So I am inviting you to do the opposite of what you might have been taught by tough cookies or what you learned in corporate-ville circa the 1990s or earlier. Those folks found sport in finding the fraction of disagreement and trying to prove their point. All that does is cause more friction and most of us (when we are well fed, rested and comfortable with who we are) prefer cooperation to antagonism any day of the week.

Here’s my top 8 ways to get on the same wavelength:

1. You get more honey with honey. Leave out the vinegar.
2. Be sure to rack up “yeses.”
3. Seek out opportunities to agree without conceding.
4. Affirm vaguely: “Yes, Elizabeth you have a point there,” or “Yes, Laurie, that was well said.”
5. Use your body language. Nod your head in affirmation.
6. Mirror their speed and pitch. When they lower their voice do so too. When they speed up pick up the pace. This subliminally says we’re similar and that is comforting.
7. Paraphrase and ask, “did I get that right?” they will confirm or correct you.
8. Stand up for yourself with humor. It breaks the tension.

Here’s a fun example of remaining unfettered. As I spoke to a predominantly male networking group (age 45+), I told them how women influence 83% of all purchases so it’s a good idea to learn new ways. A gentleman joked and asked, “Are you saying we should get in touch with our feminine sides?” It turned suddenly very quiet. I was ready to say something funny when another man dove in and said, “Don’t you listen to everything your wife tells you to do?” Everyone laughed and I didn’t have to have the last word. I simply smiled.

Gaining favor is not about being disingenuous. It is not about sublimating or being a wimp. It’s about being diplomatic and having a wise strategy. I’d love to hear from you. Tell me some of the best ways that you’ve diffused tension or get on the same side?

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Buying a business is a huge commitment, and before the ink dries on the contract, it’s easy to focus on the upside—the promise and possibility of a strong return on your investment as well as the retention of the existing customer base. That’s why getting off on the right foot with the existing clients or customers is job #12.

The biggest sales job you will face is in reassuring them that things will be smoother (tricky, especially when they thought it already was); that nothing will change (they wonder how that can be since a new owner always means change); or that there will be improvements (they wonder what kind—and do you really know what needs fixing?)

Customer relationship management. This is your challenge. The challenge is communication and nuance. What should you say? When and how much sharing is really needed? The way in which you handle this determines if you will have to scramble, or if you can really enjoy what was promised—a healthy stream of customers.

There are four things to be aware of that may sound simple at the offset, but pulling them off gracefully is a challenge. Doing it well will make the difference between retention or total reinvention and restart.

Communicate or die. Dramatic indeed but you were educated to be a doctor, lawyer, and accountant or fill in the blank and name yours. And you are knowledgeable, maybe even brilliant, on your subject. Once you purchase a business you need to add the title of seller, soother, educator and grand communicator, too. Your clarity, authenticity and warmth will make up for any perceived missteps in your customers eyes. There will be times when you will have to eat humble pie or crow. Plan on it. Accept it.

Customers hate change. They will compare you to your predecessor right away and might even look for ways to leave. Any mishandling will be grounds for replacing you because their allegiance was with the last owner. Let’s face it, you are auditioning. There will even be some cases where the client wasn’t happy in the first place and didn’t have the nerve to leave the previous owner, so you can be a welcome change.

It’s cheaper to keep them. It’s pricier to replace customers than it is to keep them. Wooing works as long as you don’t use vacant words and can back up what you day with something delightfully unexpected.

Transition is everything. The support staff is an extension of you—their proficiency in wooing, wowing, calming, and smoothing should not be underestimated. They can help or harm your transition process. It is a smart move to keep one or some of the key staffers to make the change less jarring. Frank conversations with them will lay the foundation of how cooperative they will be with you. You can help plant your story with them so instead of idle gossip and hearsay they will be your best brand messengers.

Keeping customers happy doesn’t require elaborate schemes or for you to change your personality unless you want to. Customers want love, attention, respect and the S.H.E method: Share, Help and Educate. It will take you far. •

CASE IN POINT:
Doctor O and Doctor N

Dr. O was a seasoned Park Avenue dermatologist with alternative healthcare leanings. He was ahead of his time, humble and had graduated from an Ivy League school. He enjoyed his own blend of East/West healing modalities. Because of this, he received accolades from Prevention Magazine and had a brisk practice concentrating on acne treatments and hair loss. Alopecia was his specialty and most of his clientele were women. He earned most of his revenue from office visit charges and his custom injections. It was more than enough for him and his wife, who was his receptionist, and they owned the office space (a condo) in the building. As he was nearing the age of 80, he decided to retire and sell his practice to Dr. N.

