Recently an article was published by Forbes, entitled How to Go to Market and Land Enterprise Customers: A Tactical Guide for B2B Companies. While this article outlines some key high-level steps that are applicable for all B2B companies, there are some distinct specific actions that we as B2B Small and Professional Service Firms operating in the areas such as Accounting, IT, Law and Project Management can undertake to meet the specific requirements of our clients based on their expectations and how they buy,
The following chart below outlines some of the key Go-to-Market steps from the Forbes article and along with my specific recommendations for Professional service firms.
| Go to Market Action (from Forbes article) | How Professional Service Firms Can Succeed |
| Focus on high margin services and cultivating lasting relationships | Gain an in-depth understanding of buyer needs and priorities as well as build strong relationships with buyers. Initiatives to develop both include: – Customer Advisory Panels – Decision Maker Forums – Strategic Customer Workshops |
| Customer-centric strategy focused on deeply understanding and fulfilling customer needs | Establish a “listening” program to understand client needs on 2 levels: – Buyer Level Needs E.g. Financial, Strategic and Operational priorities – User Level Needs e.g. Functionality, Features and Service levels How to Achieve – Have B2B “Listening” Programs in place for Buyers and Users – E.g. Depth Interviews, Service Reviews |
| Continuous Improvement through Active Listening | Ensure the insights and learning from your client “listening” and engagement is documented, shared and discussed with teams across your firm including Sales, Operations, Client Service and Support |
| Focus on High Level Engagement strategically target high-level executives within target accounts | Provide target executives with “AIR” i.e. Advice, Insights and Recommendations on their key priorities e.g New opportunities, Industry trends, Best Practices Create opportunities for target executives to engage in discussions with peers, industry experts. Tip: Virtual micro-events (i.e. 60-75 minutes) such as Roundtables and Panels can be a good place to start. |
| Select the Right Accounts for Growth | Develop your firm’s: – Ideal Client and Buyer Profiles – Target Account selection criteria Both based on thorough analysis of your client’s and your firm’s book of business |
Want to learn how to develop the full Go to Market strategy that’s right for your professional services firm, attend the upcoming B2B Go to Market Playbook for Professional Services Session
For details and to register, click here
