July 9, 2012
Use the “Rule of 3″ to streamline communications and improve results.
I was viewing a firm’s website earlier today… with a magnifying glass. Each page was chock-full of very valuable information about the firm, but it was so overwhelming that I couldn’t figure out what they were really trying to communicate. I feel bad for saying this, but I quickly lost interest and decided to write this post rather than read on.
Is your firm’s website, blog, presentation or other communication overloaded with content in paragraph form? Did you have to produce your brochure in 9 pt type to include everything you wanted to say? How many times does a website visitor have to page down to reach the bottom of your home page? If you had to give these questions more than a couple of seconds of thought, you need to cut out some of the fat and focus on delivering a few key messages to the right audience at the right time. Read the rest of this entry »
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General, Marketing, Sales | Tagged: accounting firm marketing, bullets, content creation, differentiate, financial planner marketing, law firm marketing, lawyer marketing, lead generation, MarCom, sales presentations | 
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Posted by Dave Slovin
June 24, 2012
5 marketing tips to improve your odds of winning new business when you least expect it.
We signed a new client last week. I could say that it was because of our tremendous service quality, amazing results, or widely recognized brand, but that wouldn’t really be correct. We were in the right place at the right time. Yes, I’ll admit it. We got lucky.
I disagree with the sales guru who first coined the phrase “luck is not a strategy.” While there are probably no marketing plans that list “luck” as a strategic priority, your marketing plan can dramatically increase your opportunities to get lucky – meaning to generate leads and win business when you didn’t expect to do so. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | General, Marketing, Sales | Tagged: accounting firm marketing, attorney marketing, communication, financial planner marketing, law firm marketing, lawyer marketing, lead generation, linkedin, Marketing, Sales Improvement | Permalink
Posted by Dave Slovin
May 13, 2012
5 ways to encourage more website visitors to contact your firm.
This morning I was in the office catching up on some email. It was interesting that the majority of marketing articles in my mailbox talked about how to generate website “traffic” from one source or another. A successful business, they claimed, requires SEO, pay-per-click, Facebook ads, Tweets, and [insert social media cliché here] to drive that traffic.
I live in Atlanta, where “traffic” is a 2.5 hour drive to commute 10 miles. Just like Atlanta traffic, website traffic can be a waste of time and money – unless those visitors actually contact you.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Dave Slovin
March 13, 2012
Learn a sales lesson from the lady in the St. Lucia straw market.
I was on a Caribbean cruise last week – first time away from email in years. The first stop was St. Lucia, home to one of the larger straw markets (local crafts, etc.) in the region. Let’s just say I’m not a shopping fan, but I negotiated a morning of ziplining for an afternoon of shopping – and received $50 in free sales training.
Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | General, Sales | Tagged: accounting firm marketing, business, business development, demand generation, financial planner marketing, law firm marketing, Sales, Sales Improvement, st. lucia, straw market | Permalink
Posted by Dave Slovin
February 24, 2012
Five (different?) tips for landing the next client.
I know. You’re not technically in a sales position. You are a professional. I also bet that just doing a great job is not enough of a magnet to attract and retain every prospective client. You can always improve, and that’s why it helps to think like a sales rep sometimes.
Before you roll your eyes at yet another sales article, I thought about that too and tried to look at this topic from a little different perspective. This won’t be about active listening, consultative selling, SPIN or other sales seminar approaches. Here are a few simple sales tactics Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Dave Slovin
February 2, 2012
Is your content the cream of the crop, or crap?
I’ve seen a lot of online discussion recently about the quality of the content that we’re including in our websites, blogs, and other communications. Is it educational? Does it speak to the right audience? Does it speak English?
When a friend asked me last week to comment on his new website copy, I pulled out a list of criteria that I’ve been using for a few years and got to work. After ripping apart his website (sorry), I realized that this list was a good tool for anyone to use when evaluating pretty much any content. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | General, Marketing, Sales | Tagged: accounting firm marketing, blogging, communications, content, content quality quotient, demand generation, financial planner marketing, law firm marketing, Marketing | Permalink
Posted by Dave Slovin
January 26, 2012
Three strategic questions to (quickly) ponder before you start building a new site.
With the start of a new year, we reflect on those positive changes we want to make and goals we want to achieve. We resolve to improve our health, spend more time with family, get organized, and of course, update our website.
Before you pick up the phone and call that guy (or gal) who said he could build you a great new site for $1,000, please resist the urge to fire until you’ve had a chance to aim – or quickly define your goals, market and message. This doesn’t have to take months. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Dave Slovin
January 5, 2012
3 easy-to-keep New Year’s resolutions – weight loss optional.
Remember all of the things you wanted to do in 2011 to build your firm’s business? How many of those plans did you actually implement? Or did the act of doing business get in the way of the plans to grow your business, until it was too late in the year to impact the business?
All too often, we forgo even the most basic marketing activities because we don’t have the time, or they won’t have much of an in-year impact. Let’s make it our New Year’s resolution to change that starting today. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | General, Marketing, Sales | Tagged: 2012 Planning, accounting firm marketing, advice, business development, communication, demand generation, goals, law firm marketing, Marketing, Sales Improvement | Permalink
Posted by Dave Slovin
December 19, 2011
Improving your 2012 marketing results without spending more marketing $$.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… 2012 planning season. You’re looking back at your firm’s 2011 results, trying to figure out what went well and how to drive better results (clients and revenue, of course) in 2012.
Before you let visions of social media strategies dance in your head, think about ways that you can improve results without spending more marketing money or even changing your marketing strategy. Look no further than your current flow of prospective clients, also called your prospect pipeline to use a sales term. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | General, Marketing, Sales | Tagged: 2012 Planning, business, business plan, demand generation, management, Marketing, measurement, planning, prospect, Sales Improvement | Permalink
Posted by Dave Slovin
July 2, 2010
Three steps for making the dream come true for you.
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) recently notified me that they wanted to publish an article I created from the “My Sales Reps Stink” blog post. After patting myself on the back, I started thinking about some more specific sales team advice that I’ve given clients since that original post. Today we’re just going to focus on the sales rep or reps, rather than any other business factors. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Dave Slovin