Dr. N was young, handsome and ambitious. He was buying a tony location and hoped to piggyback on Dr. O’s international recognition. Dr. N wanted to expand on product offerings, remodel the office, hire beautiful front desk women, write a book and add an anti-aging twist to the business. With most of Dr. O’s patients coming in for hair loss and acne treatments, he estimated that he’d probably lose upward of 50 percent of the clients within the first year. He didn’t mind since he would still be able to cover his overhead. He become acquainted with clients and kept some of Dr. O’s potions, which included his unique hair retaining injections and more.

The initial month was spent with the two doctors seeing patients together. Dr. O introduced Dr. N to patients and openly offered his blessing while praising him.

After a three-month transition, Dr. O’s presence was tapering off. New patients had been directed to Dr. N and existing clients were making up their minds whether to try him out or to go. Dr. N recognized that he needed something to entice existing patients to stay, so he offered beauty packages for hair and skin restoration. The packages involved a flat monthly fee for three months. This enabled him to guarantee his own cash flow. If patients started to balk, he was comfortable reassuring them that “they were worth” the small investment. It was a risk and he enjoyed the reward—they said yes.

As the office brightened and he started to display private label products, he began gifting samples to the existing clients, and it worked some of the time. What Dr. N lacked in warmth and age, he made up for in hiring great staffers. They were the ones who knew how to sell, compliment and coddle. Dr. N went on to be written up in many fashion magazines in New York as a skin authority to supermodels and mom’s alike. •

CASE IN POINT:
Joan, Eric and Unified Tax

Unified Tax and Planning Company was founded, owned and operated by Joan for 15 years. Joan was a feisty personality whose experience came as a bookkeeper turned Certified Tax Preparer. Although she wasn’t a CPA, it didn’t matter to her clientele. They knew she could take on the IRS if any of her clients were called in for an audit. She made a respectable living, enjoyed teaching workshops and did a lot of public speaking at every Chamber and women’s group within 25 miles of the office. Her kids were grown and she wanted to relocate, so she sold the practice to Eric.

Eric had made wise real estate investments and had retired 10 years earlier. He had become itchy after playing lots of golf and babysitting the grandkids. He was smart, personable and genuinely excited about returning to a business. However, at his age, he had no designs on running around as much as Joan did. Instead, his plan was to audition and win clients over, keep the receptionist and office staff, keep the look of the office the same (down to the pictures on the wall) and offer more year-round services.

His transition execution was impeccable. He diligently went through all the steps mentioned previously. Joan, on the other hand, didn’t do as well. She sent out the cursory introductory letter and said nothing would change. Together, Joan and Eric isolated the 10 most valuable clients and jointly met with them. But during the meetings, it wasn’t a gracious hand off. It became clear that Joan was having a personal ego struggle.

Clients liked Eric and he was answering their questions deliberately, and educating them along the way. This was something Joan didn’t previously do. She would say, “Don’t you worry, I will take care of it. I know what I am doing, so you don’t have to.” In contrast with Eric, she seemed patronizing. Eric was the model of solid and dependable. He was comfortable talking to people and had a well-balanced, logical and intuitive sense.

Eric asked Joan to leave the firm earlier than expected. But the Unified Tax client retention was a success and still is to this day. Here’s how he easily sold his clients:

Some of the feedback his female clients gave were: He really cared; he didn’t really need the money so he wasn’t obnoxiously hungry; he focused on them; he remembered babies, grandkids and asked about them. Feedback from men included: He talked a bit more about new tax codes to show competency but not too much to bore; he shared what he did in retirement; he demonstrated his enthusiasm to own the business and serve and swerve clients away from having to overpay taxes.

