- Email: [email protected]
Get overexposed for the new year
ith the New Year approaching, many resolutions will be made and, of course, m a n y broken. Many people will conduct year-end evaluations of where they've been and where they need to be to survive and thrive in our changing industry. New programs will be developed, new staff will be employed, and new markets will be explored. Many of you also will be taking a closer look at your own careers and reviewing your professional goals and accomplishments. No matter where the future takes y o u and your company, one of the challenges you will face is your ability to perfect your message, communicate your mission, and market your skills and services. H o w will you explain--or re-explain-yourself? Where and how will you plan networking for business? Regardless of your marketing plan, each step of the process will require planning and probably some expenditures. These expenses need to be anticipated. You will look for exposure. You will want people to k n o w what you do and h o w you do it. You will want them to know about the case management services you provide, h o w you operate your business, what your associates' skills and expertise are, where you are located, and h o w you can be reached. You will seek appropriate and targeted exposure. Therefore, your new marketing plan must focus on getting your message to the right audience.
Looking at the Look of Your Company Before you make any marketing plan, you need to take a critical look at your product. Pull out all the marketing materials you have created, beginning with your stationery and business cards. These things are what people see from your company before they even have the TCM
18
N. . . . bet/December 1999
opportunity to meet you in person. I always recommend a color-coordinated approach to all your materials. When these print pieces come across your clients' desks, you want immediate recognition. Because we are in the "coordination" business, this m a y be the first place to start showing off your organizational skills. For a moment, let's take a more careful look at those business cards. Have you updated them with your new title, telephone number, or E-mail address? Too often people must cross out old addresses and write in new ones or change the telephone number to the new exchange. Come on, get with the program! This card is one of your most important advertising mechanisms. You do not want to give out a messy card or one with the wrong phone number by mistake.
N o w that we have worked on the look, where are we going to take it? This stage is a good time to review your database of potential customers. I can hear some of you saying, "We don't have one." What I mean is a list of people you have forwarded information to but never heard back from. As you begin the New Year, you may want to follow up with a note, letter, or brochure just to remind them that you are available to assist them when appropriate. Often the key to successfully marketing your business is timing. Although these people may have called about your services m a n y months ago, they may not have needed them then. The time may be now. Take that chance and make the first move to reintroduce yourself.
Sending the Message Out
N o w let's look at the brochure that supposedly tells everyone all about your company and you. Do you see a clear, concise, easy to understand description of all you do and to w h o m the services are directed? Have you avoided long narrative descriptions of your services? If not, plan a new brochure with clear, descriptive bullet points that are much easier for the potential customer to review quickly. In other words, get to the point. Encourage people to call for additional information but give them enough information to spark their interest. Make sure you list all the contact information they will need.
Consider trying some direct mailings next year that tell people w h o you are and what services you offer. Begin to develop a database. I recommend you divide the database into three categories: people w h o have inquired about your services but are not customers, people who are customers, and people you truly believe will be customers one day and now are on your hit list (we need to think positively). Each of these categories should receive a different letter with a different message. What you need to remember is that services you may have changed or altered may be just what a potential customer needs now. This thought should keep your marketing efforts and energy alive and moving.
You also may want to highlight and identify some key players in your organization, what expertise and experience you possess, and a very brief history of your company. Remember not to print millions of these brochures because you will not want to feel bad w h e n you decide to rewrite them. A closet full of old brochures may discourage you from tackling the project again.
Another interesting thought to keep in mind is that people w h o previously called did so for a particular reason. It would be safe to say they needed or thought they needed your services or something similar to yours. Although they may not have committed to referring a client to you, some business deftnitely may be lurking behind an unsolicited call. Always find out h o w they
heard about you because you will need to send a thank-you note to the person w h o referred them. N o w that you have the fists organized, you may want to categorize the names by their interests--workers' compensation, rehabilitation, pediatrics, oncology, etc. You also may want to develop a specific introductory marketing message that is more focused and centers on the needs of this potential client base.
