When it comes to marketing professional services we hear a lot advice about “building relationships” and “building community”. We also hear this advice in the context of blending our online and offline communities to improve our business development efforts. This is great advice, but it can be challenging to put into practice.
One of the barriers that may be holding us back may be the idea that we have to learn it (the tactic and\or tool) first, then we have to master it, then we can teach it to others and build a community.
I believe there is a great opportunity for firm leaders who can let go of the role of being the person with answers and embrace an attitude of “we are all in this together”. This isn’t easy; it can be uncomfortable. As professional service providers, we are used to giving advice and solving problems for our customers. But that is just one of our roles. We also have other roles – owners, marketers, salesperson, etc.
We advise our customers on how to improve their business, but we also struggle with many of the same issues they are facing. Does anything unite a community more than coming together to address a common problem or challenge?
What would happen if you invited a handful of your best customers and strategic partners to join you rather than attending an educational event just to satisfy a continuing education requirement? Would that be helpful to your practice? Would it give you a competitive advantage? Would it be worth paying the seminar fee for your guests?
I’m willing to bet that if you attend a social media course with a group of customers and use the tools you learned about to continue communicating and sharing your experiences with your group, you will know more about using social media than 80% of the “social media experts” in your area.
Learning how to give and ask for referrals is another great community-building educational activity. Rather than spending a lot of time looking for a networking or referral group that is a “good fit,” why not select your own team and learn how to build your skills together?
I’m sure there are many different ways you can partner with your best customers and strategic partners for your mutual benefit. Please share your favorites in the comments.
