How To Accelerate Your Client Growth

How to Accelerate Your
Client Growth!
A practical ‘how to’ to grow the

value of your clients & increase
your revenue!
By Jenny Stilwell
Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 1

www.bossgroup.com.au
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 3
CHAPTER 1- KNOW YOUR CLIENTS........................................................................... 6
What Are Your Clients Worth to You Now?.................................................................. 6
Move Your Clients up the Value Chain.......................................................................... 9
5 Tools for Better Client Marketing.............................................................................. 10
5 Ways to Get Build Your Client Base......................................................................... 14
CHAPTER 2 - YOUR PRODUCTS & SERVICES......................................................... 19
Clients Don’t Want Your Products ............................................................................... 20
The Second Sale is Easier…. ........................................................................................ 20
If You Sold Everything…............................................................................................. 22
Get Your Offer Right .................................................................................................... 24
WIIFM – The Client’s Perspective ............................................................................... 25
Explain Your Offer with a Value Proposition .................................................................. 25
CHAPTER 3 – PROMOTIONAL OPTIONS .................................................................. 27
Successful Communication – 4 Key Steps ................................................................... 27
Client Marketing Tips ................................................................................................... 31
Start Your Program!...................................................................................................... 34
The Final Check............................................................................................................ 36
OTHER RESOURCES ..................................................................................................... 37
ABOUT BOSS MANAGEMENT GROUP ..................................................................... 37
ABOUT THE AUTHOR .................................................................................................. 37

INTRODUCTION
Knowledge paves the road to riches - when you know which road to take.
Napoleon Hill
How do you know which strategy will grow your business most effectively in the short
and long term?
Market penetration, market extension, product development or diversification are the

primary strategies for building your business. You can also grow organically (growth in
your own business) or by acquisition (of another business).
This book focuses on two of the most important business development strategies for
many businesses and service firms – market penetration (get more clients, and sell more
to existing clients), and product development (make sure you have plenty to sell your
clients!).
Market penetration is based on taking the opportunities to sell more of your products or
services into your existing market, or penetrating deeper into your market.
Since it costs on average 5-10 times more to source new customers than to work with
your existing customers, it makes sense to adopt this strategy if you can.
It will be most applicable if:

- You have a reasonably large base of potential customers in your existing markets
- There is an opportunity for you to sell more of your products/services to your
existing customers, and to sell to new customers from the same existing market
segment
- You want to sell more of you existing products/services

- Your products/services are still competitive
How to implement this strategy:

- More aggressive promotion and marketing
- More, or more effective, channels to market (whether direct sales or via third
party distributors)
An example of this strategy would be Telstra and it’s mobile service. Telstra has
penetrated deeply into its existing market (Australia in broad terms), using extensive
promotion and advertising, and a continually expanding distribution channel of resellers
and its own retail outlets. As a result, it has the largest share of the mobile market.
Product development is when you develop new or improved products for your existing
markets. Product development may take the form of a new product altogether (for
example a new software package), an extension to a product (for example a new feature
set/enhancements to the existing software package), or a product add-on (for example, a
new software module).
- Products and services are often developed when there is client demand for them,
or when technology results in newer versions being available or created by your
competitors, or when you have a great idea and research indicates there would be
a market for it.
- Product development requires funding, planning, research, testing, marketing,
selling through appropriate channels and more testing.
- If you develop new products or services you must do so objectively, and listen to
your customers, take notice of the market research and feedback, and be honest
about how competitive your new products will be. Don’t waste time or money
launching products or services that won’t sell, or won’t sell enough.
- Product development must be an ongoing process to some extent, as no company
can survive on an unchanging product or service, year in and year out.

- Generally it’s fair to say that if you don’t develop and enhance your products,
then your competitors will, and will overtake you.
An example of somewhat extreme product development is Coca-Cola now selling Lemon

Coke, Caffeine-Free Coke, and Vanilla Coke into its existing markets, alongside regular
Coke and Diet Coke. This strategy has similarities to the one used back in the ‘80s, when
Coca-Cola had Classic Coke, New Coke (when they changed the original formula),
Cherry Coke, regular Diet Coke, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke, Tab, Caffeine-Free New Coke
and Caffeine-Free Tab. It created a lot of consumer confusion, and eroded the brand
power of the original Classic Coke.
A simpler example of product development is the breakfast cereal manufacturers

developing breakfast cereal bars, for breakfast ‘on-the-go’.
Let’s now look at some relatively simple business development strategies which will
grow your client base and your client revenue.

