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Focusing
on the right
clients and
prospects
helps make
the most of
every minute.
by
Cliff Quicksell, Jr., MAS+
Use A Marketing Funnel
To Tightly Target Clients
Each of us
has one very
distinct thing in
common—24
hours in a day. No
one has more or
less, but how we
utilize that time,
how proficient
we are with our
time, canmake
or break us.
I
often hear someone say, “I’m
a promotional consultant.”
However, the way that person
presents his website and social
media, and handles client
presentations, is contrary to that
claim. Ask yourself: are you truly a
promotional consultant or are you
a product salesperson? Either one
is alright—it just depends onwhat
youwant.
I also hear people say they
need andwant to improve their
professional skills, or want to be
different or perceived differently
by their clients—well, here’s your
chance. If you are OKwithwhere
you are professionally, then you
needn’t read further. However, if
you are challenged by your current
marketing and sales strategies, and
want to segment your clients to get
themost value for your business,
then read on.
Professional
Consultant Defined
According to
The Merriam-
Webster Dictionary
, a professional
is: (a) a person who receives pay,
(b) a person possessing great skill
or expertise in a field or activity.
A consultant is (a) one who gives
expert or professional advice, (b)
one who consults another. Simply
put, you get paid for your expert
advice
and
for the things and
solutions you sell—not
just
that.
The Mentality Of Many
Somany distributors go tomarket
withwhat I call the “mirror and
checkbook”mentality. If a client can
fog amirror andwrite a check, the
distributor counts themas a client.
In the short term, thismay be alright,
but for the long-termsustainability
of a loyal client base, this plan is
inadequate. Being selectivewill
likely result inmore loyal clients,
more sales and higher profits.
Begin By
Changing Your Mindset
The first step in considering any
change begins with you. Take an
introspective look at your business.
Are things dragging along? Are you
not getting the traction fromyour
clients that you have in the past?Have
you lost your drive and excitement for
the business? I know those feelings;
I’ve been there. Begin by looking
inward andmaking a conscious
decision to proactively recharge your
business.That’s your first step.
Critical Factors
Your next step is to evaluate your
business; start by analyzing your
current client base. Segment your
clients by vertical and horizontal
markets, and classify them to
determine their current and
potential lifetime value.
I give credit for this step of
segmentingmarkets to information
I pulled froman article in
B2B
magazine years ago.The article,
“The Top TenThings Clients Are
Looking For,” really drovemy
business then and continues to be a
major dominating force in the way I
think about my business and teach
others to do so as well.
Each of us has one very distinct
thing in common—24 hours in
a day. No one hasmore or less,
but howwe utilize that time, how
proficient we are with our time, can
make or break us. It makes no sense
to spend time andmarketing dollars
on clients and prospects who have
zero interest in us andwhat we are
offering, or those who are just hard
to deal with. However, focusing
on the right clients and prospects
will make everyminute we spend
worthwhile. So howdo you begin
this process?
•
Segmentation.
List your existing
clients in an Excel spreadsheet
by segmented categories or
markets. Examples of these
would be automotive, hospitality,
aerospace, banking and finance,
and transportation to name a
few. Next, add columns for gross
sales, gross profit and number
of orders, average order size and
gross profit percentage. When
complete, total the columns.
You should add in the numbers
for at least the past three years
and compare the data. From this
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