Finding and Winning Clients: Tips for Mediators and Other Professionals

If you get stuck with knowing how to prospect effectively then this short article is for you.

Prospecting is the process of identifying, researching, and connecting with prospective clients. Once you have connected with them, your focus becomes centred on relationship building. It is important to spend time on prospecting so that you are not wasting time on people who are unlikely to engage with you. Aim to build your contact list up with quality leads, not quantity. We suggest 6-10 at a time to enable you to devote enough meaningful time building lasting relationships.

How to prospect effectively, our top tips:

1. Prospecting starts with knowing your ideal clients: planning is essential. You cannot find who you are looking for if you do not know who they are. An ideal client is your representation of what a typical client looks like for you. This should include workforce size, turnover, positioning, locations, decision makers, and sectors or areas that you are focusing on.
2. Prospecting is only successful when you research properly: work out what you need answers to. Research should start with your ideal client criteria and include other elements such as online presence, trust and reputation, ease of communication, decision maker visibility and availability, and corporate structure. When you start your research, you will be reviewing different mediums such as websites, directory listings, social media accounts, and any reviews that are publicly available.
3. Where to start with your research and what tools you can use: And - the funnelling approach. Simply searching on the major engines may not yield the most accurate results. If you are starting with a general internet search, use your ideal client criteria to find top level results. Search engines will provide you with results that are consumer friendly such as that contained on the website. You will need to extend your search to dig deeper and find the relevant information that you need to know about the organisation. It is advisable to use social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to enhance and narrow results as part of your funnelling exercise. LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a great tool (which cost £79 per month) and once you are familiar with it, you can use it to refine your results and build targeted lists according to your criteria and ideal clients. When you have found your ideal organisation, you need to continue your research to identify the key decision makers and personnel that you need to engage with.
4. Making the first move: starting the relationship building journey. Once you have the organisations and specific individuals that make up your prospects, it is now time to connect with them and open the conversation. Think about the information that you have gathered from your research and what they are engaging with online, what companies they follow, interests they have, and how you can add value to their already busy lives. Cold selling is never appreciated – so don’t start with a sale pitch! Adopt a friendly and professional approach that simply allows a connection.
5. Building your professional relationship: continue to add value and invite your prospects for a 1-2-1.  Once you have connected, monitor their activity and share content that would be of interest to them. Tag them in to comments in a conversational style. Send them an infrequent email sharing something of relevance and invite them to meet with you to find out more about each other.
6. Track progress and review your connections regularly. Use our CRM or your own to add your contacts, file notes, and track your journey with them. Ensure that you record last points of interaction and any next steps/follow-up needed.

If you need help with prospecting, we are here to research and find contacts, open conversations, and with developing a winning strategy. Call the team on 03300 431 757 (UK) or email us via help@disputeresolutionagency.com. Visit our site for more information: www.disputeresolutionagency.com