RAINMAKERS
Turning A Great
Reputation Into A
Great Business
By Dr. Clifford Ferguson
W
hilst it’s great to obtain
publicity,
recommendations
and opportunities to be
‘visible’ to your target market - if these
don’t lead to new or repeat business, they
won’t justify all the time and energy you’ve
invested in your marketing. • Supporting your new business proposals
so potential customers feel they are getting
a valuable, ‘safe’ supplier. to hear. That means following the topics
and issues that the targeted audience
engages with.
• Reassuring your existing customers to
stay loyal to you, repeat buy or perhaps try
other products and services from you. The key to winning business from a great
reputation is by being proactive and using
the ‘publicity’ opportunities you get in your
business development or sales approach.
Think of the output of your reputation-
generating activities (such as press
cuttings, newsletters, blog updates, social
network updates, tweets, presentations,
guides etc) as the fuel you use in: • Keeping your network of contacts and
possible referrers up to date with your
latest thinking, which might prompt them
to forward more leads your way. Over the last few years businesses have
seen things change fairly fast. For example,
new buyer behavior trends have emerged,
political landscapes have quickly shifted
and the economic environment altered.
• Targeting and approaching new
customers - convincing them to take your
call and talk to you.
• Keeping your business on a potential
customer’s horizon when the decision-
making process becomes long and drawn
out.
• Following up your networking efforts to
keep yourself ‘front of mind’ with the new
contacts you meet, and Securing more
‘publicity’ opportunities by reassuring
those in charge of them, that you are a pro
and a great contributor in this arena.
Currency is key
The best reputations are built by focusing
very carefully on the market or audience
they want to attract and by articulating
messages which that audience will be keen
Be sure then to encourage the advocates
and happy customers of your business to
rate, rank and endorse you. Acknowledge
and make the most of these - feature them
on your website, in your social media, case
studies, sales proposals, and sales collateral.
Quite often it’s easier to grasp the strengths
of a business from the way its customers de-
scribe them.
60 MAL32/19 ISSUE
Each brings a host of new issues and
topics your target audience then chooses
to engage with. In some cases it helps just
to be mindful of these, in others there are
distinct promotional and new business
opportunities to join in the discussion or
give expert opinion and insight.
The main thing is to keep on the pulse
of the latest issues grabbing your target
audience’s attention. Adapt your approach,
message and business offering to make
the most of new opportunities. The
faster you can adapt, the more potential
opportunities you will convert.
Similarly, keep abreast of what new
questions, concerns and delays are
occurring in your customers’ buying cycles
with you. Can you create new content or
approaches which address these and make
the process of buying from you smoother?
Touch points to keep you in
mind
Once you have started generating
content, create plans to ensure you use it
to best effect. Consider which contacts,
customers, referrers and/or influencers you