I continually remind myself that getting clients and keeping
them is what I must do every day; it’s what keeps the doors of Record Time
Retrieval & Investigations open. Should I forget to remind myself, I could receive
a not so pleasant sign within a very short period in the form of a drop in
business. With that drop comes a decrease in accounts receivable. Even with a client base like ours that
repeats, attorneys’ filing lawsuits, if you fail to give good customer service,
face-to-face time and/or excellent service, there is someone else out there who
will leaving you out in the cold. There are also things out of your control
that shrink a client base -- clients going out of business, moving, retiring
and/or (heaven forbid) passing through the pearly gates. So if you want to
maintain your process service business you have to market your business. If you
want to grow your process service business you have to market your business
even more and market it with consistency. Market like a shark swims –
constantly – or your business, like the non-swimming shark, may die.
Whether you’ve been in business for decades or you are just
starting out, it is important to keep a fresh perspective on how you market
your business. What may have worked for you one, five or even ten years ago may
not work as well for you in today’s market. And nowhere in time is this more
evident than today. And tomorrow. Technology is changing at an unprecedented
pace modifying, updating, improving; and did I mention changing? With that comes
a change in how your clients locate you and even perceive how you do business.
This is one area you don’t want to be a secret agent. Do you
know what your on-line presence looks like? Have you checked lately? If not,
you should. What’s being posted online could have a big impact on your traffic,
both internet traffic and client traffic. Is all your information current? I maintain
a website presence and write a blog. I participate in some of the various
social media networks. Social Media networks include Facebook, LinkedIn,
Google+, Google Hangout, Twitter, and more. I’m also listed 30+ times with
specific links to Record Time Retrieval & Investigations. In writing this,
I noticed a few of those need to have some slight updates. If you don’t have
time to do it, consider outsourcing. Just make sure you have a solid online
presence.
A strong online presence will help your business to be
located. In our business location is a big thing. Local is important. Being
listed where you can be easily found is important. Not just on a computer
search, but on everything mobile, phones, tablets, notebooks, etc. Where do
your clients look for you? That is where you want to be prominently recorded.
Other areas to be found that I’ve suggested in previous blogs
include:
1.
Advertise
in your local bar association newsletter.
2.
Yellow
pages and business pages – particularly online
3.
Business
cards – hand them out to all clients and potential clients. In particular, make
sure your court clerks have at least two of your cards.
4.
Market
to a list of the members of your local bar association.
5.
Associations
– be a member; NAPPS, local, state bar associations.
The important thing to remember is find out where your
clients “hang out” or seek your services and market there. Market consistently
and continuously.
Next time – servicing your customer.
If you enjoy reading my posts, please leave me a comment. I
always welcome feedback. If you haven’t yet taken a look at my book, check out “The
Business End of Process Service: Running a Process Service Company from the
Ground Up”. I think you’ll find a lot of helpful information for working on and
growing your business. Thanks. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%22The+Business+End+of+Process%22&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A%22The+Business+End+of+Process%22&ajr=0.
