Are you responsible for getting new business for your agency or company?

Try out some of our top tips for getting new business:

• Save money
• Save time
• Get more clients 

1. You are marketing a service which is intangible, so you have to take steps to compensate for this intangibility.
   
   
2. Organisational buyers regard purchases which are high cost or novel (or both) as high risk so develop strategies to reduce this perceived risk.
   
   
3. Regard the new business process as a funnel or pipeline with potential clients at all stages of the pipeline.
   
   
4. The pipeline is fed by a ‘community’ of people and organisations who are potential clients and need to be continually cultivated.
   
   
5. There are a variety of ways of building your consultancy’s community, ranging from recommendations and referrals, to networking.
   
   
6. Remember that existing clients are an important source of new business: it is easier and cheaper to sell more to existing clients than to find new clients.
   
   
7. Pitching is a time-consuming and artificial process; consider alternatives which are less expensive and more realistic.
   
   
8. Put yourself in the shoes of potential clients: what is important to them (eg client conflict) may not seem important to you.
   
   
9. New clients probably select you because they like you, they think they can work with you, and they are convinced of your communications expertise.
   
   
10. To potential clients with limited experience or understanding of public relations, you will have to sell the concept of PR rather than the benefits of your consultancy.

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