CHAPTER 1- KNOW YOUR CLIENTS
“Make the most of the best and the least of the worst.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
What Are Your Clients Worth to You Now?
We all know our clients. We know their names and their businesses, and we often know
something about their lives outside of work. Usually we have lists of who our clients are.
However, what many business owners usually don’t know is what’s happening in the mix
of their client base.
When you analyse your customer base, and you should, you need to identify the
following indicators:
• What are the broad client categories by dollar spend – eg: up to $1,000 per
annum, $1001-$3,000 etc. You will obviously select categories which have more
meaning to your business. For example, if your lowest value customer spends
$500 per year, but you most valuable client spends $10,000 per year, you would
have several different groupings, say $500-$1,000, $1,000-$5,000, $5,000-
$10,000, or whatever is most appropriate to the spend amounts.
• What is the average client dollar spend by category, and how do they compare
• Overall, which clients generate most of your revenue – eg: the top 20% (or close
to that percentage) may generate 80% of your turnover. The objective here is to
identify those customers which are vital to your business in terms of revenue.
• What products or services are your customers buying? All, some, a mix? Is it
changing?
• Is the average dollar spend by category increasing or declining over previous

periods?

• Which customers have been active (purchasing) over the longest period of time?
• Which customers have become inactive (not spending) and why?
When you’ve identified this information, you need to look at what you’ve discovered:
• Who are the most valuable customers?
• How many customers add little value, or cost money to service?
• What is the profile of the preferred high value customers?
• What products or services are not really selling? Which are selling well?
• What is the risk identified by your 80/20 analysis? Do you have all or most of
your eggs in one or just a few customer baskets?
• If you were to lose any high value customers, you know what the impact to your
business would be.
What actions can you take from there?
Make sure your most valuable customers are well looked after and serviced.
Revisit your product or service range and make changes where necessary
(delete items from your range, look at developing new products, proactively
promote some products or services more than others, etc.)
Assess the structure of your sales team – you may have a direct sales team
(or advisors, or consultants, or technicians, or whatever is appropriate to your
business) manage the top customers on a one on one basis, you may have a set
number of your team sharing the management of the next tier of customers,
and you may consider a telesales or telemarketing person or team to manage
all of the small customers. They may also be managed via a website interface,
for example.

Now that you know the profile of your preferred type of customer, you need
to ensure that you focus on this profile when attracting new customers. This
will spread the risk of having most of your revenue generated by just a few
customers, and will build your business in the right direction.
Finally, don’t forget about building the value of your customers: ask them
what they think, what they want, what they may want to see changed, and
what else you can do for them. Now you have them, and you know them
well, build on that to build your business.
Draw up a client grid, for your top 5, 10, 20 or 50 customers (whatever is most
appropriate depending on the size of your customer base), showing what products
they have purchased in the last 12 months.
You will then have a total for the last year by sales revenue, by customer and by
product:
Total
Client Product 1 Product 2 Product 3 Product 4
Revenue (last
Name financial year/last
12 months)
Client 1 - - - $6,800 $6,800
Client 2 - - - - 0
Client 3 - $495 $2,500 - $2,995
Client 4 $1,500 $495 $2,500 $6,800 $11,295
Client 5 $1,500 - $2,500 $6,800 $10,800
Client 30 - $495 - - $495
From this initial analysis, it can be seen that Clients 2 & 30 are virtually inactive,
Clients 4 and 5 have been the most valuable, but Client 1 has also purchased the

most expensive product/service in the range. Client 3 may or may not grow.
Further investigation is required to assess the upward or downward trend for these
clients and what value they could potentially have in the future.
It shows you which clients present the greatest potential value to your business.
If you do this analysis for the last 3-5 years, you will have more specific
information to identify your most strategically important clients.
You will find more information on growing client value in Chapter 2.
Move Your Clients up the Value Chain
• Your goal is to grow your clients, through continuing to deliver value to them via
your products, services and attention.
• That means, you want your clients to purchase more than one or two products and
services, and ideally, to continue to purchase new products and services as they are
developed and made available.
• Think of your clients, and the value they represent to your business, in terms of tiers:
Tier 1= most valuable (ie: they generate the highest sales revenue/billings for your
company)
Tier 2 = next level, with potential to be a Tier 1
Tier 3 = lowest value clients (they may or may not have potential for growth)
• If you have a large customer base, for example, with hundreds of customers or
clients, you may have several tiers, but a manageable number for this client analysis
exercise is 4 or 5 tiers.

• Your goal is to:
Grow Tier 3 clients into Tier 2
Grow Tier 2 clients into Tier 1
Grow Tier 1 to a new level
Identify which clients you really don’t want to retain because:
• they don’t fit your Ideal Client Profile, or
• because it actually costs to have them as clients, or
• because they no longer fit your target market, or
• because they no longer have a need for your product or service offering
for one reason or another.
5 Tools for Better Client Marketing
There are many marketing tools you could use to improve the way you actually market
your business to prospective and existing clients and customers. The following list of 5
tools is very easy to remember, easy to implement, and generates a very positive image
for your business.
1. Get back to basics.
This may sound simple, and it is, but many businesses get this so wrong. There are some
key practices to remember:
Thank your clients for their business when they first come to you
Thank them for referrals they may have provided to other clients.
Remember, reception is their first point of contact with your firm – either in
person or over the phone. The person who has this job function must be friendly,
approachable, and on the ball.

