| Your Web site should be the cornerstone of your | | | | readable with the free Acrobat Reader. But don't just |
| client seduction efforts. The site is your silent | | | | offer a standard capabilities brochure; we recommend |
| salesperson -- the one with whom prospective clients | | | | your menu has a how-to guide or tips brochure that |
| visit before granting you permission to meet with | | | | includes capabilities information.9. Proprietary process. |
| them.A top priority for any firm that competes in the | | | | After specialization, clients look for a specific |
| professional services or technology space is to create | | | | problem-solving process. You should create this |
| an easy-to-update Web site that demonstrates your | | | | process, name it, trademark it and describe it with |
| competence. As the Internet matures, content is slowly | | | | reverence on your Web site.10. Seminar information. |
| becoming more important, but it's amazing how many | | | | The best lead generation topic you can employ is the |
| sites for such firms simply assert how great the | | | | seminar, briefing, workshop and/or round table |
| company is, rather than helping prospective | | | | discussion. Focus on the biggest problems that you |
| clients.According to our best-practices research, the | | | | solve for clients. Your Web site should prominently list |
| three most common client seduction Web site errors | | | | upcoming seminars (to promote attendance) and past |
| are: sites that are too busy; sites that feature little | | | | seminars (to promote your reputation as an expert).11. |
| more than lengthy company histories and other | | | | Privacy policy. In a confidential business? Then by all |
| information important to the company itself; and worst | | | | means have a clear privacy policy that states you will |
| of all, a site devoid of meaningful, useful, how-to | | | | never share contact information with anyone else.12. |
| information. Without how-to information, a Web site is | | | | Legal disclaimer and copyright notice. For ideas on legal |
| just a glorified electronic brochure. Client seduction is | | | | disclaimers, look in the front on any nonfiction business |
| defined as the art of wooing and winning clients by | | | | advice book published today. You will see language |
| giving away valuable information.From a best-practices | | | | that says the publisher is not engaged in rendering |
| standpoint, here are 21 must-have elements for a | | | | legal, accounting or other professional service and the |
| superior Web site that begins the client seduction | | | | information is for educational purposes. And protect |
| dance:1. A clear positioning statement. Tell prospective | | | | your intellectual property -- your site content and free |
| clients, in as few words as possible, what you do, | | | | resources -- by taking advantage of de facto |
| whom you do it for and what results you achieve. If | | | | copyright laws. Post a standard copyright notice.13. |
| you have a proprietary process or an extraordinary | | | | Focus-specific information. If you are a specialist in a |
| guarantee, this is the time and place to mention it.2. | | | | certain industry, like health care, then there'd better be |
| Free resources. The key to earning your prospective | | | | health care information throughout the site (you don't |
| clients' trust is to demonstrate that you know how to | | | | want to look like a poser).14. News releases. The |
| solve their problems in general. They will hire you to | | | | Internet is the No. 1 research tool for journalists today, |
| solve specific problems. With that key fact in mind, | | | | so include news releases, fact sheets, firm |
| your Web site should be filled with how-to articles, | | | | backgrounders and longer executive biographies in one |
| white papers and special reports that give away | | | | area.15. Public speaking. List upcoming and past |
| valuable information.3. Declare your specialization. The | | | | speaking engagements with industry and civic groups. |
| No. 1 attribute prospective clients hunt for is | | | | This promotes your reputation as an expert and will |
| specialization, so put yours right up front. No successful | | | | also help you garner invitations for future speaking |
| small firm is "all things to all people"; figure out who you | | | | engagements.16. Job postings. Create positive, upbeat |
| serve, and how, and put that information on the front | | | | descriptions of the stars you attract to your firm.17. |
| page. Be sure also to describe the outcomes you | | | | Key employee bios. Keep these short -- 50-100 words. |
| achieve, such as decreased costs or increased | | | | Longer bios belong in the news release section.18. |
| revenues.4. Mission and philosophy. According to our | | | | Client base. This can be tricky, but it's important. If it is |
| focus groups, you should include a mission statement, | | | | appropriate in your field to list marquee clients, by all |
| but keep it short and meaningful. Clients say they don't | | | | means do so. If this is inappropriate, then describe the |
| really care that much about mission statements, but if | | | | types of clients you work for in general terms (e.g., "A |
| you can use one to further differentiate yourself, it's a | | | | Fortune-500 Manufacturer of Paper and Consumer |
| good idea to do so.5. Contact information. Don't make | | | | Products").19. Case studies. Our focus groups tell us |
| your prospective clients work to find you. Put your | | | | most prospective clients aren't particularly interested in |
| phone number on every page. Make it easy for | | | | case studies because they believe specific cases |
| prospective clients to e-mail you with requests for | | | | don't apply to them and their own problems. A better |
| more information or a meeting. And definitely | | | | approach is to take information out of a case study |
| consolidate all of your contact information on one | | | | and turn it into a how-to article.20. Referral mechanism. |
| page, including address, fax numbers, and so on.6. Map | | | | Your Web designer can easily include a feature that |
| and driving directions. If prospects ever visit your | | | | makes it easy for someone to refer your Web site to |
| location, then you must include a map and driving | | | | a friend or associate.21. Contact mechanism. The |
| directions to your office. This will not only save you | | | | purpose of the Web site is to let prospects check you |
| time, but is also another reason to have prospective | | | | out and then contact you. Have a device that makes it |
| clients poking around your Web site.7. E-mail | | | | easy for them to do so.Henry DeVries is a marketing |
| subscription link. Forrester Research studies show that | | | | coach and writer specializing in lead generation for |
| converting prospects into clients via e-mail is 20 times | | | | professional service firms. An adjunct marketing |
| more cost-effective than using direct mail. Once you | | | | professor at UCSD since 1984, he is the author of |
| capture their e-mail, why waste first-class postage? | | | | "Self Marketing Secrets" and the recently published |
| Offer prospective clients solid reasons for giving you | | | | "Client Seduction." Visit or e-mail questions to © |
| permission to e-mail them: free reports, studies, white | | | | 2005 Henry DeVries, All rights reserved. You are free |
| papers or notifications of key Web site updates. And | | | | to use this material in whole or in part in pint, on a web |
| of course, state clearly that subscribers can easily opt | | | | site or in an email newsletter, as long as you include |
| out of your list whenever they want.8. On-demand | | | | complete attribution, including live web site link. Please |
| materials (PDF). What happens if a prospective client | | | | also notify me where the material will appear.The |
| wants to tell someone else about you? The problem | | | | attribution should read:"By Henry DeVries of the New |
| with a beautiful Web site is that is usually doesn't look | | | | Client Marketing Institute. Please visit Henry's web site |
| so beautiful when the pages are printed. The way | | | | at for additional marketing articles and resources on |
| around this is to offer professionally designed PDFs, | | | | marketing for professional service businesses. |