Are you at the leading edge?

Posted by: Krishna De | Posted on: April 12th, 2007 | 0 Comments | Posted in: Uncategorized

When we are considering making a purchase of a product or service there are a number of questions we need to have addressed before we make a final decision.

This includes the results that we can expect with the particular product or service.

One of the other key criteria that we assess is whether the service provider is credible.

There are many areas of credibility to consider when potential clients assess a professional services firm, but one that many business leaders overlook is the following…

… do they implement the strategies you are selling to your clients? Are they at the leading edge?

For example:

• How much confidence does a cosmetic dentist in need of dental treatment instill in their patients. You might laugh, but I attended a number of events with dentists in the UK last year and without a doubt their teeth were probably in the worst state I have ever seen.
• What about the optician offering laser eye surgery or contact lenses, but they continue to wear glasses? What does that say about their confidence in the services they are offering?
• Or the webdesigner who professes to know all about building your brand online but who as an Alexa ranking in the millions and who has not the first clue of how to build visibility online other than with pay per click campaigns?
• Perhaps you came across the personal branding expert who is completely unknown in their location both online and off line?

Yes there is a saying that the “cobblers children are the worst shod”. In other words, if we are leading a professional services firm and are very busy with clients that we do not make sure our own back yard is in order as we do not have time to implement the strategies we teach our clients.

That however is not a satisfactory situation. Your clients want to see results and if you can not demonstrate them in your own practice that is not going to instill confidence in your capability and credibility.

So as you consider your business development plans for your own practice this quarter, consider what areas of expertise do you bring to your clients.

What actions do you need to take to ensure that you implement these strategies in your own business?

After all if you can not implement these strategies in your own practice, why on earth would your potential client want to hire you to do the same for them?