Win the right clients. Keep them for years.
Growth in a professional services firm comes from two places: new clients who are a good fit, and existing clients who stay and give you more of their work. Most firms put all their energy into the first and leave the second to chance.
Finding clients
Most firms don't have a lead problem. They have a focus problem. Partners chase everything, pursue nothing consistently, and the firm depends on a few rainmakers. I help firms build business development that works for the partners they actually have.
Finding new clients is a process, not a trick you learn in an afternoon. So follow-through is part of the work: regular check-ins and coaching that keep partners moving, and adjustments when a plan needs them.
What we work on
- Choosing target markets and defining the clients you want more of
- Personal business development plans for partners
- Strategy, presentation coaching, and debriefs for major pursuits and proposals
- Referral source and relationship programs
- Positioning and messaging, so the firm is easy to explain and easy to recommend
Keeping clients
Your best new business usually comes from clients you already have. Yet many firms only learn a client is unhappy when the RFP shows up.
Through my Client Service Visitation Program, I sit down with your most important clients, usually owners and senior executives, and go well beyond a survey form. What they tell me becomes a short list of priorities your partners can act on.
What we work on
- Client feedback interviews, conducted by an independent voice so clients speak candidly
- How clients see your firm against the alternatives, and where more of their work could come from
- Key client programs and client relationship teams
- Serving clients across more of the firm, without the hard sell
- Service standards the partners agree on and keep
- Spotting early warning signs, and recovering relationships that are slipping
Let's talk about what's next for your firm.
The first conversation is simply a chance to talk through what's on your mind. No preparation needed.
Or email me at mbuckingham@newoz.com