Introduction Thanks for downloading your free copy of 5 Secrets To Attracting All The Clients You Want For Your HR Business. If you were eager to get your hands on this resource, it s probably because you run a HR consultancy business that has so much potential that isn t quite fully realised. You re bringing in the business thanks to your outstanding reputation and the work you ve done in the past, but you re not at the stage you want to be at just yet. I m Ruth Hinds, a marketing expert with two years of experience working specifically with HR and recruitment consultancies to help them to produce marketing materials to bring in new clients. Before this, I was a HR professional myself, with an MSc in HRM and CIPD membership. Since I started working with HR consultancies, I noticed one very key thing. So many business owners in the field were fabulous at what they did, but they struggled to get to grips with their marketing. That s why I founded HR Consultants Marketing School. I wanted to create a resource for HR business owners that gave them the tools and tricks they need to transform their businesses. In this report, you ll find tried and tested methods that can attract all the new clients that you want. Yes, really! These are tactics that I ve used with many of my clients in the past, and they really work. It just takes a little time and commitment on your behalf. If you re ready to have the business that you really deserve, dive right in. Work through the report in your own time, and plan your next steps. If you re having doubts about whether you really have the time to think about marketing, consider this: Where do you want your business to be this time next year? Do you want to be in the same position as you are now, or do you want to be running a laser-focused operation with more clients and more profits? Do you want to be competing for business with all the other HR consultants, or do you want to be known as the go-to expert in your field, that your clients simply can t do without? The great thing is that you do have a choice! Ruth Ruth Hinds Founder, HR Consultants Marketing School
Identify your ideal client Identifying your ideal client is the one essential thing that you need to do before you even consider running any sort of marketing campaign, whether it s an advertisement in a business magazine or a social media update. Though many HR consultancy owners will assume that they ve got this nailed, it s something that only a tiny percentage are using to its very best advantage. It s the cornerstone of marketing, and once you ve truly honed in on it in your business, the whole marketing process becomes easier and much, much more effective. The problem is, it s not widely discussed in a lot of the free marketing advice out there, so many business owners fail to ever realise its potential. Take a second to think about any promotional materials you ve created recently, and ask yourself who exactly you were talking to. If the answer is something along the lines of business owners, you need to stop your marketing activities right away. By narrowing it down much further, you have the opportunity to craft messages that give certain groups of people that A-ha moment. They ll read your materials and feel like you re talking to them personally, that you understand their problems, fears, and worries, and they ll feel compelled to do business with you. It s by positioning yourself as an expert in your field that you ll become known for being the go-to HR consultant for certain groups of people. This is when the marketing magic really happens. Rather than having to spread yourself thin by attending networking events or shouting on social media about your business, struggling to stand out from the masses of businesses just like yours, something very different starts to happen. People start to seek you out, they re initiating the conversations, they re telling you that they need to use your services, and they re asking how quickly you can get started. Sounds great, doesn t it? So before you do anything else, sit down and consider who exactly you re marketing to. To help you along with the process, ask yourself questions like: Which group of people do you enjoy working with most? Whose language do you speak with ease? Whose business could you make a real difference to? Who has a real need for the services you offer? Who can you help to save time/money/hassle? Who are your services a really great fit for?
Who loves what you do and can t wait to work with you? There s no definitive answer here, and even HR consultants that offer largely the same services can have a hugely different ideal client. It might be the case that your ideal client is a start-up business owner, looking to find the right talent to get their venture off to the best possible start. Alternatively, you might work with HR directors in large corporations that need to run recruitment drives, and have a budget to bring in consultants rather than managing them in-house. Though these could be seen as quite similar specialisms in the grand scheme of things, it s clear that the ideal client would be very different, and the marketing messages required to attract business would be unique. The other bonus of identifying your ideal client is that immediately, you can identify the marketing tools that you need to use to reach out to the right people. You can work out where exactly these groups of people are hanging out, both online and offline, and you can plan your marketing accordingly. An example of ideal client in practice Imagine for a second that you re a sole trader and you need to find an accountant. You come across the following two adverts: ABC Accountants offers book keeping and accountancy services to businesses. We can help you get your accounts in order and file your documentation in the right way. We work with everyone from sole traders to large businesses, and have the skills and experience to fulfill your accounting needs. XYZ Accountants helps sole traders to master their business money once and for all. Are you stressed out with your tax returns and worry that you ll get it wrong, possibly risking a big fine? We work with sole traders just like you so they can get on with running their day-to-day operations. In the second example, the ideal customer is clear, and the marketing message is much more targeted. Sole traders are far more likely to think This service is designed for me I need to work with XYZ Accountants!. They selfselect, without having to be cold called. When you make your customers feel the same, you re opening up the doors for easier and more successful marketing.
