. Do you want to you want to grow nine times faster and be 50% more profitable than your competitors, and still spend less on marketing? I thought so. In that case, Lee Frederiksen and Aaron Taylor have one word for you: Specialize. In their book Spiraling Up: How to Create a High Growth Professional Services Firm , Lee and Aaron argue that the fastest growing and most profitable firms position themselves as specialists. These firms have a well defined target market and a well defined set of services. This clearly differentiates them. You can download the book at www.spiralingupbook.com. MORE >>

In the good times, the phone rings and business just rolls in. There is no time or need for systematic networking (or so we think). Why should you eat your peas (networking) when there is so much steak around (client work)? Because you’ll run out of steak. It’s called feast or famine. And it’s a service professional’s and small business owner’s curse. Eat more peas and less steak. You’ll avoid the feast-or-famine syndrome. Clients Come Second (Sometimes). When you’ve got a full client load, it’s tempting to do nothing but service clients. Most of us prefer client work. It’s fun. We get paid. MORE >>

It was Christmas Day. We were at a friend’s house. The friend gave my then five-year-old son, Jay, a gift. asked Jay “Now, what do you say when someone gives you a present?” His response: “ What’s next ?”. He was supposed to say “ Thank you ,” of course. But you can forgive a five-year-old. Kids have a lot to learn. So do some adults. Referral recipients often act like five-year-olds. They don’t know how to say “Thank you.”. speak from experience. once neglected to thank a client for referring me a nice piece of business. She correctly criticized me for my oversight. learned something. Update.  MORE >>

When wooing Ms. Prospect, you may be tempted to “swing for the fences” and propose a huge project. With a large project, you can solve all her problems. And then there’s the big fat fee you proposed. Don’t do it. You’ll strike out. Instead, start with a small project. Just get on base. Once you’ve proven yourself, you can go for doubles and triples. Eventually, you’ll cross home plate. Big Projects = Big Problems. big project poses several problems: Most prospects have Occupational A.D.D. Attention Deficit Disorder). They’re totally frazzled. They can’t deal with more complexity. If Ms. If Ms. MORE >>

As a service professional, you have three major challenges in cultivating prospects and referral sources. Challenge #1 – They must clearly understand what you do. Challenge #2 – They must remember you. Challenge #3 – They must trust you. In my September 29th blog post To Get More Referrals, Stay On the Radar Screen , I discussed broadly the process of keeping visible: making a plan, keeping score, and spreading the word. Now, it’s time to execute. CJ Hayden in 44 Ways to Follow Up With Your Prospects offers some useful ideas on staying visible and strengthening relationships with prospects. MORE >>