Consulting Success Podcast 4 Steps To Specializing Your Sales and Marketing Techniques with Perry Marshall
Today I’m very excited to be joined by Perry Marshall. Perry is the author of several fantastic sales and marketing books and splits his time between higher-end client work and equity in companies as well as his science and technology project Evolution 2.0. Today we’re diving deep into the ways you can find your ideal clients, how to successfully manage your sales, marketing strategies, and business growth, and what to do next when you finally reach the level of consulting success that you’ve been working towards. Perry shares some really great insights into the ways you can reach those goals even sooner than you hoped and I know you’ll be inspired by his success. It’s all on this episode of The Consulting Success Podcast with Perry Marshall.
30 Ways to Find Your Next New Client
Most people know Perry as the author of sales and marketing books, but that is just the tip of his professional iceberg. Like Perry, successful consultants tend to have a wide variety of services they can offer the world. Consultants are thought leaders and thought leaders are naturally prolific with their ideas.
Each one of those ideas just may be the one that will land your next new client. You can’t be afraid to act on any one of them.
There is safety in casting your net wide, and Perry shares multiple ideas on how you can do just that. From writing books to hosting workshops and securing speaking engagements on podcasts and in seminars, every effort to gain greater exposure in the marketplace will bring greater security to your work. By utilizing different formats and materials, you are reaching all kinds of customers and adding diversity to your portfolio.
But before you extend yourself too far, you’ll want to listen to the cautionary tale that Perry shares about securing this kind of diversity. It took several steps to gain legitimacy for his work, at which point he traded revenue for longevity. You’ll hear him explain why the trade-off was completely worth it and you just may be inspired to find ways that you can step out of your niche to become a more recognized expert in your field.
Just like Perry, there will be times when you need to adjust your approach to your consulting business along the way. If none of your marketing strategies will provide you any return for another five years, you need to find a way to speed things up.
On the other hand, if you’ve found an instantly successful strategy, examine it to see if there is a way you can make it a long-term sustainable facet of your business strategy. In both scenarios, the efforts you put in have the potential of producing great results.
The Evolution of Sales and Marketing
If you can dedicate two years to your business, you can achieve consulting success.
In the early stages of your consulting business, it is critical that you remain very focused on generating immediate revenue. Once you’ve got that pipeline of business in place, you can look forward to the next level of business.
But how do you get there? Perry has four action points to help you get started.
First, send out regular emails that are filled with high-quality content. Every email you send should make your readers want to read the next one, as well. And you never know which email will help you secure your next client.
Second, dig a deep trench. Your business is your castle, and you have to protect it from destruction with a secure moat. If you can do this, you can immunize yourself from competition.
You can start digging your trench by asking yourself this question — how hard would it be for someone else to do the same thing I’m doing? If your work is easily duplicated, your business is not going to last for long. You can prevent this duplication from happening by following Perry’s next point.
Third, you have to build your network. You will hear this advice on every episode of The Consulting Success Podcast. Any time that you commit to your network increases the security of your business. Network growth can be as small and simple as gathering positive reviews on Google. But when you get to your customers first — before your competition does — you can start building your business first. And that advantage brings with it security and success.
Finally, you need to ask yourself, “How can every client that I get create more value for every client that I already have?” You can make this happen by digging deeper into your niche. By specializing and identifying your ideal client, you are securing your position as the industry expert. And once you do this, the clients will come more easily than ever.
Specializing is a critical step to building your consulting business. You can’t afford not to, even when considering the potential work that you might be leaving behind. If you’re hesitant to specialize, you need to listen to Perry’s explanation of the ‘disqualification process’ that comes with focusing your efforts. Instead of trying to convince people that they should work you with, you need to identify the kinds of people and businesses that you are not willing to work with.
Taking every gig that comes along may be where you had to start in the early stages of developing your consultancy, but as your business grows you have to be selective. The consultant that is willing to dig deep and create stability for their company is the one that is going to rise to the top.
For Perry, this meant focusing in on GoogleAds. For you, it might mean something else. Whatever it is, if you can gain the attention of your specialized marketplace, you will find success. By securing your position as the specialist, you will get where you want to be. People may not be able to remember five different things you can do, but if you can be remembered for one good thing, you can also make yourself available to help them with their other problems that you can solve.
Managing Business Growth
In 2008, Perry decided it was time to expand his business. Companies around the world were retreating, but Perry saw an opportunity for growth. He took a chance, and his efforts were just about 50% successful. But the lessons he learned through the process were crucial ones.
The biggest lesson Perry learned was this — at least half of the work that you do can be automated. Most likely, only 25% of the work of your business cannot be done by anyone else but you. Are you putting your effort where it needs to be? Learn from Perry’s experiences and start focusing on that 25%.
The Next Step After Achieving Consulting Success
Picture it — you’ve finally arrived. Your business is successful, you’re turning away requests for work, and hand-selecting the clients you want to do business with. Maybe it’s even time to sell your business for a healthy profit.
But is that the right step? Many successful consultants find that getting a big pile of money — while it sounds very nice — is not actually the answer to achieving true success in your life’s work.
In the heart of so many consultants, success comes when we get to wake up in the morning, solve somebody else’s problems and feel truly useful in the world.
That is what successful consultants want to do. If you feel like you’ve gotten lost along the way or like you’ve forgotten the true purpose of your work, you need to listen to my conversation with Perry.
Your mindset about your work will affect your success more than anything else. No matter how big your company grows or how big your income is, your problems aren’t going to go away. But your approach to solving those problems will make all the difference in your success.
I want to encourage you to enjoy the journey and embrace the lessons you’re learning along the way. When you do, true success will start to come easily. Join me and Perry Marshall today as he shares his story of finding consulting success on this episode of The Consulting Success Podcast.
Key Takeaways:
[:32] Introducing Perry Marshall, online marketing strategist, entrepreneur, and author.
[5:39] The benefit of diversifying your portfolio and gaining exposure in the marketplace.
[12:46] The evolution of Perry’s sales and marketing approach.
[19:38] How important is specializing when growing your consulting business?
[26:38] Lessons Perry has learned while managing business growth.
[35:20] Your consulting business is finally successful — now what?
[45:00] Connecting with Perry Marshall.
Mentioned in This Episode:
80/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More, by Perry Marshall
Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords: How to Access 100 Million People in 10 Minutes, by Perry Marshall
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