While we’re still at the front desk, if you have a Music On Hold facility on your
telephone system, make sure the music type suits your client base, or is agreeable
to most people.
If you have a waiting room or waiting area at reception, make sure you have
current daily newspapers, or current magazines.
In all your dealings with your clients, remember to always:
o be polite
o be patient
o do what you say you will
o return calls and emails within the same morning or afternoon (or at least
have someone do it on your behalf) – don’t let them flow over into the
next day if you can help it
o follow through
Be available and accessible – don’t make it difficult for your clients to find you or
contact you.
Collect customer details correctly, check them, and don’t make basic mistakes in
addressing your customers, pronouncing their names, or spelling their names.
2. Make your Product or Service Easy to Buy
This may sound simple but often it is difficult for potential customers to understand
exactly what they are buying.
How to make your offering easy to buy?
Differentiators or USPs (Unique Selling Propositions)
Sell benefits, not features, and explain features when required.

Focus on the application of your product or service to the customer’s own
business
Show return on investment, and make the value proposition clear (ie: what value
is inherent in the product or service for the customer?)
Reduce any perceived risk in buying your product or service by giving examples
of what you’ve done for other clients. Where appropriate, have other clients
provide testimonials for you.
Show the product, have references for the service
When appropriate, have flexible payment terms for your customers, or in a retail
environment, accept various methods of payment.
3. Make it Fun to do Business with You - Reward your clients.
There are many opportunities throughout the year to instigate fun activities or rewards for
your clients, such as Christmas, Easter, and big sporting events. Mix your clients at these
events like you’d mix friends for a social gathering – you want your clients to have fun,
not struggle to converse with people with whom they have nothing in common. Why do
this?
It’s a good retention tool
It’s good fun for clients
Everyone enjoys the experience – it strengthens relationships
It presents a networking opportunity for your clients
4. Ask them what (else) they want.
Don’t assume you know what your clients want as they may not tell you
Don’t forget to ask what else you could be doing for them.

You don’t need to ask these questions all the time, but definitely from time to
time.
This may be best done in a more structured and independent survey, as clients
will open up more to an outsider than they will to someone from within the
firm. Also, the questions and the analysis of the responses will be completely
objectively viewed.
If you do that, it is important to follow up. If your customers give you

feedback and tell you what they think, and what they want, and you don’t
respond, they are unlikely to remain your customers.
5. Understand their expectations and meet them.
Get to know your clients and what makes them tick.
Always meet your clients’ expectations, and every now and again, exceed
them.
Basic expectations, and nice to have expectations – you need to at least satisfy
the basics (always follow up, don’t forget when you’ve said you’ll do
something)
Occasionally give them something for nothing.
Free information
Send them an article or other piece of information which may be of

interest to them and of relevance to their business
Provide a small, or additional, service at no charge
Under-promise and over-deliver. For example, timeframes and costs. If

something takes less time than expected, or costs less, the client will always
be happy.
Meet the customer’s basic expectations, before you try to over-deliver.

Without meeting expectations on a basic level of service, any attempts at new

products, or innovation in other areas, would annoy customers, possibly to the
point of changing service providers.
Make sure you have the basics covered before anything else, and work up from there.
5 Ways to Build Your Client Data Base
When it comes to building your business by adding new clients, there are some proven
ways of going about this which will generate results far better and far faster than cold
calling.
i) Talk to the people you know, because typically, they will:
- know you
- like you
- trust you
Who better to do business with? This extends from the people you know to the people
they know. As long as there’s a connection, a referral, a common reference point, people
are more likely to meet with you and to listen to what you have to say, if someone they
know has done so too.
Now, if you think you don’t know many people, or the people you do know are not your
target market for your product or service, let’s run through a quick inventory of sources
from which you may know many different people:
the last company you worked for, and the company before that, and before
that

suppliers or other relationships you have had in the past with associate
businesses or organisations
industry associations – are you a member of any? If not, join!
Have you ever contacted any companies with a view to learning about their
business, or reviewing it for suitability to your own or your clients’ needs, and
struck up new relationships that way?
Have you ever struck up memorable conversations or relationships with

people during training classes, university courses or other learning events?
On the home front, what about old school friends (those school reunions just
won’t go away)
Neighbours
Local traders who know your face so well
Other parents at your children’s school, or nieces and nephews or godchildren,

if you don’t have any children
Sporting clubs
Sporting competition or social play
Business and social contacts of your partner, family, or friends
What about people who provide regular services to you and who know you
reasonably well: dentist, doctor, gardener, cleaner, lawyer, physiotherapist,
hairdresser, plumber, electrician, painter, accountant, etc. Tell them what you
do, and ask them if they can refer you to any of their contacts or clients who
may be interested in your services.
Record all your contacts in a database, with name, company, title, address, office phone,
mobile phone and email address details, and protect that information. You will be
referring to it a lot as you Keep in Touch!

