Word Of Mouth - Tax Advisor Talks INNER Circle

Writes Margie Lagerwell:

Hi Trevor

I know you are always inundated with emails – not sure if you would have seen this somewhere! It is from the seda newsletter. I have enlarged and highlighted the applicable section.

Regards

Margie
MGL Admin Services CC
011 472 4456
083 297 2881

Referrals the best way to get clients

WITH more people opening up small businesses than ever before in South Africa, starting and running your own business consultancy is beginning to look like a profitable opportunity. But once your consultancy is up and running how will you source your clients?

seda business brief spoke to three business consultants on the best way to get business in through your door.

Owen Fielding of TEC Solutions says he has always relied upon referrals to obtain clients. He gets clients largely through organisations that assist businesses, such as the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and Khula Enterprise Finance, the government's agency that funds small businesses.

Fielding says he is always nervous about publishing his name on public databases because of the quality of clients he may then receive. The organisations that refer clients to him act as screeners which means he won't be "sitting with 200 guys who want to open up spaza shops", he says.

Herman Rall, a tax advisor, who runs Rall Consultancy says he relies on five methods to source clients, namely:
· Word of mouth from existing clients.
· Through his membership to INNER Circle, a networking group for business owners.
· From referrals that he gets through two independent contractors. They run adverts on various websites and direct clients to him. He grants the referees 10% commission on every invoice he bills clients he receives through the contractors.
· Through agreements he has with three different company registration offices.
· Through his website which he recently redesigned using manuals he downloaded from www.marketingtips.com. He says he paid $250 (about R1 700) for the manuals, but says it was worth it because 20% of all visitors to his site convert into sales.

Bernard Schoeman (pictured above) of Wiseguys Consultants and Accountants says he has placed his consultancy's name on many government databases, but says the problem with databases is that you can soon find yourself buried amongst thousands of other names.

He says even if your name is on a database you still have to go out and meet with the prospective client before you can consider doing business with them.

Printing and distributing fliers is another way to get clients. He says even though he was only able to get one client from the R2 000 he spent on printing fliers, it was worth it because he believes that one client will be able to refer other prospective clients to him.

Contact Rall on 012 654 0150 and Schoeman on 015 307 7008.

See the seda website for more information on marketing for small business .