The Visibility Factor Reaching the audience for your case management services may require additional creativity. With this task in mind, you m a y want to: 9 Write an article for The Case Manager (or other magazine focusing on an industry you are interested in reaching) that would be valuable to your colleagues in that industry 9 Develop an in-house newsletter that can be shared with your colleagues and customers 9 Develop a series of in-service education programs that both inform and market the services and value of what you do If you would like to attend conferences and meetings to market your services, carefully select the events in your community or the industry that will yield results. Decide whether you will attend just as a participant, become an exhibitor, or contact the program chairperson regarding the opportunities to present a seminar or lead a workshop. All these venues will allow you to market yourself and increase your network in some way. Although exhibiting is the most obvious marketing strategy, attending or speaking allows you to meet new people who part bf the professional community you may find valuable to know.
Marketing with a Budget Marketing value and budget constraints must drive all your decisions on the issues I have presented. You will not receive new business leads when no one knows w h o you are and what you can offer. Such promotion, however, requires financing. Develop a budget for marketing expenses by first looking at your printing and mailing costs. If you are not headed to the printer today for new brochures, will you want to be in the next 12 months? Outline what print projects you might want to do and then get some estimates. Printing costs can vary a great deal, and you may be able to achieve some significant savings by pricing out your project. Check your stationery box, business cards, and other print materials. If you are going to make text changes or possibly alter your colors or logo, do it all at once to save money; if you are a small businessperson, this planning really can make a difference. Look at the list of meetings or conferences you want to attend or exhibit at. Plan your registration and travel costs, and if exhibiting, investigate the cost of shipping your display, handouts, and marketing materials. You are creating an image and want it to be the very best possible. Just planning ahead w h e n attending a meeting many miles from your office can yield more savings. Sending materials by ground transportation rather than air often can save enough to pay for a gourmet dinner! Being savvy does take long-term planning, though.
does business with people they do not know. People also do business with people who impress them as knowledgeable, professional, and capable, an impression they form through a multitude of interactions. These interactions can come in print form and personal contact. You need to carefully observe and polish your complex and varied presentations. The competition never ceases to grow. Getting "exposed" in the new year may be your best chance to build business and create new opportunities that continue to prove the immense value of case management to all industry colleagues! If anyone asks you what you are doing at the next professional meeting, just say, "I'm getting exposed and enjoying the rewards." O
Louis Feuer, MA, MSW, president of Dynamic Seminars & Consulting, Inc., is a nationally recognized lecturer and consultant specializing in the health care industry. He can be reached at (954) 435-8182 or at www.Dynamicseminars.com. Reprint orders: Mosby, inc., 11830 Westline Industrial Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146-3318; phone (314) 453-4350; reprint no. 68/1/103394
Additionally, you must ascertain if you can afford to be out of the office to attend these meetings. Will business suffer in your absence? Have you made arrangements to be reached for important business decisions?
Conclusion The New Year certainly is a great time to begin evaluating your exposure. No one N. . . . bet/December 1999
TCM
19
Looking at the Look of Your Company Before you make any marketing plan, you need to take a critical look at your product. Pull out all the marketing materials you have created, beginning with your stationery and business cards. These things are what people see from your company before they even have the TCM
18
N. . . . bet/December 1999
opportunity to meet you in person. I always recommend a color-coordinated approach to all your materials. When these print pieces come across your clients' desks, you want immediate recognition. Because we are in the "coordination" business, this m a y be the first place to start showing off your organizational skills. For a moment, let's take a more careful look at those business cards. Have you updated them with your new title, telephone number, or E-mail address? Too often people must cross out old addresses and write in new ones or change the telephone number to the new exchange. Come on, get with the program! This card is one of your most important advertising mechanisms. You do not want to give out a messy card or one with the wrong phone number by mistake.
N o w that we have worked on the look, where are we going to take it? This stage is a good time to review your database of potential customers. I can hear some of you saying, "We don't have one." What I mean is a list of people you have forwarded information to but never heard back from. As you begin the New Year, you may want to follow up with a note, letter, or brochure just to remind them that you are available to assist them when appropriate. Often the key to successfully marketing your business is timing. Although these people may have called about your services m a n y months ago, they may not have needed them then. The time may be now. Take that chance and make the first move to reintroduce yourself.
Sending the Message Out
N o w let's look at the brochure that supposedly tells everyone all about your company and you. Do you see a clear, concise, easy to understand description of all you do and to w h o m the services are directed? Have you avoided long narrative descriptions of your services? If not, plan a new brochure with clear, descriptive bullet points that are much easier for the potential customer to review quickly. In other words, get to the point. Encourage people to call for additional information but give them enough information to spark their interest. Make sure you list all the contact information they will need.
