Developing Our Core Business

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Developing Our Core Business
Toronto Conference Winter 03
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Agenda

• Introduction
• Definition of Core Business
• Sales Programs to Develop Core Business
• Making it Easier Over Time
• Measuring Success

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IntroductionBob Pridding

• Starting in staffing industry 1975
• Opened or managed branches in Canada in Halifax,
  St. John, Toronto (twice), Ottawa (twice),
  Montreal (twice), Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and
  Vancouver
• Opened and managed branches in the US in
  Virginia, Raleigh, Dallas, Phoenix, Seattle and
  San Francisco
• Worked in
• Full time placement
• Contract and consulting placement
• Fixed price / project based
• Software sales

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IntroductionBob Pridding

• Fields worked in include IT, engineering,
  scientific, accounting, telecommunications and
  temporary staffing
• Dealt with contractors across the country
• Knowledgeable about Canadian US government and
  contract legal issues affecting contractors,
  staffing firms and end users of contract services
• Been grappling with these issues affecting
  businesses since first CCRA audit in 1998 re
  collection of taxes for sole proprietors working
  for my firm

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IntroductionBob Pridding

• Quick chronological going backwards
• WCS Solutions web based software sales to
  realtor market
• Manpower contract full time placement,
  multiple fields
• Brainhunter web based staffing solutions
• CNC Global IT contract fulltime placement
• CCA- mainframe DBMS software
• Systematix IT contract fulltime placement
• CTG (maxima)- IT project and fixed price
  consulting
• Polaris (GSP)- IT project consulting, contract
  and fulltime placement

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Definition of Core Business

• The core business is the number of clients
  retaining us to be their accountant of record
• Successful growth of the core business is
  measured by the NET growth in the number of
  clients retaining us
• 1 requires attention first and foremost to
  retention of the existing client base
• 2 - requires concerted and focused sales efforts
  to bring in increasing numbers of new clients
• Number one focus at Wall Associates for this
  year

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Sales Programs - Retention

• Life cycle mapping to ensure we are always doing
  something, the right thing, with our clients
• Regular and meaningful contact
• Pro-active messaging to reassure client of a
  meaningful relationship and value for their
  dollar spent
• Problem resolution processes in place
• Implement regular relationship management
  training internally

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Sales Programs - Retention

• Methods to consider using
• Emails
• Letters
• Peer recognition
• Phone calls
• CRM software
• Incentives / rewards
• References
• Seminars

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Sales Programs - Growth

• Success to date of CA4IT.com has been built on
  minimal marketing / sales and only to a limited
  number of firms
• Now there is CA4IP.com, not just IT, now can go
  after other fields such as engineering,
  scientific, accounting, real estate, and so on
• Thousands of staffing and placement agencies
  coast to coast, were only dealing with a handful
• Replicate national relationships such as CNC
  Global, Eagle Professional, Ajilon
• Direct end users of contract services are a new
  market for us to present to, being aggressively
  targeted by CCRA

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Sales Programs Growth

• George capitalized on a market opportunity in
  late 80s. Same opportunity exists for the next
  2 4 years for one firm to establish a
  leadership position
• Methods to use
• - Emails - Letters
• - Peer recognition - Phone calls
• - CRM software - Incentives / rewards
• - References - Seminars
• - Presentations - Speaking engagements
• - Article writing - Relationship management
• - Sponsorships - Conferences

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Marketing Retention New Sales Easier

• CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
• Use CRM software. Easy to use. Inexpensive to
  buy and maintain. Examples include ACT,
  Maximizer, and Gold Mine
• All data gets shared with everyone now
• Over time build history and profiles on your
  clients and prospects
• Use the database built over time to mass market /
  mass message to current clients and prospects
• History doesnt get lost with employee turnover,
  time, forgotten pieces of information

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Marketing Retention New Sales Easier

• Sales
• Get into the habit of selling and marketing
• What did you do today? this week? to generate
  new customers

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Measuring Success

• Sales growth targets are set and then measured by
  measuring historical data, measuring current
  volumes, setting goals, putting programs in place
  to drive sales and then measuring the resultant
  progress towards those goals
• Sales efficiencies are achieved by the
  measurement of the metrics / ratios in the sales
  process and working to improve them
• Sales is a science, just like other fields. It
  is not a hit / miss experience as most people see
  it
• By measuring the sales processes and constantly
  improving it sales will grow

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Measuring Success

• Suggested items to track
• Number of inquiry calls
• Number of consultations
• Number of incorporations
• Number of clients that retain us
• Number of referrals and by whom
• Ratios of above (example is what percent of
  consultations retain our services)

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Questions?