Think bigger and create change to accelerate your business growth

Inspirational business speaker Ford Saeks

Business growth acceleration expert Ford Saeks of Prime Concepts Group gave an inspiring and fun presentation at the 2018 Worldwide Conference (Read the report) that gave members new insights into how to think bigger, adopt a growth mindset, improve their value propositions and, most importantly, take action.

Ford Saeks, author of Superpower! How to Think, Act and Perform with Less Effort and Better Results, explained to members in a highly entertaining presentation that it’s not what you know, it’s how you execute that matters. Referencing some of the current market challenges mentioned by members, Saeks remarked that the same challenges were around 20 years ago! He emphasised the need for action and that member accountants and lawyers should “Do something different or nothing changes.”

The importance of effective communications

Saeks encouraged members to take a critical look at their digital footprint to see if it is congruent with the level of quality of service they provide. He joked that some businesses have ‘sales prevention departments’ without realising it.

“Call your office and see how the call is answered,” advised Saeks. “Mystery shop yourself. Fill out a form on the website to see how fast you get a response. Google your company and see what comes up. Check any online business listings, review websites and social media profiles to make sure they are congruent with the image you want the market to see.”  

In Saeks’ view, anyone who has customer facing communication is to some degree involved in marketing. He expressed the need for everyone to embrace this mindset even if they don’t have a marketing title, and suggested/joked that staff who can’t adapt should perhaps be ‘freed up for new opportunities.’

Understand your purpose and communicate the benefits to clients

While Saeks agreed that having goals is important, the challenge in his view is that you don’t own your brand, the marketplace does: “Your brand is what your customers say about you when you’re not there.”

Saeks encouraged members to consider why their clients chose them. It is not a good omen, in Saeks’ opinion, if your staff have divergent opinions of this. This reason or ‘why’ must be embedded into your mission statement so that staff are aligned and can share the correct message with others.

Members were reminded that clients do business with them because of the benefits they get and that these are emotional and intangible or ‘a feeling’.

“Your being ‘15 years in business’ is not a benefit to the client. The benefit is the results you get.’

Saeks encouraged people to express it in a different way such as: ’We have been in business for 15 yeas which means you can trust us.’

At the end of the day, clients buy trust, commented Saeks, so members need to ensure that their marketing communicates trust and credibility:

“You have to communicate with benefits – they are the only things that will interrupt your current or future clients and make them pay attention to you. Don’t talk about you, that is a feature. Talk about the emotional state of mind that your client gets when using your services – that’s the benefit. You then need to tie the benefits to the features.”

In Saeks’ view, everything in marketing and sales comes down to communication– the message needs to be clear and specific. Without this, said Saeks, there can be discongruency between what you think is happening in the business and what is actually happening. This can happen in your marketing when you are trying to communicate the your brand’s values.

Who are your ideal clients?

Saeks encouraged members to define their ideal client and gave his view that sometimes it’s best to let certain clients go. He also cautioned that unless the company has defined its ‘why’, there may be disparate views among staff on what the ideal client looks like.

How to communicate with clients

Saeks referred to the DISC personality test (Dominant, Influential, Supportive and Cautious/Conscentitious) as a useful tool for accounting and law firms when looking at how they communicate with their clients: “Be clear about your clients’ characteristics and modify your behaviour to ensure a better connection.”

Referring to those who have the ‘Influential’ trait, Saeks commented that people can be interactive and sociable in their work role, but in private they may be less so. He added that clients need to be able to communicate with staff on a personal level or they won’t do business with them as they need that personal connection for trust and credibility.

You determine your own success

The business leaders in the room were also advised that success starts with them: “Be the change you want to see in your organisation, be open to it.”

Four ways to grow your business

Saeks provided four common sense ways to grow a business.

1. Get more (high value) clients
2. Increase the average transaction per client. According to Saeks, members need to do all they can to get clients to view them as the prime resource professional so that clients come to them first because of the relationship they have developed with them. Ways to expand what is offered beyond core competencies also need to be reviewed, according to Saeks, so that clients spend more with the firm
3. Increase repeat and referral sales – get your clients to come back more often
4. Leverage your resources – using Alliott Group as a good example, Saeks highlighted that group participation enables members to aggregate resources and save them time finding the right resources.

Is our 'Belief System' fit for purpose or is it BS?

The question as to whether it is time to get some new beliefs was also raised by Saeks. The big challenge, he suggested, comes from the fact that we have all been conditioned to think in a certain way:

“When someone says to me they have 20 years of experience, I often question if they have one year of experience that they have repeated 20 times!”

Firms should consider if they are coasting and going through the motions, according to Saeks.

The importance of an open mindset or growth mindset was also highlighted as important to future success.

How to get clients to switch their business to you

If clients are not hiring you, it might be because they fear change. Saeks listed factors that might be at the root of these client fears, such as the hassle factor, fear of failure or risk of conflict with other staff members: “You need to pre-empt these concerns by presenting your solution in a way that covers these fears upfront in the sales process in order to get the client’s buy-in.”

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Why people don't take action

According to Saeks, there are certain ‘thinking small’ habits that prevent people from taking action. Examples were quoted as procrastination, negative thinking, solving insignificant problems, over-analysing things or seeking perfection. “You need to think bigger,” suggested Saeks.

He suggested that every firm or individual should set up a dream board to help drive the vision. It should show your motivators. Everyone was encouraged to write down one thing they want to do, have or become.

Saeks added:

“Don’t let others tell you what is possible for your business. Consider your self-imposed limitations due to your conditioning, and then take action.”

What is your 20%?

In Saeks’ experience, something a business is typically produces 80% of the results. He suggeste that profit hides a lot of mistakes: ”You might be doing something right now that is really profitable, but you could be even more profitable.”

Members were also advised to ask themselves “What is the #1 skill I could develop to double my performance?” And then, they were encouraged to take steps to improve their skillset.

Start a success library

In terms of developing a success mindset, Saeks encouraged every firm to start adding resources to a ‘success library’, suggesting content focused on leadership, sales, marketing, etc.

How to get more referrals

Finally, in terms of getting more referrals, Saeks encouraged members to say to their clients “Don’t keep us a secret!” and to tell them “I’m never too busy to see if I can help any of your friends or colleagues with their accounting or legal needs.”

Video testimonials are also a useful business development tool, advised Saeks, who also gave his view that members need to strike while the iron is hot:

“Always ask your clients at the happiest moment. As soon as they say ‘Thank you, you did a great job’, ask if you can capture it as a testimonial.”

About Ford Saeks

As president and CEO of Prime Concepts Group, Inc., Ford Saeks’ extensive background in the business world and the Internet provides his clients with a unique advantage. His practical business growth strategies have been applied across a wide range of industries and organizations.

Ford has successfully founded 17 companies, received three U.S. Patents, serves on the board of the National Speakers Association, is the genius behind many successful business ventures and is a best-selling author—his most recent work being the new book, Superpower! How to Think, Act and Perform with Less Effort and Better Results.