readers of this list. Go on, treat yourself. If you found this useful, invest a trivial amount on my Amazon No1 Best Selling Book ‘Grow Your Professional Services Practice – The Practical Guide to BD’. You can get your copy here.
“Terrific tips, techniques & tools make this a brilliant resource for growing your practice.” Joel Barolsky, Edge International & Senior Fellow Melbourne Law School
“A must read for every professional services leader, a powerful tool for anyone serious about BD.” Stephen Thomas, Partner, Grant Thornton
“Practical for those who want to grow their firm, insightful for those who want to develop their people and for everyone else a great reminder about what really matters.” Andrew Johnson, CEO, IT Partners