Seducing Prospects: Easy Ways to Woo Clients

Dear Agencies, Happy Valentine's Day! If you're looking for new clients and feeling a little lonely, don't lose heart. In the spirit of the holiday, I'm sharing tips to finding your marketing match. How to make a client fall in love with you comes down to old-fashioned courtship:

1. First impressions. How you present your agency-from the first email, to the office vibe, to how your proposal looks-speaks volumes. Details matter.
2. Be Sexy, not boring! Show how you're different, fabulous and why they need you. Keep new business presentations short and savvy and under a half hour. Don't use a PowerPoint unless it's got eye candy.
3. Be genuine. Don't embellish services your agency outsources and doesn't really provide. You want them to fall in love with what your agency does best -the real you.
4. Plans are exciting. Thought-starters create intrigue. Show them a vision of what a journey with your agency might look like. Do whet their appetite (but don't give it all away so fast.)
5. Experience is a turn-on. Industry knowledge gets clients excited. Show successes with clients facing similar challenges-even if it's in a different industry. It's about your track record of success achieving similar goals.
6. Be a good date. Listen. Don't do all the talking. Clients need to be heard. Let them talk and share. You'll be wiser and be able to develop a better proposal (and have a better relationship) as a result.
7. Don't over-share. Talking negatively about ex-clients and early career horror stories creates a negative vibe. Presenting too much too soon is assumptive and can backfire.
8. Be attentive. Show you care and how much you want their business. Make them feel wanted. Always over-deliver.
9. Bear gifts. Don't go empty-handed. Leave something behind for them to remember you: a PowerPoint presentation, a brochure or case studies. You want to remain on their mind tomorrow.
10. Don't wait. Call the next day. Send a thank you note. Deliver the proposal when promised. Be responsive and keep commitments.

After you've landed them, be sure to keep the romance alive so the relationship thrives. Happy pitching!