How to give and receive referrals in your business
A dragon’s den style event for charity – what a mad idea! Five small community charities were invited to a private client bank where they were each given the opportunity to present to a room full of wealthy and generous guests. At the end of…
Understanding your client’s business
A marketing director at a blue-chip company told me once that he wanted to feel that he was getting some of his agency’s ‘shower time’. In other words, even in the shower, they were still thinking about his business. Clients actually want more than that,…
How to build your business through referral relationships
When I first started out in business I remember the extraordinary generosity of a friend called Charlie. I had clarity about what I wanted to do in business I just needed to find my first group of clients. Over lunch I was telling Charlie about…
Can service providers gain profitable new business without pitching?
High pitch costs often far exceed potential profits from a new client in year one. Today, clients ask more companies to present ideas without willingly paying fees for the efforts. What if a client could be won without pitching and pitch costs were re-invested in…
Is client satisfaction ever enough?
A few years ago I attended a business networking event. It took place on a luxurious ship that sailed for three days and had something like thirty business meetings taking place, along with a high-level conference. The night before it all kicked off I was…
Putting yourself in the client’s shoes
A few months ago I went to see a marketing director who was having trouble containing his fury with his ad agency. He was so angry, in fact, that his clenched fist was turning white. The reason? A junior team from his agency had just…
Scorecards during tenders – how do you make them work?
One of the most popular discussions in this group is the use of scorecards in terms of managing supplier relationships. What we find is that they can raise as many questions as they answer. For me, one of the big ones (which emerged recently when…