Issue 4 - September 10th, 2007

September has arrived and the kids are back in school. It is this time of year that many of us look to enhance our skillset. It's like Pavlov... We see the school bus and automatically kickback into "time to learn" mode.

With that in mind, my question of you is how do you create value for your clients? Often times in my career, I've been confused for being a consultant in the industry in which I worked. I've taken the time to master that respective industry such that prospects and clients saw me as a valued resource, not a seller trying to grab their wallet.

When I was in technology training, I studied the important drivers for purchasers. I never attempted to become a technology guru. That wasn't my purpose, nor was it the interest of clients. However, I invested in learning about solutions that helped clients with respect to formulating technology training programs. This allowed me to help clients address the troublesome areas of their program. My sales teams also confused me for being an industry consultant. However, I had not done anything that they could not do themselves. Yet, so few take the time to invest in this critical knowledge so they can create value for their clientele.

Value can be demonstrated in so many ways. Recently, I went through the process of changing insurance providers for my home and cars. I've been with Geico for the last three plus years. Their approach to providing service is through an 800 number. It is strictly an order taking experience. An agent does not visit or consult with you. You don't even have a dedicated person at the other end of the phone. It is a call center that you get to once you go through a phone tree. The only reason we selected them at the time was due to an immediate need for a provider that operated in Minnesota. I did not have time to research my options. I should mention that the one time we had a claim, they handled it fine. However, it took forever to navigate through their phone tree to make the claim.

I contacted Farmers Insurance. Their service experience is very different. Jeff Greene, Farmers' agent, came out and visited with my wife and me. He created an experience whereby we saw him as a trusted advisor. He brought nothing to the first two-hour consultation, but a pad and pen. He was there to learn about our needs and goals. In the second session, he brought back his custom solution based on what he had learned about us and demonstrated a better plan than what we already had. We almost doubled our coverage for about the same dollars. I can't say enough great things about this experience. Feel free to contact Jeff Greene at jgreene1@farmersagent.com if you are looking for a change in insurance providers. For those of you who are wondering, Jeff doesn't even know that I am writing this piece in the newsletter. When I see provider's demonstrating value, I want to share it with the world.

Whether you are a sales person, sales manager, business owner, operations person, or an IT provider, you have an opportunity to shape the client experience. You may sell homes, technology, services, the opportunity to create value remains the same.

With this in mind, I ask that you email me the ways in which you create value for clients. In a future newsletter, I will share those ideas back with the group. Don't be shy! Send those ideas in! There is a lot to be learned. Remember, school is in session! Please email them to lsalz@salesdodo.com.

In this week's article, we have a guest author providing content, Ken Lizotte. He shares another way to create value for clients. Thank you, Ken, for sharing your idea with us.

Enjoy the read,

-Lee

Write and Publish Articles For Business Development Success

By Ken Lizotte

To stand out from the crowd, especially in these less-than-boom times, many professionals, consultants and companies have latched onto an underutilizedKen Lizotte but powerful marketing technique available to us all: writing and publishing articles. A great benefit of this approach is that it permits the promotion of one's ideas and services while educating your target market all in one fell swoop, converting you the author into a bona fide "thoughtleader." An article can also be used as a tool during the selling and business development process by offering it to prospects as proof of your credibility as a leader in your field or industry. Once your prospects (and clients) know you are a published thoughtleader in addition to your product, specialty or service, their interest in doing business with you will often rise substantially!

How to get started? First, do NOT write an article, do not pass go! Instead, obtain a "go-ahead" from an editor at a publication read by your target market, i.e., by decision-makers who typically hire you. Do you contract with CFOs? Pitch to a financial executive publication. Are you hired by CEOs and presidents? Try a broad management/executive publication. HR VPs like to send you checks? There are plenty of HR pubs out there to set your sights on.

Before you pitch, though, determine your prime business objective. Which services of yours would you most like to promote? Be sure to structure your article ideas around topics that would highlight such services.

For example, one client of mine specializes in employee benefits, so we pitched an article idea called "Putting Defined Benefits Plans in Place: What to Think About." We then approached publications read by corporate benefits planners.

And how did we get the editors' attention? Via a simple process, really: we emailed targeted editors directly, armed with a succinct, to-the-point synopsis of the article idea. We also tried more than one publication, in case the first wasn't interested. Before long, we have found three on our list that all wanted to see this article.

When you set out on the same path, you will likely reap similar results. Ultimately, you begin to see one article after another gloriously find its way into print. After that, "thoughtleader" will become a new moniker that you can truthfully, and proudly, tack up in alongside your name.

Ken Lizotte is Chief Imaginative Officer (CIO) of emerson consulting group inc. (Concord MA) which transforms companies and business experts into "thoughtleaders," and author of the forthcoming book The Expert's Edge: Become the Go-To Authority People Turn to Every Time (McGraw Hill, January 2008). Contact Ken by calling 978-371-0442, emailing ken@thoughtleading.com or visiting www.thoughtleading.com

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