Build your marketing secret weapon your list If you aren t building your list of prospect clients, it s the first thing that you should start to do after you have nailed that ideal client. Called a prospect list in the old days of marketing, today it s in the form of a list of email subscribers. This list is worth its weight in gold when it comes to growing your business and attracting new clients, and it should be the focus of any of your marketing activities. Why s it so important? The people who subscribe are the ones that have put their hands up and shown an interest in what you do, and this is absolutely invaluable for your business. They re curious, they re engaged, and with the right nurturing, they ll be your next clients. There s a popular saying in marketing, The money is in the list, and it s very true. When you have a list full of your ideal clients, they ll be the first ones to buy from you the next time that you run an offer or need to boost your business. If you re currently thinking But I have X amount of followers on social media so why would I need to build an email list?, then you need to know this: your social media followers don t belong to you. The relationship you have with them is completely in the hands of the network, and if your account were to be closed down for any reason, you d immediately lose access to them. Also, with the changes that have recently been made, it s even harder to reach that audience without forking out for paid advertising options. When you convert these followers to your email list, you re back in the driving seat and you re fully in control. How do I do it? The great thing about having identified your ideal client is that it makes building your list so much easier. You know exactly who you want on your list, and you know what you have to do to get in front of them and make them want to receive your updates. Of course, you need to offer something pretty compelling to get them to hand over their personal information. We receive masses of emails each and every day, so generic Subscribe to our newsletter messages just won t cut it. Instead, create a compelling free offer that appeals to your ideal client and offers them incredible insight into something they need to know about.
Forget about a boring e-book along the lines of Your Guide to HR, and think about something that really grabs your audience, such as a report like Your Step-by-Step Blueprint For Recruiting The Right People To Drive Your Business Forward, or a webinar titled The Secrets of Training Staff For Rocket Fuelled Productivity. Of course, the exact nature of your giveaway will depend on what your ideal clients are struggling with and what will really hook them in and show off what you have to offer. It s worth noting here that offering a free consultation isn t a good option. For starters, it s something that your ideal clients would expect anyway before doing business with you. It s unlikely that they d hand over their cash without having an initial discussion about their needs and how you can help them. Secondly, many of your prospects will not be at that stage just yet. They ll be checking out the market and seeing what s available for when they re ready to take the next step. You should be gathering their details from this early stage, then nurturing them in your sales funnel, so they re convinced that it s your business that they need when the time comes to progress. You might have reservations about giving away your knowledge for free. After all, it s hugely valuable, and surely your clients should be paying for it. Forget about that at this stage, because it s absolutely vital that you build a positive relationship with your email list before you start to sell to them. You probably wouldn t buy from someone who had just approached you in the street, and the same principle applies. The aim of this marketing method is to show off just how much you know and position yourself as the go-to expert in your field. When they read through the content that you provide them, they should be thinking If the free stuff is THIS good, imagine what it would be like to work with this HR consultancy, and the benefits it could bring to my business. What do I do with my list? Building your list is an ongoing exercise, though once you ve laser focused your marketing, it ll become pretty clear what you need to be doing to grow your subscribers on a regular and consistent basis. But now that you ve got a captive audience, what should you be saying to them? Here, value is key, and it s all about your ideal customer. Provide them with outstanding value, and deliver content that really helps them, and again, positions you as an expert in your field. Sales message have a very important place in your email marketing campaigns, but they certainly shouldn t be all that you re doing. Before you create any content, ask What s in it for my subscribers?.
