Did You Know There Are Three "I"s in Marketing?

You might only see one letter "I" in the word "marketing", but I see three.  "I"ntroduce, "I"nvolve, and then "I"ncrease.

This is all about growing sideways through your client base.  Once you do have a client, a good way to get more business is to, firstly, do a great job for them, and then, secondly, keep them in the loop and engaged in the process (no pun intended), including educating them a little on what you are doing for them, and then, thirdly, increase the amount of work you do for them by introducing them to new, additional services.  Same client, just offer a different service.  It’s what McDonald’s does everyday.

It works like this at McDonald’s.  You come in and ask for a hamburger.  The attendant asks if you want cheese on it.  It wasn't something you were thinking about, but it sounds like a great idea, so you say, yes.  Then the attendant asks if you want fries.  Again, you were just thinking a hamburger, but fries sound like a great idea, so you say, yes.  Then the attendant asks if you want a large order of fries.  You say, yes.  Then the attendant asks if you want something to drink.  And you say, yes.  Get the point.

In fact, the whole process with ordering something at McDonalds has become so routine, that most people now walk into their restaurants and before the attendant can even ask if you want a hamburger with cheese and a large order of fries with a drink, the customer already knows what they are going to be asked, and they just spew it all out at once as the customer has been trained into these responses over time through exposure to the various products McDonalds puts forth.

You can do the same thing in process service.  How do you do that when all you are doing is serving a paper.  Here’s an easy example.  Your client contacts you to serve a subpoena.  And you respond by telling them that you can do that, and then you ask, do you want us to place a rush on that.  And they say, yes.  Or, you ask them, do you want me to prepare the subpoena (which under certain circumstances you can legally do), and they say, yes.

Here’s another example.  You may already know how to serve court documents, but you also know how to locate people who need to be served.  This is called skip tracing.  This is an additional service you can provide.  Or perhaps you can offer to do courier service for the client, or act as a notary public for sworn documents.  If you are qualified and licensed, you can also offer the client to do private investigations.  Plenty of attorneys have a need for investigative services.  If you are already working on their process service, it is easier to give you the investigations, seeing as they already know you, than for them to locate an investigator, get quotes, vet them, retain them, etc. 

So, in that way you "introduce" the client to a new service, you "involve" them in the new service by providing quality customer service and education into the process, and then you "increase" the level of services by introducing yet another new or additional service.  It could become an endless cycle if you could find an endless number of services to provide.  You could start serving court documents for one client, but before too long, you could be serving the court documents, running investigations, locating witnesses, notarizing documents, completing courier deliveries, retrieving court records, researching court files, preparing subpoenas, and on and on and on.

What would be easier from a marketing standpoint; provide eight different services for one client, or find eight different clients to provide just one service?  Even better -- eight different services for eight different clients.  Now that's a lot of cheeseburgers on the grill!

Service With A Smile

Customer Service

Although you might not think so, customer service is a part of, or at least a close cousin to marketing.  After all, the key purpose of a business is not just to make money, but to obtain and keep a client.  So customer service is critical, even when you are having a bad day.  Remember, you are there to help the client achieve success in their own endeavors.  You are there to provide good service and keep them out of trouble.  You are there to solve problems and provide solutions.  You are not there to create more, so do an excellent job and do it as quick as possible. 

Customer service starts with communication.  You must have strong communication skills and abilities if you desire even modest success.  Now that does not mean that you need to be eloquent (although that would help), or have a vast vocabulary.  No, communication requires, first, the ability to truly listen to the client.  Don’t just hear what they are saying, but really listen.  And that requires your undivided attention with both ears.  I heard it once said that you have two ears and one mouth.  So wouldn’t it be smart to listen twice as hard to your client’s needs?  And then provide a succinct solution for them.  Take the problems they may be having, and are the reasons they are contacting you, and resolve them.  Do it correctly, do it efficiently, and do it cost-effectively.  But remember the key point here is not that you spoke, but rather that you listened.

