Building a Million-Dollar Practice Through Worksite Marketing

I have to make sure I service each client one at a time. To that end, I interview clients, review their needs and develop plans to solve problems and deliver on recommendations. Keeping the client’s best interests and wishes in mind is the best way to ensure a lasting business relationship.

I treat all people seeking advice the same. In a typical seminar with 30 people, 15 to 20 will seek a plan. Of those 15 to 20 people, five will have no money.

Even if my best advice is to tell these five individuals to save more in the company’s 401(k) and to lower their expenses, when they finally do act, they will think of me. Or they will tell fellow employees the seminar was worthwhile and that I provided good advice. And when they tell the HR director I treated them well, the director will know that I am delivering on promises and not cherry-picking.

Keep in mind that for every positive experience people have, they will tell five people; for every negative one, they will tell 20.

Practice Considerations–What you need to know:

One of the most difficult, yet important activities is to build an organization that can deliver. As many of you have discovered, the skills that allow you to be a successful producer may not always be the ones required to run an efficient office.

I identified my strengths and weaknesses, which allowed me to hire a staff that enhanced my strengths and compensated for my weaknesses. To be successful, I require a staff with diverse skills, knowledge, training and licenses.

A key skill you need to develop is the ability to communicate to your staff what you have promised the client and what the client wants/needs. My employees are responsible–and are rewarded–for delivering on my promises.

Training and retaining an effective staff is a necessary expense. Just as I am an extension of the human resources departments for the companies and organizations I serve, my employees are an extension of me. They are the voice that many of my clients hear most often.

Getting in front of clients and making the most efficient use of my time and theirs is key. In each step of the process, I make sure I am prepared with material and information, that clients have been contacted and meetings are confirmed.

I make sure before leaving the client that I know the next step and start the process for the next appointment. I make sure my staff contacts clients, thanks them for their time and reinforces what we plan to do next.

Follow-up, Follow-up, Follow-up

People want and need the help and services I provide. But if the client and I are the only ones who understand what we are trying to accomplish, it will be hard to serve customers effectively. To paraphrase a current commercial, the goal is to service each client the right way every time and then repeat that success over and over.

As part of my networking, I ask the HR organizations that I have worked with to tell HR people in other companies about my services. Once they hear that I have assisted other companies, their fears will be eased and they will refer me to other companies, unions, etc.

It took me several years to grow my business to the place it is today. Have faith and patience in your plan and you will succeed, too!

Gary Schwartz is founder, Madison Planning Group Inc., White Plains, N.Y. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

The best relationship you can have with any organization is to become a resource for them

Limiting the worksite seminars to 40 participants and encouraging them to bring their spouse or significant other are elements for a successful meeting.