By Vickie Sullivan, Contributing Editor
Established professional service firms know they are good -- they get plenty of repeat business, and they have buyers who love them and refer often. This business is profitable because marketing costs are so low. Just suit up and show up and the assignments are yours.
What's wrong with this picture? Plenty.
Many popular experts fall into a rut, only working with clients who love them. They have shown the value of their work consistently, eliminating the need to communicate it clearly. And because they have no need to communicate the value, the experts no longer know exactly what value they have and therefore can no longer explain it to strangers.
This marks the beginning of the end of any efforts to reach new prospects.
When The Low-Hanging Fruit Is Picked
But there comes a time when these firms have to compete for opportunities that exist beyond their immediate influence. The low-hanging fruit has gone and no opportunities remain to meet growth goals.
To differentiate oneself in a crowded marketplace, a professional must do more than become an expert on leadership, or that newest fad -- corporate governance. To attract and generate leads, you must have a rallying cry, a manifesto that highlights your strengths and can show potential buyers that you have a fresh perspective, a credible alternative to the status quo.
Your marketing tools and activities – such as your website, your speaking and your writing – become a stage for the market to gather around. From that, you create a community of like-minded prospects who "get" you. Below are two elements of an effective manifesto.
Your Place In The Conversation
Many experts have earned their keep. They've been around for so long that any prospect would see their competence. But prospects first need to see how that competence can benefit them.
The first step in developing the manifesto is to build a bridge between your background, your track record, something about YOU and a focal point for the market. This "identity" sets the stage and applies your uniqueness to the most profitable problem you can solve. Here are two great examples:
- In 2003 Jim Loehr co-authored The Power of Full Engagement, in which he applied his work with athletes to executive performance. His argument: Just as athletes train for "game day," executives perform in stressful, high-stakes environments. By showing the similarity between athletes and executives, he created credibility in a new market, one where he had less experience.
This comparison also created a great mental picture for new prospects: What competitive exec doesn’t want to relive their glory days on the football or baseball field?
- Dr. Robert D Hare also uses this strategy to create urgency and fear in a new market. The creator of the standard tool for diagnosing psychopathy, Dr. Hare applied his 25-year research of criminals by co-authoring Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work earlier this year.
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