[Fredslist] Fw: [Expert Communications] Marketing Your Expert Services

Mon Nov 10 11:17:35 EST 2008

Fellow experts:  FYI.  Gerry

 Gerald M. Goldhaber, Ph.D.
President and CEO
GRA, LLC
800 6th Avenue, Suite 26G
New York, NY 10001
(212)379-6661 (O)
(917)279-2303 (Cell)
www.goldhaber.com

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Expert Communications <expertcomm at earthlink.net>
To: geraldgoldhaber at yahoo.com
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 10:28:00 AM
Subject: [Expert Communications] Marketing Your Expert Services

Dear Experts,

In preparing my presentation for a professional marketing/business
development workshop, I reviewed one of my favorite articles and am
sending it to you today as a possible marketing check-up list.

The Forensic Expert Witness Association, http://www.forensic.org is
hosting the workshop December 5th in Dallas. If you are planning to
attend and happen to have my book, bring it with you if you would like
for me to sign it. Rarely do I get to meet my consulting clients, who
live all over the country (and in others as well!). I'm looking forward
to seeing clients and other members of our expert community in person.

Best regards,

Rosalie

---------------------------------------

    Marketing Your Professional Services Is Not Optional 

Sometimes professionals say, “I don’t market my services; I rely on
word-of-mouth to get business.” They don’t seem to realize these two
statements are contradictory -— if they are getting plenty of referral
business, they have marketed their services quite well! The issue is not
a decision of whether or not to market your services, but is instead a
decision of whether to assume responsibility for it and become more
effective at it.

Actions you might not realize are marketing decisions:

- What you name your business

- What information you print on your business card

- How you let people know you are available

- How your resume or company brochure looks

- Who answers the telephone and how

- How you dress for encounters with prospective clients

- How you respond when someone asks what you do

- How you treat not only clients and prospects but also employees,
associates and even competitors 

All of these factors contribute to the image people form of you and are
far more critical to the success of your business than you might
realize.  

For instance, does your business name indicate what services your
business performs? If it doesn’t, is your business name accompanied by a
tagline that states your field of work?

Does your business card provide all necessary data such as the type of
work performed and your complete contact information? As a marketing
consultant reviewing and analyzing professionals’ marketing materials, I
see cards with important information omitted, such as the email address
and even telephone area codes. I’ve seen two cards with no zip code
after the address. What do these cards say about the professionals,
i.e., what impression does their marketing create?  

Particularly if you have chosen not to advertise your services, how did
you announce that you had opened a business or practice?  However you
did it, and whether you did it effectively or not, it was a marketing
action.  

- You're Not Alone - 

Fortunately, you’re not expected to already be knowledgeable about
marketing, any more than you would expect people in other professions to
be proficient in your discipline. Marketing help is available from
books, magazines, the Internet, knowledgeable friends and marketing
professionals. The key point is to realize that the decisions and
actions that create others’ perception of you should be planned and well
thought-out, as they constitute your marketing.  

Prospective clients have no way of knowing what quality of service you
will provide, so they must take clues from the appearance of your
business card, stationery, resume or brochure and other materials, and
website; your physical appearance and grooming; your manners and
communication on the telephone; and even your promptness in returning
phone calls.

The quality of your materials influences the perceived value of your
services. Printed materials, whether produced professionally or on your
personal computer, don’t have to be costly, but they should be
error-free. Typographical, spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors
in printed materials are inexcusable. We all make mistakes as we create
and craft, but editing, correcting and proofreading comprise the second
half of the job. 

It is critical to have someone else proofread your writing and
composition, because we all have difficulty finding our own mistakes. I
frequently notice errors in professional brochures, even some that are
quite expensively prepared. I have to conclude that not enough people
proofread them.

- Your Office Speaks - 

Often the initial impression you make on a prospective client results
from the phone response in your office. If the phone rings several times
before being answered by a person or a recording, the caller feels that
his time has been disrespected. If the person answering is flippant,
cold or, worse, rude, your image has been tarnished, perhaps
permanently. 

The time it takes you to return calls answered by someone else, by your
recorded message or through an answering service is also a factor in the
prospect’s view of your services. An inquirer can’t help but associate
your promptness or tardiness with your perceived work ethic and respect
for deadlines. 

In addition, if you determine that you can’t or won’t accept the
proposal, are you as polite and as helpful as possible under the
circumstances? You may not want this engagement, but you do want this
person to be a referral source—the most effective kind of marketing.

- Appearances Do Matter - 

“Dressing for success” doesn’t necessarily mean wearing a suit for a
man, or stockings and low heels for a woman if she wears a dress or a
suit with a skirt. What it does mean is deliberately deciding what to
wear for encounters with prospective clients, keeping your impression in
mind. Whether the most effective look would be a business suit or other
attire representing your profession or trade is an individual decision,
but make it a conscious decision, because it matters. Perhaps a person
could be sloppy or careless in appearance and be meticulous in work
performance, but the prospective client has no way of knowing that—he
can only conclude by what he sees and hears.

- Does Your Dry Cleaner Know What You Do? - 

When asked what services your company provides, do you respond
completely, smoothly and briefly or do you stammer, give a terse,
incomplete description or ramble? Articulating your area of expertise
and services is the core of marketing. Compose a brief statement that
explains your work, using words people outside your profession will
understand, and practice saying it aloud.

Business owners don’t always realize that their services are publicized,
either positively or negatively, by individuals they might not consider
referral sources or detractors. Employees discuss their work with
others.  Competitors speak either respectfully or resentfully about you,
based, at least in part, on your attitude and actions toward them. 

Remember that when you interact with another person, regardless of who
the person is, you are marketing yourself and your services. You are
enhancing his picture of you, or you are diminishing it. 
____________________

Performing marketing is NOT optional. Marketing is the actions, whether
deliberately strategized or unplanned, that communicate the
availability, quality and value of your services. Marketing shapes the
image people hold of you and your business and reflects your judgment,
thoroughness and professionalism. You can take charge of this message
and make it contribute to your success.

-- by Rosalie Hamilton, the Expert's Expert, author of The Expert
Witness Marketing Book and President of Expert Communications, the
business development firm that helps experts get more clients.
www.expertcommunications.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fine Print
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Expert Communications
--Expert Witness Marketing & Training
140 Island Way, #288, Clearwater, FL 33767
Tel 727-467-0700 Fax 727-467-0800
meredith at expertcommunications.com

*Expert Communications* - We provide expert witness training tools and
coaching, and create marketing plans, materials and websites for expert
witnesses.

Find additional articles and resources for experts at
http://www.expertcommunications.com 

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