Leverage the power of your existing customers Before you start looking for new clients, it makes good business sense to take a look at the clients that you ve already worked with and consider how you can tap into this pool to bring in more work. All savvy marketers know that it s much, much easier to sell to existing clients than it is to find new ones. It s also far cheaper. In fact, with the right tools in your kit, it needn t even cost you a penny. Compared to the thousands you could spend on certain advertising methods to draw in new clients, it s a complete nobrainer. So how do you do it? Firstly, make sure you re keeping in touch with them. They need to know that you re still there, and you re ready to help next time they have a problem in their business that you can deal with. Remember the email marketing tip earlier in this report? This is just yet another reason why it s so important, as your list should include these existing clients as well as potential ones for the future! Work on strengthening your relationship with this group if you really want to realise its full potential. Next, work out how you can encourage them to spend more or send others your way. Ask yourself questions like: What s the next level of service that you offer, and do your previous clients know about it? Do you have a client ascension path in place? For example, do your clients tend to buy the same service from you in the beginning, then move on to a more comprehensive package, then follow a maintenance/support programme? If not, why? Can you offer them a loyalty discount or incentive the next time that they choose to use your business? Could you implement a referral scheme? How can you make it worthwhile for your clients to recommend your services? Sitting down and considering these questions in terms of your operations will give you plenty of food for thought about how you can turn your previous clients into new business. Action tip put this into practice today! Not only are your existing customers a great source of business in themselves, they can also be your best brand ambassadors. They ve worked with you and they know how fabulous your services are, and if you can get this message across to other people, you re onto a winner. After all, you can
spend all day long telling others how great your business is, but it s when independent third parties start doing this that that you ll really get people interested. Social proof is a million times more effective than messages you craft yourself, so collect it and use it to your best advantage. You can start right now by asking your existing and previous clients for testimonials, and make this a regular business exercise. They ll be busy people, but you can make it as easy as possible for them be sending them an email just like this: Hi [Client], It was great to work with you recently on [XYZ Project] and I m delighted that we both got the results we were looking for. We re in the process of updating our marketing materials and I wondered if you d be happy to provide us with a testimonial covering what it was like to work with us. You can of course include anything you like, but you might like to consider: What prompted you to use [you/your company s] services? What problems were you facing that you needed help with? Why did you choose to work with [you/your company]? What have been the significant improvements in your business as a result of the project? Would you recommend [you/your company s name] to others, and why? Thanks for your time and support. I really look forward to working with you again in the future, and if I can be of any help, don t hesitate to get in touch. [Your name] These questions prompt some high quality answers and go beyond simply saying that you did a good job. Potential clients reading through them will identify with what s said, and be inspired to take action for the benefit of their own businesses. So now that you ve got this data, use it! Include it in your website copy, shout about it on social media, tell your email subscribers about what others are saying about you, and consider how it can be used in all your future marketing campaigns.
Turn your website into a lead generating machine The vast majority of business owners use the internet to research service providers. This means that your website is often the very first contact that they ll have with your consultancy, and you only have a short amount of time to grab their attention and draw them in. Internet users are notoriously impatient, and they ll quickly move on to your competitors if you don t give them a compelling reason to stay. Now that we ve touched on the concept of ideal client, revisit your existing website and see what jumps out at you. Ask questions like: Is the content speaking to a specific group of people? Is it crystal clear what you offer and the type of business that you can help? Are you speaking to ideal clients in language that they ll understand? Is it free from jargon from the world of HR? Have you touched upon the real benefits you offer your ideal clients, whether that s a saving of time, money, effort, or something different? Is the content focused on how you can serve your ideal clients, rather than just about your business? Once you ve really got your ideal client identified, it s likely that you ll have to make some changes to your website content. This will have a huge impact on your conversion rates, which means turning website visitors into leads and potential clients. Before you go ahead with your changes though, take some time to consider what the aims of your website are. It needs to work for you, and it s likely that you spent hundreds of even thousands of pounds on getting it up and running. If it isn t bringing in business, you re missing a huge opportunity. Driving traffic to your site A fabulous website with great content that really speaks to your audience is part of the battle, but once you ve got that nailed, you need to think about how your ideal clients will find it. They aren t likely to stumble upon it by chance, so make sure that you re thinking about where you ll find them. Ask questions like: Are they searching Google for services just like mine? Which keywords are they searching for? Are they active on social media? Which networks are they using?
Do they regularly visit any particular forums? Which blogs do they read? The possibilities for driving traffic are endless, and include search engine optimisation, pay-per-click adverts, social media marketing, guest blogging, and much more. Some of these are paid and some are free, but all require a little time and dedication. Once you ve got your ideal client sorted, your return on investment will be much higher. After all, you ll be attracting the people who are a great fit for your business. Gathering leads The one thing that you absolutely must be doing with your website is using it to generate leads. This doesn t just include people who are ready to buy, it s just as important to collect the details of those who are just at the browsing stage and might not be ready to commit just yet. Once these are in your sales funnel, you have the opportunity to build up a relationship with them. Of course, this is where email marketing comes in again. You can easily include your sign-up form on your website, complete with your compelling offer, to gather the details of those who are just window shopping at the moment. By nurturing these people in your sales funnel, you ll be their first choice when they re ready to buy. Putting your rates out there It s a common theme in the world of HR consultancy to avoid putting details of your fees out there on your website for the world to see. It s not necessarily the best approach though. Before you decide that it s the right route for your business, ask yourself why. What tends to happen in this case is that your ideal clients visit your site, look for your rates, and when they can t find any solid figures, they assume that they can t afford it. They disengage, and they head off to other providers to see what they re offering. When you re upfront about what you charge, your ideal clients can understand what they re likely to be looking at it in terms of payment. Some people won t be able to afford it, and that s fine. They aren t your ideal clients anyway, and you re saving time for both of you. Even if you offer a highly bespoke service and tend to quote based on the project, it s often still a good idea to give a guide. Your ideal clients will understand that you can t give a concrete figure. If your ideal client is the owner of an SME, money is likely to be a key consideration. They might not necessarily want the cheapest option, but they do want to know what sort of fees you charge for your services. Make sure that you ve fully understood the implications of not being upfront about your rates on your website, and what this means for your audience.
