Q: How do I get in front of my best prospects when they are ready to buy?
A: That’s a great question–and there’s no easy answer. In this era of placing orders through purchasing departments, RFPs and VMSs, it is extremely difficult to get in front of your buyers at the right time. But, all is not lost.
I recently heard David, our President & CEO, make an interesting analogy about staffing to one of our clients. Here’s the gist: A man is walking through the woods, when suddenly an arrow pierces through the air and strikes him in the chest. At that very moment, is that man interested in sending an RFP to five surgeons to see who will give him the best deal to remove the arrow from his chest? No, he wants the first person who has the ability to remove the arrow to do it as soon as possible.
Every client or potential client has a proverbial arrow through the chest. And you want to be that solution provider for your clients and prospects. When they feel pain, you need to be there with the painkiller.
Here are a couple strategies to help you be the hero for your clients:
1. Don’t Just Provide Employees.
Rarely do your clients get to work in the morning and say “I need a temp today.” No, they sit down at their desks or look out over the floor and start thinking about the workflow, capacity, personnel, and budget issues that affect their businesses. Get to know your clients, and provide workforce solutions to their pressing issues.
David also likes to tell a story of an old client who provided machine temps. David asked him what service he provided to which the client replied “Temps.” David explained “No, no one needs temps.” After a lot of back and forth the client finally angrily yelled, “I keep their machines running!” And that was exactly the valuable service he provided to his clients. His clients didn’t need temps, but they needed their lines running three shifts a day.
Don’t provide employees, provide solutions to your clients’ biggest business challenges.
2. Be There.
It sounds simple, but it’s incredibly important. You need to be there when the arrow hits the hiker in the chest, because the first person who can remove that arrow is the hero. That means you need to stay in front of your clients. You should be constantly engaging clients with:
- Email Marketing
Email marketing is a great low-cost way to have a touch point with every single one of your clients and prospects. And sometimes that email will get there the moment the arrow goes into the chest. - Social Media
Start conversations in relevant LinkedIn Groups, follow the right people on Twitter, use Facebook contests to get clients to like your page. There are countless ways to engage your clients through social media. - Websites
Use landing pages providing free information on workforce management to get inbound inquiries and drive clients to your site. Make sure your site highlights the solutions that you provide. - Blogs
Well-written, relevant blog content encourages two-way conversations with your clients and prospects, increases your search engine rankings, and provides content for your social media profiles. - Webinars
Webinars are a great way to get in front of people and reinforce your status as an expert in your field. - Targeting Marketing Calls
Rather than making cold calls, make targeted calls where you give the client some relevant information or help them overcome a specific business challenge.
I hope this helps you be the hero for your clients. If you’d like to discuss any of these strategies please call me at 888-696-2900. I’d be happy to speak with you!