ii) “Keep in Touch” is the mantra for success.
You can keep in touch many ways, but the object is always to communicate (both ways).
Whichever way you choose to keep in touch, the best is always face to face, but there are
a few options:
a) Face to face
b) Email
c) Phone
Choose the most appropriate method for what you want to communicate, how busy the
other person is, and how difficult they are to catch.
Be mindful of how your clients prefer to communicate – don’t email or text someone
who prefers to talk on the phone.
Schedule some time once a week to call/contact a number of people from your
database. You may only select 2 or 3 at a time, you may select 20 at a time, but
the more people you meet with and talk to, the better.
iii) Keep in Touch with Intent! Build your prospective client base.
Know what sort of people you are keeping in touch with. Categorise them:
o Centres of influence who may refer you or introduce you to others. They
will do this automatically as long as they value what you can do for them
and the people they refer to you.

o People who have large networks or a client base you may want
introductions to (you can ask to be introduced to specific people if your
relationship is strong enough)
o Other service providers who may be able to add value to your clients
o Potential clients
o Contacts who may provide products and services of value to you
o People whose company you enjoy!
o Your clients!!
Now that you’ve determined who you can contact, and how you can keep in touch with
them, the question is, What Is Your Message? What information will you give them?
What is the purpose of communicating with your contacts? It is to build your prospective
client base and market your services.
If you deliver some value when you communicate, people will be more open to receiving
and processing your information. Give them something for nothing. By providing useful
and interesting information and offers, you are building your credibility and value to
your contacts. This is critical to your positioning as a source of supply for products and
services both now and in the future.
iv) Build credibility beyond your own network.
This is harder to do because the world outside your network doesn’t know you. There are
a few ways we can approach our promotion in the market, but establishing and building
your credibility as a key supplier of a product or service in your particular market is of
paramount importance. That is your goal. Here are some options:
Submit articles to industry publications

Offer to speak at industry or association functions.
Write a book, a booklet, a research paper, a report.
v) Follow Up. Finally, when you have done all of these things mentioned in this
article, follow up and do it all again.
Marketing is a never-ending program, and is only effective when there is follow through,
and follow up, and the development of eventual momentum. Successful people do this.
They never stop. If you want to be successful and build your client base, you must
continually market yourself and your business as well. These are the 5 steps. Start now.
Let me leave you with this thought:
“Consistency changes lives, not occasional actions.” The same applies to your
business.

CHAPTER 2 - YOUR PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Marketing is a battle of minds, not products.

Ries & Trout
Marketing is a battle of minds, not products. Just look at the brand battle in the bottled
water category. Flat, sparkling, filtered – how different can water be? Once the brand is
in the mind of the consumer, product line extension ensures that the consumer keeps on
buying those products for as long as they are available, and for as long as the brand meets
their needs.
There are two important things to remember from this:
1. You must find out about the real things you can help your clients with
2. You must have a range of products to keep offering your clients
For example, my clients don’t want business planning and consultancy services, they
want to know how to make more money from their business, build better businesses,
build their business as an asset for the future, as well as how to improve their
management expertise. They don’t want to join mentoring programs for long-term
professional development; they want immediate advice on how to grow their business,
and how to manage it more easily. Ultimately, they want to be able to trust the advice
they receive, they want to minimise the risk of their actions, they demand value for
money, and they want to talk to someone who cares about their business. My clients, and
yours, want outcomes.
When you package and promote your products and services, remember to position them
as essential items which will meet your clients’ basic needs. For example, insurance is
not about insurance, it’s about certainty and security more than anything else, and all the
packaging and promotion reinforces that.

Clients Don’t Want Your Products
What’s important is how our clients perceive us, and how they perceive our products.
For example, if you have a graphic design company and you produce annual reports,
brochures, stationery, brand identity, etc, is that what your client really wants?
Possibly.
Will the fact that you can do these things win you the business?
Maybe.
If you explain your services and the outcomes you’ve achieved for other clients will this
tip the prospective client in your favour?
Unlikely.
Why? The client really wants:

- someone who is prepared to let them talk about their business
- someone who listens when they talk, and doesn’t interrupt
- someone who is interested in what they do, and what their challenges are
- someone who understands their business
- someone who can translate that to great ideas for their business and brand
- someone who has a track record of delivery
- finally, someone they feel they know, like and trust (and who wouldn’t
feel that way if all of the above requirements were met?)
If you can do that, will you win your first piece of business with this client?
Definitely!
The Second Sale is Easier….
This is where the concept of ‘the second sale is easier than the first’ comes in. Once you
understand your clients, and what their real needs are, you are far more in tune with how
you can help them. This is about them, not you!

