How Jennifer Downsized …and Doubled Her Business
I enjoyed catching up with immigration lawyer Jennifer Roggemann a couple weeks ago at Kitchener’s Ben Thanh Restaurant. It’s been great fun supporting Jennifer in “doing the right things right” over the last few years. Through implementing best practices in a number of areas, Jennifer has managed to double her business. I figured you might be interested in the secrets of her success…
1. Narrowed Her Focus.
Jennifer used to do all kinds of law. Real estate, corporate/commercial, estates, immigration…you name it. Here’s the thing. While she liked it all, she LOVED immigration. She gets her biggest kick from helping newcomers make a great life for themselves here in Canada.
We tend to do our best with what we love. So last year, Jennifer made a difficult decision. She decided to focus her entire business around what she loved…and let go of everything else.
Gulp. This sort of decision is not for the faint of heart. Turn away business? Yes, it was incredibly difficult to downsize. As Jennifer watched her overall billings decrease for the first couple quarters of last year, she was constantly tempted to go back to the old way of doing things.
But she persisted. And by the end of 2013, the downward pattern had reversed.Jennifer’s brand focusing strategy was working beautifully. She now owns the wordimmigration in people’s minds. Since they know exactly what she does, it’s becomesuper-easy for anyone to refer clients, and billings are way up.
2. Targeted Her Ideal Clients.
Next, Jennifer and her team sat down and figured out which clients were helping grow her business – and which were not. They fleshed out two main personas: detailed descriptions of specific individuals with whom they’d most enjoyed doing business. Not just in terms of demographics such as age, education, and marital status – but also including intangibles such as values, aspirations, motivations, and connections.
The team gave these personas a personal touch, naming them “Jack” and “Jill” : ) Then the team asked themselves, What specifically is it about these people that makes them ideal for us? Now they can easily distinguish between ideal clients, and clients who would likely waste the staff’s time and energy. Side benefit: it’s easier to attract and keep talented staff when their time is not being wasted.
3. Finessed Customer Experience.
Thirdly, Jennifer and her staff shone a spotlight on every single interaction they were likely to have with a client… from the first phone call to the exit interview and each step in between. They asked themselves, “What does this step in our process feel like from the client’s point of view?” Then they carefully critiqued and tweaked each step to get it just right. They’re continuing to adjust and perfect as they move forward.
So there’s the story. A year later...referrals are way up, tire-kickers are out, serious clients are in, and business is booming. Way to go, Jennifer and team!
Story above as it appeared in Ready2Grow Associates news update