Eric was a “salt of the earth” man who helped with pre-tax planning, money management, and who was respectful of time. He sent out helpful checklists in advance so the appointments would run smoothly. He allowed enough time in his meetings so he never appeared rushed. And he held Joan’s rates for at least a year. Not only did he retain most of the client base but also he continued to add to it through referrals. •

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Today, professionals have to market themselves more than ever before. Barriers, whether legal, cultural, or otherwise, have been torn down. And whether professionals like it or not, their competition is doing it. Lawyers, accountants, and other professionals are all seeing erosion in their client rosters.

What can you do to attract more new clients as well as retain the clients you currently have? There are lots of ways to approach the problem, many of which involve more phone calls, more advertising, and more networking. There is one way that has proven over time to help people in many professional service industries build their practices without feeling like they have sold their souls to sales. When you are able to position yourself as an “expert,” selling comes easier and clients stay longer.

Perception Vs. Reality

The marketing of professional services is all about ­perception. It really has very little to do with how good you are at your craft, and while that always puts a few off, it’s a marketing truth.

So if marketing is about perception, how do you get people to perceive you as an expert? The trick is to find a way of getting someone else to do it for you. This gives you what PR professionals refer to as “third-party endorsement.”

It’s a very simple concept: When a potential client sees someone else who recognizes you as an expert, it makes it easier and more reassuring for them to engage you for your services. Simple, right? Yes, but not always easy.

There are three ways you can jumpstart the perception that you are an expert. They take a little effort, but any one of these strategies can have a dramatic impact on new client generation.

Strategic Speaking: How, What & Where

Public speaking puts you in front of others in a way that physically and mentally places you in a position of authority. Experience has shown that even people who see themselves as awkward or uncomfortable in social situations can often be powerful speakers.

How do you use speaking as a strategic marketing tool? The first thing is to do what Nike tells us and “Just Do It.” If you’ve never spoken, you need to start. Find a Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, or networking group that would like to get a free speaker. Test the waters in terms of your speaking abilities and your subject matter. Use every speaking opportunity, big or small, as a chance to sculpt your message and hone your speaking skills.

What should you speak about? Professionals typically make one of two types of public speaking mistakes: 1) They are way too technical, or 2) They try too hard to “sell” in their speech. In order to avoid these mistakes, there are a couple of ways to create understandable content. One solution is to think of yourself on some sort of public transportation, say a bus or subway, and speak at a level that the average person will understand. Another solution is to limit your speech to three key points or less. It’s far better to connect with the audience on one thing really well than to pepper them with too many concepts that they have little chance of remembering.

On the point of selling, you don’t need to sell. Instead, give a small amount of valuable information freely. People will come back to you wanting more, and then they’ll pay you for it.

You want to be prepared for people to come up to you after the speech or presentation, and you want to be sure to have business cards and brochures handy. But even then, use them strategically. For example, don’t just shove something in their hand. Point to the website on your brochure and say something such as, “We’ve posted some information about that on our website. If you just go to myweb.com and click on ‘resources’ you’ll find it.” That personalizes it and makes the other person feel that you value their question.

Regarding business cards: A great way to get more mileage is to take a card out, then point out a direct line or extension or e-mail, and say something such as, “Feel free to call me on my direct line, and we can set up a time to go over how this might impact your estate plan.” When you make it personal, you’re not selling. You are responding to their needs and driving the conversation to the next level, a meeting.

Another aspect of public speaking is creating your own event. While this has more cost and effort involved in the planning and implementation of the event, you also get complete control over the content.

Teaching & Training

Signing on to teach or train is another excellent way to gain third-party endorsement. I teach one night class a semester at a local university, and with that I will always be able to say that I’m a member of the university’s adjunct faculty.

Teaching positions are not easy to come by, but they are available. You may choose to start small with a community college. If teaching is something you’d like to do, you can also start by contacting a university’s department head and offering your services as a guest speaker. At the university I teach at, we frequently get emails about professionals who are open to speaking in our classes.

The value of teaching, as a marketing tool, doesn’t just come from teaching in a school setting. Continuing professional education is an excellent way of gaining a training title on your CV. Teaching MCLE or CPE courses are great ways for attorneys and accountants to become involved in training. This works particularly well when you have an area of specialization.

To maximize the impact, make sure to update your website, personal one-sheet, and other marketing materials to reflect your teaching experience. It is good to add a line about teaching or training even in the shortest of bios.