Having passed the first test, the second sale will be much easier. This is where many
businesses leave significant revenue ‘behind’. If you’ve established a great relationship
with your client, and earned their trust, you need to make sure you keep them. The
concept of the second, and third, sale is also referred to as ‘back-end’ sales.
If you have nothing else to sell your clients, you’ll need to start all over again with a new
prospective client.
Let’s have a look at this simple example. We’ll take the top 5 clients as a test sample for
Web Design Company A.
Web Design Company A Client & Product Grid

Total
Client Product 1 Product 2 Product 3 Product 4
Revenue (last
Name financial year/last 12
Web Design Copywriting months)
Client 1 $3,000 - $3,000
Client 2 $3,000 - $3,000
Client 3 $3,500 $3,500
Client 4 $1,500 $495 $1,995
Client 5 $8,500 - $8,500
Total $19,500 $495 $19,995
In this example, you will see that, first of all, Web Design Company A only has 2
products. Web design is the primary product offering which all of their clients buy.
Only one client has purchased the copywriting service. This tells us one of two things:
there is little need for a copywriting service for Company A’s clients
and/or no-one from Company A has tried to sell this service to any of their clients

This company has no other offerings to sell their clients, except more of the same. Web
sites are not redeveloped on a regular basis, and in some cases they may not be updated
for years. Once they have developed a website for their clients, this company has little
option but to acquire new clients who need web design services, or create new product
offerings for their existing (and new) clients.
Company A needs more products to sell its clients for the second and third sale.
How do you rate with the range of relevant products and services that you have to
offer your clients?
If You Sold Everything…
Now, let’s look at a different scenario for a different company.
Let’s look at Web Design Company B. Their primary business is designing websites.
All their clients purchased that service first. However, Web Design Company B has a
range of product offerings to suit the different needs of its customers, and this is reflected
in the number of products/services that their clients purchase, as well as the value of these
clients over time.
Company B not only offers web design, but also offers hosting services, customer
management software upgrades, e-commerce strategy development, and annual technical
support. They generate revenue from design and strategy consulting fees, and annual
revenue streams from hosting and technical support services.
Some of their clients have purchased multiple products, and others will eventually
purchase multiple products.

Web design Company B Client & Product Grid
Website Customer Website & e-commerce Annual Total Value
design software email strategy technical
upgrades hosting support
Client 1 $1500 - $1,000 - $800 $3,300
Client 2 $3,500 $5,900 $2,300 - - $11,700

Client 3 $4,000 - - $12,000 $5,000 $21,000
Client 4 $2,000 - $3,300 - $5,300
Client 5 $3,600 - $2,700 $8,400 - $14,700
Product $14,600 $5,900 $9,300 $20,400 $5,800 $56,000

Revenue
Now, with a new suite of products, this company has the option to grow its clients from
relatively low values for a once only website design, to a new ‘Tier 1’ level in excess of
$20,000 in product/service sales, with recurring revenue streams from hosting and
technical support each year.
You can see the value of Company B’s clients compared with Company A. By
developing a suite of product and service offerings to meet the needs of your clients, you
can successfully grow the value of your client base, at the same time as you grow the
amount of value you deliver to your clients!
By compiling and analysing your client matrix on a regular basis, you can start planning
what potential sales revenue could be in the coming year for each of those clients – is it
growing, declining, or about the same?
If you sold all your products to your clients, how much more would they be
worth?
If you sold everything, what would you do then? Get some new clients, and create some
new products!

It’s worth all the hard work to get your clients for the first time, and build on that to really
grow the value of your clients and the revenue for your business.
When developing new products and services to market to your existing and new clients,
make sure you get the offer right….
Get Your Offer Right
Getting your offer right is the critical, but sometimes overlooked, first step. If you follow
this checklist, you’ll be close to getting it as right as it can be:
- Test the product or concept
o What are people saying in response to your concept – existing customers,
potential customers. It’s easy enough to meet with a sample of your
existing clients and ask them what they think. You can ‘test run’ new
concepts in meetings with potential new clients.
o Are you listening to their feedback and acting on it?
o Do some research – formal and/or informal
- Know your product
o If you can’t explain it, you can’t sell it. If you can’t explain the value
proposition from the customer’s perspective, then no-one will buy it.
- Know your target market and what they want
o Who will approve the purchase of your product?
o Who will buy it?
o Who will use it?
- Know your competitors and your positioning against them. Analyse and assess
this objectively and honestly. Reposition or re-value your products and services if
you need to.
- Set the right level of price
o What is the perceived value? Pricing should align with the value and
positioning.
o Fit with target market?

- Do the P&L. Are the numbers right? Are the numbers real or fantasy? Check!
- After all that, honestly assess the fit of the actual product and the price you have
set with your target market.
- Readjust accordingly if required. Be careful how you do this – you don’t want to
send a message to the market that you ‘made a mistake’ because you got it wrong.
- Now that the offer is right, it’s time to take it to market.
WIIFM – The Client’s Perspective
You’ve read this before a million times, I know, but the real value of your products and
services must be communicated from the client’s perspective – WIIFM (What’s In It For
Me?).
Prospective clients want to know what you product can do for them, not what it does or
how it works. What value will it deliver to them?
Explain Your Offer with a Value Proposition
The value proposition of your product or service is critical. You need it to cut through
the noise of your competitors and ensure you are heard over all. When you describe your
business to a prospective customer, do you describe the products and services you offer,
and talk about if from your perspective?
If you can say:

- what the product/service does for your clients
- what value does it provide them
- why it’s different
then you have a clear value proposition.

