Getting to the top
Becoming ‘top of mind’ is crucial to your success because it’s the way you and your firm become the ones that clients will call first. However, to make this happen, you need to make achieving this status your priority.
In this article, we want to focus on that one simple thing you can do to reach the top. And it has to do with marketing.
Success doesn’t come without marketing
Many professional service firms firmly believe that success stems only from how excellent the services they provide are. However, they fail to understand that this is not enough. They fail to grasp that other firms do the same thing they do. Those firms may do it as well as they do, while some do it better, and some do it worse. So, why should a client go to you instead of them? What makes you special?
You communicate what makes you special through marketing. Many people have the misconception that marketing is advertising or marketing is expensive or marketing is fake. But it isn’t any of these things independently. Marketing involves the range of activities, actions and initiatives that you do to generate leads. In professional services, there are many ways to do this and networking is one element of the mix that is particularly effective.
Networking is now more important than ever, even though some feel that the digital world has made it obsolete. So, how do you network in a way that will get you to the top?
How to grow your network
Networking exists for the sole purpose of increasing your list of networks, prospects, clients, and referrals.
So, how do you grow that network?
Every time you meet someone, ask for a business card or contact information. Then add them to the database for your firm. This can be any person, and it doesn’t matter if you meet them in a social or business setting. Why? Because you never know who could someday be a good addition to your network. Even if the person you’ve just met doesn’t seem relevant now, maybe their relative is, or their business acquaintance, or someone else they know.
The goal is to open up to potential opportunities and realise that they can turn up anywhere. Once you start doing this, you’ll notice that most people will gladly accept this and will likely ask for your information as well.
If that seems weird to you, know that you can do the same on LinkedIn, for example. Once you meet someone in real life, you can look for them on LinkedIn and send them an invitation to join your network. You should send that invitation with an introductory note. And if they don’t respond, remember that you have lost nothing. It’s better to try than not try at all and, in doing so, so also show that you are thinking of them beyond the meeting.
It’s also good to know what your goals are in networking. Whatever they are, it’s vital to strive to build real relationships with your prospects and not look at them as simple numbers in your overall network.
If you work hard on networking, you’ll quickly notice that you are getting more noticed by potential clients. And what follows is you becoming top of mind for many of them. This is the best way to become a thought leader, and if you want to learn more, feel free to reach out to us.