Word of mouth is an excellent way to grow a business, although it means you can only grow at the rate that others are prepared to talk about you. If you do average work for average people, why would anyone bother to recommend you?
Below is a list of ‘touches’ with clients that can make the difference between winning and losing. If you only score 6 or 7 out of 10 in any of these areas, then you need to improve your performance in the following processes:
Contact with your database of clients, referrers and prospects.
Brand image, design of marketing collateral & documentation.
Appearance and friendliness of staff.
Buildings and signage.
Parking facilities.
Toilet facilities.
Reception area and meeting rooms.
Reading materials in waiting area including something for children.
Onboarding meetings with clients. What is their first impression?
Speed and turnaround time of email and phone calls.
Telephone manner and conversion rate of inbound enquiries.
Availability of key personnel.
Website (including mobile version) and social media channels.
Corporate events and seminars.
Cash collection and how you ask for your money.
Don’t settle for second best. Look at the top performers from outside your own industry.
Ask yourself is this how Apple would do it? Have fun.