Remember, your value proposition may vary slightly, depending on what type of client
you are talking to and what their needs are. A small client may value cost effective fees
and attentive service; a large client may value more complex service offerings that meets
their business needs, more so than the actual fee structure.
As an example, Volvo’s value proposition has been automotive safety. The detail of that
may be their track record in safety. If you owned Volvo, or marketed their products, and
someone asked what your business does, you could convey what the business does, why
it’s different and the value it provides in the following statement:
”We engineer a range of cars to the highest safety standards, including sports cars,
sedans, station wagons and 4WDs, with a formidable track record in on-road safety”
You are unlikely to feel comfortable saying all this in the one statement, but you get the
basic idea. Compare that to ‘we make cars’!
Value can be real and perceived, and people buy using facts, and emotion. When
considering WIIFM from your clients’ perspective, remember the emotional aspects as
well as the logical.
Practice that with your own business, or product or product portfolio, until you reach
the right statement. If you can’t do this, then marketing your product or service to others
is going to be much harder than it needs to be.
Understanding the real value provided by your products and services will help drive
your marketing activities, and the development of your marketing tools.

CHAPTER 3 – PROMOTIONAL OPTIONS
“A business lives or dies on its marketing.”
Corey Rudl.
Successful Communication – 4 Key Steps
There are four key steps to remember when thinking about whether you are maximising
your communication with your target market. Within these steps there are many
variations on how a message can be conveyed, or a channel for dialogue opened.
However, if you keep in mind the 4 steps, you will always maximise your opportunities
for communication of your message.
1. Develop the Information/Message
If you have information you would like to convey to your customers and clients, in how
many fundamental ways could this be presented?
Newsletters
PowerPoint presentations
Emails
SMS messages
Web site
Music or message on hold
Company profile documents
Products & services lists
Product specifications
Company stationery

Brochures
Direct mail pieces
Copies of press coverage/press releases
Articles
Invitations
Speeches
Multiple forms of advertising
Presentation of your message is critical. Please keep some of these considerations in

mind:
- Always think in terms of your clients’ perspectives. What is interesting and useful to
them?
- Be genuine. If you say you’re going to do something, then do it. If you’re not
genuine it will be apparent.
- Focus on consistency of presentation, of message, of image, of how you are being

perceived by your customer.
- Know who your customers are. Don’t use humour which would only appeal to a
small group of people, don’t risk using any message which may offend, and always
be mindful of different religious and cultural perspectives when appealing to a
broader segment of the local or international market.
2. Open the Communication Channel: Events and Networking
This type of communication, as an example of this step, is ‘up close and personal’
between you and the customer or potential client. The message may be specific, or non-
specific relationship building communication. Some options within this category are:

Client lunches
Launch events
Entertainment events
Industry events (exhibitions, conferences etc.)
Association or Institute gatherings
Organised sporting competitions between companies
The point is, learn about what your clients enjoy doing beyond business, so your
relationship building activities are enjoyable and beneficial to both of you.
3. Involvement from your Clients and Customers
Events and networking functions involve your customers at some emotional level and
build the relationship you have with them. However, communication that elicits
involvement and follow-through communication from your clients is different, in that
there is some notion of commitment to do business with you.
Specific communication tools requiring involvement from customers and clients are:
Surveys and questionnaires
New product/service test programs
Writing up testimonials from your customers
Case studies on your clients’ businesses and their relationships with you and your
business
Ask clients for feedback on new developments, such as your web site for
example.

Inherent in this type of activity is ongoing involvement and relationships. This is the
primary objective of successful communication.
4. Follow Through Communication
One-off communication is not enough and does not build relationships. A message can
be conveyed by communicating it only once, but will it be remembered? Research
studies have proven that we need to hear a message around 7 times before it finally sinks
in. How many times have you seen yet another ad on television and not known who the
advertiser was because it didn’t register? The message needs to be clear, repeated, and
followed up. Ideally it should also be humorous, of interest or value, and have some
differentiating factor.
Don’t stop communicating:
thank your clients
send notes of congratulations when appropriate
send information in which they may be interested
send them leads
follow up on your survey
follow up on the new product or service launch
send them a copy of your latest newsletter, brochure, etc.
proactively call them once in a while to touch base and ask how they are, and how
business is
The cycle must continue in order to be successful. “The little differences make all the
difference”.

