Description
Book SynopsisWill help architects, engineers, project managers, facilities managers, surveyors, and contractors 'sell' themselves to prospective clients. Illustrated with plenty of diagrams and checklists. Sets out the seven key aspects of selling and marketing professional services.
Trade Review"This would make a highly desirable read for anyone operating within the construction services sector - whether they are directly in contact with their clients or not. It presents a well-structured approach to effectively selling construction services without making the subject too complex or the end unachievable. This book is especially a good addition to the repertoire of those whose task is the regular creation of business, and even better acquisition for those new to the territory." (Emerald Journal, 2011)
"An admirable feature of the book is its ability to work from a strategic level down to a fine level of detail." (International Construction Law Review, April 2010)"For new marketers/sales folk it contains all the essentials you will need packaged well and written accessibly." (PM, June 2010)
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations xv
List of Tables xvi
About the author xvii
Foreword xix
Introduction xxi
Stage 1: Selecting the clients you want to work for 1
1.1 Your client portfolio 2
Examine current portfolio 2
Saying goodbye to clients 6
Number of clients 7
Sector exposure 8
Who are your competitors and who do they work for? 8
1.2 A strategy 11
Prioritise your effort 12
Selecting your targets 16
The need to comply with the Data Protection Act 17
Sector penetration 17
1.3 Effort versus reward 19
Public sector 19
Private sector 23
1.4 Lifetime value of clients 25
1.5 Picking your moment 29
1.6 Creating a pipeline 33
Using an enquiry pipeline 35
Using a leads pipeline 39
Managing effort for pipeline development 42
Stage 2: Identifying the needs of the target client 47
2.1 Why do you need to know the client’s needs? 48
Good client service 48
2.2 Appropriate person to contact 49
No names policy 53
The first communication with the target contact 53
The first written communication 54
That first phone call 56
2.3 The first Meeting 60
Preparation 60
Arriving 61
First impressions 62
Improving your chances of a good meeting 63
2.4 Look for visual and auditory clues 64
Building rapport 64
Use of language 65
Is your potential client telling the truth? 68
2.5 Establishing the client’s needs 68
Specific needs 69
Leading into the questioning 70
Use your questions to demonstrate your capability 70
Have questions prepared 71
Harvesting information through questioning techniques 72
2.6 Listening skills 76
Poor response 79
2.7 Establish the stakeholders and decision makers 80
2.8 Expanding the range of contacts 81
2.9 Establish selection criteria 82
2.10 The next step 82
Stage 3: Shaping your service to suit the needs of the target clients 85
3.1 Review your clients’ needs 86
3.2 Putting a mirror up to your client 88
Don’t rush this stage 88
An analysis of the situation 89
Has the client missed something? 91
3.3 Enhancing customer value 91
Customer groupings 92
3.4 Features and benefits 93
3.5 Building trust 94
Capability 96
Credibility 97
Reliability 97
Compatibility 98
Rational and non-rational selection criteria 98
3.6 Differentiating 99
Differentiate through customer service 102
Show you care 103
3.7 Consider your strategy 104
Understanding why clients might not want your services 104
Stage 4: Communicating your availability and capability to the target clients 107
4.1 Communicating to target clients 108
4.2 Target clients in buying mode 109
Identify decision makers and influencers 109
Meeting the decision makers 110
Meeting the influencers 112
When access is denied 112
4.3 Target clients not in buying mode 113
4.4 Raising your profile 118
Networking 118
Where to network 118
Prepare for the event 119
Working the room 119
Introductions 120
The follow-up to a networking event 121
Make yourself a useful contact 122
Creating networking opportunities 122
Develop your network 122
4.5 Entertaining 123
4.6 Seminars 124
Attend seminars at conferences 124
Deliver a seminar at a conference 125
Attending other people’s seminars 125
Running your own seminar 125
4.7 Writing articles 126
4.8 Public speaking 130
4.9 Memberships of organisations 130
4.10 Advertising 130
4.11 Exhibitions 133
Stage 5: Proposals, tenders and pitching 137
5.1 Proposals 138
Create opportunities to build relationships during the proposal stage 138
Keep the prospective client involved 139
The proposal content 139
Approach to fees 141
5.2 Selling yourself and your proposal 141
5.3 Pitching for work 143
Purpose of the pitch 143
Plan of action 143
The brief 144
Timetable leading up to the pitch 144
The participants 145
The audience 148
The content of the pitch 149
Format of delivery and use of technology 150
The ‘ring master’ 152
Questions you don’t want to be asked 153
Handling objections 154
The venue 155
Rehearsals 155
Using persuasive language 156
Feedback 158
5.4 The selection process–direct with the client 158
Negotiation 158
Pitching for the project or through formal interview 159
Qualification-based selection 159
Selection based on quality and price 160
Selection based on fee (without design) 160
Selection based on a design proposal (with or without fee bid) 160
5.5 Selection process–through and with a contractor 161
Two-stage tendering 161
5.6 The trend for competitive proposals 162
5.7 Expressions of interest 162
5.8 Pre-qualifications 163
5.9 Tendering 165
Understanding how clients evaluate proposals and tenders 166
5.10 Using CVs 168
CV maintenance 169
Editing 169
5.11 Monitoring progress of the tender or proposal 170
5.12 Post-tender interview 170
5.13 Negotiation 171
Establish your position 172
Negotiating approach 172
Bargaining skills 173
Summarise the situation during negotiation 174
Don’t get stuck over positions 175
Move to closing the deal 176
Negotiating traps 177
If you fail to win, start positioning for the next opportunity 178
Stage 6: Delivering added value and obtaining repeat business 181
6.1 Obtaining repeat business 182
6.2 Strategies for repeat business 184
6.3 Preparing a project client plan 184
6.4 Total continuous office participation in selling 188
Quality of employees and working methods 188
6.5 Managing the service ‘touches’ 190
6.6 Client account management 191
Managing the process 193
Being selective with time expenditure 193
6.7 Client account teams 195
Creating new relationships 197
Cross-selling 197
Cross-team activity 198
6.8 Establishing level of client satisfaction 198
Ask the right questions 199
Ask the right people 199
Survey methods 200
Need to introduce the survey 201
Questionnaire design 202
Introducing weighting factors 202
Satisfaction levels are relative 203
The value of client satisfaction measurement 205
6.9 Third-party survey 206
6.10 Direct questionnaire 209
6.11 Client review meeting 209
After obtaining feedback 211
6.12 Lessons-learnt workshop 211
6.13 A client expectation charter 212
Service delivery review meetings 213
6.14 Building multi-level contacts 214
Introduce someone else at every opportunity 216
Show them around your office 217
Ask to be introduced to your client’s colleagues 217
Hold pre- and post-project social gatherings 217
Hold value engineering workshops 218
Market the project with the client 218
Becoming more integrated 218
Winning additional work from clients 220
Succession planning 221
6.15 Client loyalty 223
Increase client loyalty 224
Setting goals and objectives 224
6.16 Obtaining referrals from clients 226
Stage 7: Building credibility 229
7.1 Credibility through sector knowledge 230
Information for sector-specific selling 230
7.2 Response to requests for information 232
7.3 CVs 233
7.4 Keep records of your experience 234
7.5 Project sheets and case studies 235
Use your project sheets as door openers 237
7.6 Using e-mails 237
7.7 Your website 240
7.8 Intranet and extranet 242
7.9 Press releases 242
7.10 Newsletters 244
7.11 Research 245
Further reading 247
Index 249