Secondly, smile when you dial.  Literally, try it.  When you pick up the phone, actually smile.  It will come across the phone conversation in your tone of voice and the client will intuit this.  The reverse is also true.  If you are having a bad day, trust me, they will know it, and that isn’t always best for the relationship.  And when you communicate through correspondence or email, be succinct, be grammatically correct, be polite, and be certain that you choose words that sound friendly, warm, and most importantly, that you are receptive to whatever it is they require of you as if you were chatting with a good friend.

Which brings up another issue.  In the beginning I used to treat my clients just like that – a client.  I was all business and very much to the point.  But over time I learned that the best approach was not to exist in a vendor-client status, but rather to build rapport with the client and thereby create a relationship.  Take the time to find out what their personalities are like and what hobbies they enjoy.  Become familiar with aspects of their personal life if they are willing to share.  And trust me, they will if you are open and friendly and share with them those things about you that make you unique.  When the time permits take yourself out of the professional mode with the client (while still maintaining a professional demeanor) and establish something lasting as if you were developing a friendship.  Because, in fact, that is exactly what you will be doing.  I do not even refer to my clients as clients when I correspond with them.  I call them my friends, and that is very much how I feel about them.

What's In A Name?

 

It may not seem important to some, but having a business name can be crucial.  Not only does it give you legitimacy, as opposed to calling your business, “Joe Smith, Process Server,” it can give you brand recognition and a marketing hook.

Don’t get me wrong, just going out there with business cards that say Joe Smith, Process Server, may be fine.  Especially, if you want to be identified as just a regular “Joe” who serves papers.  There’s really nothing wrong with it.  And depending on the type of clients you might want to attract, that might be perfect. 

But that is also the point I am making.  How you name the business will identify the type of business you have and it will shape the psychology that the name inevitably employs upon you, any future employees, your clients’ perceptions of the type of business or service you are providing, and whether you or the company will grow up, out, or sideways.

 And that’s what you should think about when coming up with a name.  If you’re focus is to be a process serving company that is very professional, then a name like Professional Process might be better.  If it is important to have your family name on your “shingle”, then by all means, call it Thompson’s Civil Process.  Just remember, the name says it all, and it gives your company a distinct identity as well as (especially, if it has a recognizable, catchy name) a marketable slant that perhaps gives you an edge on your competition.  

Quality Versus Quantity

Proper pricing of your services is critical.  Yet, to the newcomer (and also some of the more experienced), this can be a difficult thing to consider.  Some would think the obvious thing to do when starting out is to be the cheapest.  But is it really the smart thing to do?  Let me point out two rules of capitalist economics.  First, charge what you can afford.  Second, charge based on demand. 

For the first rule, don’t set your price so low that your expenses eat up all your profit (hence you have no profit).  As with the fuel costs and other expenses of running a business, if you decide to price things so low in an attempt to undercut your competitors, you may find yourself out of business and possibly in foreclosure or bankruptcy while your competitors are still running strong.  Secondly, and this will play upon the second rule to a degree.  If you do price yourself too low, you might find yourself so busy that you cannot perform quality service, and eventually this leads to mistakes, missed deadlines on court appearances for your clients, and then the eventual exodus of your entire book of clients.

Which leads to the second rule that the charge should be what the market demands.  If the typical going rate for service of one court document in your market is $60.00, and you charge $55.00 the price will lead to demand for your service based on the lower price.  But if you get too busy because you are cheaper, then you will get overloaded with assignments and provide poor service.  That, and you will also work yourself to an early grave.  But, if you keep your price competitive at $60.00 or even a little higher, you will gain a share of the market amongst your local competitors, considering everyone is charging the same relative price, or you might be working less if you charge $65.00, but end up making the same amount of money as your competitors or perhaps even more. 
So what you would rather do?  Work harder for less money per assignment?  Or would you prefer to work less for the same amount of money, be tanned and rested, and then therefore not be overloaded with too many assignments, and be able to provide superior service to your current book of clients, who then tout your good name and superior performance to others who might have a need for your services?  In other words, do you want to do quantity or do you want to quality of work? Think about it.