Get out of the time-for-money trap If you re selling your time for money, as most HR consultants are, it won t be too long before you re faced with the problem that all service sellers experience as they grow their businesses. Your diary is full of appointments and client meetings, and by the time you ve factored in the work that needs to be done, there s no room left for growth. You ve put a ceiling on your earnings, and without taking on extra staff or significantly increasing your rates, you re left with no way to grow your business. But what if you don t want to take on extra staff? Or what if you do increase your rates, then realise you re faced with the same problem all over again there still aren t any more hours in the day, so you re stuck again without room for growth. You can t keep putting your prices up forever. Though you should be charging rates that reflect your true value, there s a limit to what your clients will pay, and this applies whether you re serving small business owners or huge corporate organisations. So what s the solution for your business? The great news here is that there s a way to leverage your knowledge without placing a strain on your time. The thing is, many consultants suffer from unconscious competence. They think that because something comes so easily to them, and they can do it practically in their sleep, that other people don t struggle with the exact same thing. When you consider it objectively, it makes sense. You ve spent years honing your skills as a HR professional, and other business owners simply don t understand people issues in the way that you do. They re overwhelmed, confused, and scared of getting it wrong. By packaging up your knowledge into information products that can be bought via your website, you re opening up a whole new world of opportunity. You definitely have the knowledge, it s just about working out what s valuable to your target market and packaging it in the right way. You could consider: E-books that explain how to approach a specific HR issues, with stepby-step guides that business owners can implement themselves Webinars that discuss a particular topic, complete with question and answer sessions Online resource centres will templates for people policies and solutions, that members can access for a monthly fee Membership clubs that break down important HR matters into manageable chunks or modules, that can be completed in just an hour or two each month
So far, this sort of approach is massively underutilised by those in the HR field. Many business owners are doing it very successfully in fields as varied as accountancy and sales, but very few HR professionals are offering this to their audiences. The brilliant thing about this is that the market is nowhere near saturated, and won t be for a long time to come. If you can position yourself in this way, the potential is phenomenal. Can you imagine how your business would be transformed, and the possibilities that would be within your grasp if you could bring in money each and every month that s essentially on autopilot? Of course, this isn t the sort of thing that you can achieve overnight. The approach requires a great deal of planning, an engaged audience, quality content, and an in-depth understanding of your ideal client and their needs. But if you re serious about future-proofing your consultancy and you want to get ahead of the competition, this is an opportunity that cannot be ignored and should be included in your medium-term plans.
A Final Note I really hope that you ve found this report useful and you re itching to get started. Marketing isn t rocket science, but it is absolutely essential if you want to grow your business and attract all the new clients you need. With these tools in your kit, there s nothing stopping you from growing the business that you deserve. The content in this report is gold dust when it comes to getting your marketing off to the best possible start, focusing your efforts, and stopping you from wasting money on advertising campaigns that just don t work. A lot of it is stuff that I usually only share with my paying clients, but I ve made it available to you here for free because I want you to get a feel for the possibilities that are out there for your business. Much of it only scratches the surface, and there s no way that all the tricks of the marketing trade could be covered in just one online report, but the solid foundations are here, and you can use them in your organisation. Be sure to keep an eye on my blog over on my website (), where I ll be sharing more insight and tips. Over the coming months I ve got loads of resources that I can t wait for you to see. You ll also receive my weekly updates, so watch your inbox for all the best content. Oh, and one final thing. If you ve found this useful, please recommend it to your contacts in the world of HR consultancy. They can grab their own copy at my website. Don t worry too much about these people being your competitors and getting in there before you. Marketing is a very personalised process, they ll have a different ideal client to you, and the tactics that you ll pinpoint for your own business will be different from the ones that they ll need to use! To the future success of your HR consultancy, Ruth Ruth Hinds Founder, HR Consultants Marketing School