Client Marketing Tips
1. Think Like Customer – give them TLC. Put yourself in their shoes and remember
what makes you go ‘WOW’ when dealing with a person or an organisation. Do,
say and write everything with their perspective in mind.
2. Lead generation – offer a no charge or heavily discounted sample of your product

or service, or a complementary offer, to get people to take it up and try it. Once
they do that you’ve engaged with them – eg: offer a free report on ‘6 ways to do
something; what you need to know about marketing’ etc. The offer must be
perceived by your target to have some value and little or no risk.
3. Any written offer must have a response mechanism – fax, phone, email, visit a
website to register/enquire etc, an immediate call to action with incentive to do so
will get the best results.
4. Add emotional value to your clients – think about what positive emotions they
could feel from doing business with you. For example: confident, trusting,
relieved, enthusiastic, motivated, excited, nurtured, supported, humoured, etc.
5. Think about how you communicate with customers – media coverage such as
editorial, advertising, advertorial, quoted in articles on specialist topics, seminar,
workshop, conference speaking, exclusive preview invitations, regular
newsletters, emails, phone calls, face to face meetings, radio, research reports,
books, articles, etc.
6. Be clear about the message and what outcome you want from the communication.
7. By making an offer with a low risk and some/high perceived value, you increase
the potential response rates if you add an incentive for immediate response – eg:
limited offer, first 10 to respond receive added bonus etc.
8. Build a database of contacts and use it as the foundation for your marketing
activities and future business development strategies. Use it for regular marketing

activities including direct mail, email, telemarketing etc. Make sure you collect
email addresses in your database.
9. If you ask clients for a referral, make sure you reward them with something that is
special and memorable, as well as reward the people to whom they’ve referred
you (eg: something for nothing or gift to client, and special service offer to new
prospect).
10. Have a formalised offer and follow up procedure in place for referrals in order to
capitalise on conversions.
11. A referral program generates the best results if it is ongoing and systemised – eg:
run quarterly or annual ‘occasion based’ referral promotions (such as Christmas,
Easter, end of financial year promotions or activities.) Make sure your clients
know that you will reward them with something of value to them, for their
referrals to you.
12. You must have a back end to the business – that is, a way to retain, develop
loyalty and grow/generate repeat business from your existing customers. That’s
critical to building your business and your client value. Refer to Chapter 2.
13. Some examples of promotions for clients who refer you to new prospects:
a. Christmas gift for referral to clients from a publishing house, research

firm, consultancy which produces reports etc – offer to send out a free
subscription as a Christmas gift to the current subscribers’ referrals. Send
gifts with a personalised Christmas card on behalf of the client and the
company.
b. Closed Door Sale – invite priority customers and their guests to special
after hours showings/shopping at discounted prices and with food/drinks.
14. Identify industry magazines to write articles for, & have your photo/be quoted in:
a. General business publications: www.magazines.org.au provides a list of

magazine publishers of Australia, and the publications produced by each
b. Industry associations which distribute their own publications

c. Distribute press releases via an online service: www.prwebdirect.com
15. Understand why your customers buy from you. What keeps them coming back?
When you know that make sure to reiterate that message or continue with that
level of service in all your communication. Know their drivers and clearly
communicate in all marketing activities for that target market/segment (as
segments may vary).
16. Build a stable of related products/services that your customers would be interested
in and need/want. Focus on core business, but add complementary
products/services – need to be high leverage and low maintenance so you don’t
need to increase overheads or resources but can increase revenues and profit.
17. Market to the top 20% of your clients on a regular basis – new products/services,
incentives, special offers, invitations, introductions to other clients, rewards for
doing business with you. Remember to use the form of communication that
specific clients prefer – email, call to mobile, message on office voice mail etc.

Start Your Program!
The following table provides a sample of a few different activities you can either do
yourself, or outsource to a specialist provider. If you work with other small businesses,
these services need not cost you a lot. Get creative and look at providing your services in
exchange for their services, or even payment terms in instalments over a period of time.
Remember to do what you’re good at, let other people focus on what they do best,
and if you can’t afford them, wait until you can.
Always have an objective or an intended outcome for your marketing, otherwise it will
have no focus and minimal results. Build on this list over time with the specific activities
that are appropriate for your clients and prospective clients, and that work best for you!
Marketing Options Objective
Speaking engagements Raise your profile in target

market
(Conference, special interest group, radio, Establish your expertise
business groups)
Direct marketing Present an offer & call to action
Raise awareness of your
product/service
Educate/inform
Generate leads
PR Raise profile
Create awareness
Establish expertise & credibility

Exhibitions & conferences Establish positioning in market
Educate
Network – identify opportunities
Showcase products to captive
target market
Establish credibility if speaking at
conference
Generate sales leads
Industry & business publications – submit Establish credibility & expertise
articles within target market
Position yourself as specialist
Raise profile
Generate enquiries
Telesales/telemarketing Prospecting for new business
Build leads
Customer service
Marketing tools
Case studies – explains the client problem or need, and your solution
Testimonials – statements of endorsement from satisfied clients
Press releases – use them to send to media, or to customers or placed on web site
Award entries/winning awards – winning awards sets you apart
Newsletters – printed or electronic; write them yourself or ask for contributions
Company profile – also a ‘credentials’ document to establish your credibility
Website – make it work for you
Brochures – try not to change these too often (requires time and $$), but don’t let
them date
Video/CD presentations – particularly if you are in the creative field
Start marketing now and don’t stop!