Consider trying some direct mailings next year that tell people w h o you are and what services you offer. Begin to develop a database. I recommend you divide the database into three categories: people w h o have inquired about your services but are not customers, people who are customers, and people you truly believe will be customers one day and now are on your hit list (we need to think positively). Each of these categories should receive a different letter with a different message. What you need to remember is that services you may have changed or altered may be just what a potential customer needs now. This thought should keep your marketing efforts and energy alive and moving.
You also may want to highlight and identify some key players in your organization, what expertise and experience you possess, and a very brief history of your company. Remember not to print millions of these brochures because you will not want to feel bad w h e n you decide to rewrite them. A closet full of old brochures may discourage you from tackling the project again.
Another interesting thought to keep in mind is that people w h o previously called did so for a particular reason. It would be safe to say they needed or thought they needed your services or something similar to yours. Although they may not have committed to referring a client to you, some business deftnitely may be lurking behind an unsolicited call. Always find out h o w they
heard about you because you will need to send a thank-you note to the person w h o referred them. N o w that you have the fists organized, you may want to categorize the names by their interests--workers' compensation, rehabilitation, pediatrics, oncology, etc. You also may want to develop a specific introductory marketing message that is more focused and centers on the needs of this potential client base.
The Visibility Factor Reaching the audience for your case management services may require additional creativity. With this task in mind, you m a y want to: 9 Write an article for The Case Manager (or other magazine focusing on an industry you are interested in reaching) that would be valuable to your colleagues in that industry 9 Develop an in-house newsletter that can be shared with your colleagues and customers 9 Develop a series of in-service education programs that both inform and market the services and value of what you do If you would like to attend conferences and meetings to market your services, carefully select the events in your community or the industry that will yield results. Decide whether you will attend just as a participant, become an exhibitor, or contact the program chairperson regarding the opportunities to present a seminar or lead a workshop. All these venues will allow you to market yourself and increase your network in some way. Although exhibiting is the most obvious marketing strategy, attending or speaking allows you to meet new people who part bf the professional community you may find valuable to know.
Marketing with a Budget Marketing value and budget constraints must drive all your decisions on the issues I have presented. You will not receive new business leads when no one knows w h o you are and what you can offer. Such promotion, however, requires financing. Develop a budget for marketing expenses by first looking at your printing and mailing costs. If you are not headed to the printer today for new brochures, will you want to be in the next 12 months? Outline what print projects you might want to do and then get some estimates. Printing costs can vary a great deal, and you may be able to achieve some significant savings by pricing out your project. Check your stationery box, business cards, and other print materials. If you are going to make text changes or possibly alter your colors or logo, do it all at once to save money; if you are a small businessperson, this planning really can make a difference. Look at the list of meetings or conferences you want to attend or exhibit at. Plan your registration and travel costs, and if exhibiting, investigate the cost of shipping your display, handouts, and marketing materials. You are creating an image and want it to be the very best possible. Just planning ahead w h e n attending a meeting many miles from your office can yield more savings. Sending materials by ground transportation rather than air often can save enough to pay for a gourmet dinner! Being savvy does take long-term planning, though.
does business with people they do not know. People also do business with people who impress them as knowledgeable, professional, and capable, an impression they form through a multitude of interactions. These interactions can come in print form and personal contact. You need to carefully observe and polish your complex and varied presentations. The competition never ceases to grow. Getting "exposed" in the new year may be your best chance to build business and create new opportunities that continue to prove the immense value of case management to all industry colleagues! If anyone asks you what you are doing at the next professional meeting, just say, "I'm getting exposed and enjoying the rewards." O
Louis Feuer, MA, MSW, president of Dynamic Seminars & Consulting, Inc., is a nationally recognized lecturer and consultant specializing in the health care industry. He can be reached at (954) 435-8182 or at www.Dynamicseminars.com. Reprint orders: Mosby, inc., 11830 Westline Industrial Dr., St. Louis, MO 63146-3318; phone (314) 453-4350; reprint no. 68/1/103394
Additionally, you must ascertain if you can afford to be out of the office to attend these meetings. Will business suffer in your absence? Have you made arrangements to be reached for important business decisions?
Conclusion The New Year certainly is a great time to begin evaluating your exposure. No one N. . . . bet/December 1999
TCM
19