As mentioned in the discussion on public speaking, you can also create your own training or seminars. One variation on this theme is to create a Webinar. Using a third-party service, you can create Webinars where you teach or train on a topic of your choosing. The best part: Unlike seminars in person, if no one shows up, it’s no big deal. In fact, I know people that have created and recorded Webinars and posted them just to gain credibility as a trainer, not to charge money or try to get clients.

Publishing As An Expert

The third strategy of positioning yourself as an expert is to do it through writing and publishing. When you author an article or a book, it places you in the public eye as someone recognized for his or her knowledge, skill or talent. The subconscious thinking is that an editor hired this person to write for his or her knowledge and skill, and therefore must be good.

Book publishing takes time, but can pay dividends in business generation for years. On the other hand, articles take far less time, but can have a similar impact. An ­article can shine a light on a problem common to your clientele, offer insight into remedying the problem, and give them cause to contact you for more information.

Once articles are published, they can be reprinted, copied, posted on websites, and sent out as PDFs. Marketing people call these “DOKs” or “Displays Of Knowledge,” and they work very well with both new and existing clients. While some articles are very timely, others have an “evergreen” quality, and can last a long time.

Publishing does come with challenges, which include topic selection, finding the time to write, editing, finding publishers, and promoting your articles after publication. But getting published is one of the most effective ways to gain standing and stature as an expert in your field.

When writing in professional journals, one needs to be very careful with writing, source citation, and resisting the hesitation to “practice” your craft in writing. When writing for consumer publications, the concern is typically more about being interesting and discussing “hot topics.” Likewise, articles for consumers tend to be less technical, and often designed by editors as providing more general information.

Getting More Marketing Mileage

Once you’ve begun teaching, speaking, writing, or some combination of activities, you will want to begin promoting what you’ve done. Some recommended ways include updating website bios, placing notices in calendar sections, linking to website articles, and having copies or reprints readily available.

A great technique to get more marketing mileage is to make copies of articles or summaries of speeches and put them in a mailing to existing clients. It’s best done with a personal note that says something along the lines of, “Hey, I recently wrote this piece for a magazine, and thought you might find interest in it.” I have seen a mailing of articles generate thousands of dollars in billings. And what’s really nice is that mailing articles often triggers clients to call about something else. Even if you don’t think they need the article for their situation, it may stimulate some conversation that will result in work for you.

Rise Above The Clutter

Our firm has seen a significant increase in professional service marketing over the past five years. Professionals who never did anything other than a holiday card and an occasional client lunch are now faced with changing websites, creating promotional materials, and finding new ways of getting (or keeping) clients.

By positioning yourself as an expert in your field, you can begin to rise above the clutter. You may find that you don’t have to market as much, as often, or expensively, and that your marketing efforts are more focused toward the kind of clients you really want to approach. •

Speaking and Publishing Resources

Speaking & Presentation Help

A great read on the topic is Own the Room: Business Presentations that Persuade, Engage, and Get Results, a book by communications consultants and business advisors Deborah Shames and David Booth. The book combines their years of expertise at their firm Eloqui, where they work with professionals, CEOs, and others on being more effective in speaking, presenting, and persuasion through verbal communication. Find the book at leading bookstores or online at Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com. For more information on the book, the authors, or their consulting practice, visit www.eloqui.biz.

Webinar Assistance

GoToWebinar is the Webinar arm of GoToMeeting, the online meeting service. GoToWebinar is an easy-to-use Webinar service that lets you conduct very professional Webinars. It has great features like guest registration, custom branding, recording, and even a question and answer feature for your attendees. Best of all, you can try it absolutely free for 30 days to see if it will work for you. For more information visit www.gotomeeting.com/fec/webinar.

Publication Marketing Services

Want to write an article or book? Do you want help promoting something you’ve already created, such as an article, book, Webinar, or seminar? NGI Publishing Services at Newman Grace Inc. can help you manage your message across the entire spectrum of your marketing and media universe. Together with its sister company, Newman Grace Inc., the team creates traditional marketing and social media campaigns for law firms, accounting firms, financial professionals, consultants, and business professionals. While NGI Publishing Services creates publications and publication support, Newman Grace’s services include the creation of promotional materials, website, and Facebook and Twitter campaigns. For more information, visit the websites at www.ngipublishing.com and  www.newmangrace.com. •

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