Module 5
Getting a Leg Up on the Competition
Part 2
In Part 1, you researched the services offered by the competition in order to provide your own unique and more valuable services. Now in Part 2, we’ll look at how the competition engages with clients so you can analyze your own client relationships and better your game.
Step 1 of Client Relations: Observation
Observation Tools: Where to Find the Competition
- Google competition name along with terms such as “great deal”, “helpful”, “awful”, “terrible”, etc to see if clients have used either positive or negative words to describe that business
- Search for reviews of the competition on sites such as the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, view Google reviews through Google Maps and clicking on the reviews of a searched location
- Social Media: Search competition name or keywords and hashtags in your niche. Find Facebook pages and read reviews; search Twitter and Instagram hashtags to see what people are saying about them
Observation Questions to Ask: The 5 W's and an H
- Who are they engaging?
- What answers are your competition providing that you can learn from and improve upon?)
- When:
- How long did it take for the competition to respond to clients?
- How old are the reviews you found?
- Are those concerns still relevant?
- Where are they engaging clients?
- Why are they engaging them?
- How are others engaging their clients?
Step 2 of Client Relations: Interpret
Be careful to be as objective as possible as you summarize your data so your own opinions don’t sway the data. Ask if your conclusions are based on the facts that you found, or simply your own opinion and feelings? If you are recording client opinions, those are the facts of client relationships. But be careful not to bring your own subjective feelings or thoughts toward your competition into data compilation.
- Helpful hint: Ask someone else to help you think through things: a fellow colleague, a friend, or even a family member (none of whom should be directly involved in your practice) can be helpful to keeping you on point.
Step 3 of Client Relations: Application
Be careful to be as objective as possible as you summarize your data so your own opinions don’t sway the data. Ask if your conclusions are based on the facts that you found, or simply your own opinion and feelings? If you are recording client opinions, those are the facts of client relationships. But be careful not to bring your own subjective feelings or thoughts toward your competition into data compilation.
- Helpful hint: Asking someone else to help you think through things: a fellow colleague, a friend, or even a family member (none of whom should be directly involved in your practice) can be helpful to keeping you on point.
How to Engage Clients Better
Todd McCall, Instructor
Getting Started - Action Steps for Your Next Coffee Break
Before digging into what you want to accomplish with your plan though, we recommend taking some time to reflect on what not having a plan looks like.
Assignment:
- Look at your competitors and their products and answer the following:
- What’s so great about their services?
- Why do people like them? What don’t they like?
- How do your competitors market their services to their clients?
- How do your competitors interact with their clients?
- What kind of customer service do they provide?
2. Summarize your data. How strong is your competition? Considering your strengths and theirs, how do you compare to them?