The Final Check
This last check is to make sure you’re ready to grow the value of your clients and
increase your revenue stream.
Preparation for Client Growth Marketing Yes No

Analysis of client base – identification of potentially high
value clients
Analysis of potential value of key clients
Client tiers analysed & appropriate client growth strategies

developed
New products & services developed & priced
Marketing materials developed
Client database developed with all contact details included
Marketing activities decided on for next 6-12 months, &

marketing schedule drawn up – activity, detail, who is
responsible, timeframe/date, costs
Key Points:
Focus on evolving your offerings with the needs of your clients (as long as it
remains relevant to your core business).
Continue to develop new products and services.
Know your clients and focus on growing their value as you deliver value to them.
Proactively communicate with your clients on a regular basis
Do this for a period of 3-6 months and watch your revenue grow!
Good luck and happy client growth!

OTHER RESOURCES
Our website has a range of business information and resources, covering business growth,
management and strategy at www.bossgroup.com.au.
Our Resources area has Articles, the BOSSMENTOR® Business Newsletter archive,
Business FAQ, and Links to useful sites.
ABOUT BOSS MANAGEMENT GROUP
BOSS Management Group delivers professional strategy, management and mentoring

services to organisations committed to growth and development.
We deliver strategic advice to help our clients grow, and back that up with structured
business-mentoring programs to keep managers, executives and business owners on
track with their business strategy implementation.
The BOSSMENTOR® Mastermind Program is for business owners and directors, the
BOSSMENTOR® Team Program is for groups of teams, and managers in the corporate
environment, and BOSSMENTOR® Accelerate focuses on Client Growth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenny Stilwell is the Managing Director of BOSS Management Group, and has helped
many clients to significantly grow their businesses, and build more successful companies.
Prior to establishing BMG, Jenny was CEO of a public company, held general
management roles within both large and medium sized organisations, and also ran her
own marketing practice in the mid 1990s.
She has mentored several women in careers and in business as her way of 'giving back' to
the business community and to career women in particular.


How To Accelerate Your Client Growth

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How To Accelerate Your Client Growth

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How to Accelerate Your

A practical ‘how to’ to grow the

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 1

CHAPTER 1- KNOW YOUR CLIENTS........................................................................... 6

What Are Your Clients Worth to You Now?.................................................................. 6

Move Your Clients up the Value Chain.......................................................................... 9

5 Tools for Better Client Marketing.............................................................................. 10

5 Ways to Get Build Your Client Base......................................................................... 14

CHAPTER 2 - YOUR PRODUCTS & SERVICES......................................................... 19

Clients Don’t Want Your Products ............................................................................... 20

The Second Sale is Easier…. ........................................................................................ 20

If You Sold Everything…............................................................................................. 22

Get Your Offer Right .................................................................................................... 24

WIIFM – The Client’s Perspective ............................................................................... 25

Explain Your Offer with a Value Proposition .................................................................. 25

CHAPTER 3 – PROMOTIONAL OPTIONS .................................................................. 27

Successful Communication – 4 Key Steps ................................................................... 27

Client Marketing Tips ................................................................................................... 31

Start Your Program!...................................................................................................... 34

The Final Check............................................................................................................ 36

OTHER RESOURCES ..................................................................................................... 37

ABOUT BOSS MANAGEMENT GROUP ..................................................................... 37

ABOUT THE AUTHOR .................................................................................................. 37

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 2

Market penetration, market extension, product development or diversification are the

It will be most applicable if:

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 3

How to implement this strategy:

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 4

An example of somewhat extreme product development is Coca-Cola now selling Lemon

A simpler example of product development is the breakfast cereal manufacturers

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 5

What Are Your Clients Worth to You Now?

• Is the average dollar spend by category increasing or declining over previous

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 6

• Which customers have become inactive (not spending) and why?

• Who are the most valuable customers?

• How many customers add little value, or cost money to service?

• What is the profile of the preferred high value customers?

What actions can you take from there?

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 7

Client 1 - - - $6,800 $6,800

Client 3 - $495 $2,500 - $2,995

Client 4 $1,500 $495 $2,500 $6,800 $11,295

Client 5 $1,500 - $2,500 $6,800 $10,800

Client 30 - $495 - - $495

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 8

You will find more information on growing client value in Chapter 2.

Move Your Clients up the Value Chain

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 9

5 Tools for Better Client Marketing

1. Get back to basics.

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 10

In all your dealings with your clients, remember to always:

o do what you say you will

2. Make your Product or Service Easy to Buy

How to make your offering easy to buy?

Differentiators or USPs (Unique Selling Propositions)

Sell benefits, not features, and explain features when required.

Copyright © BOSS Management Group 2006. 11

Show the product, have references for the service

3. Make it Fun to do Business with You - Reward your clients.

It’s a good retention tool