Podcast Episode 14: How to use the 4 Ps of marketing to get new clients

As you probably know... 

I have spent LOADS of time this year helping HR consultants package up their services up and that's why I created my flagship video programme: How to package up and sell HR to make more money.

At the start of the year, I was discussing my plans with another growth consultant in the space and she was genuinely puzzled as to why.

She said "You're marketing!

"What does that have to do with how HR consultants should package up their services"

And I quickly quipped back and said that I can't polish a turd.

***

You see, there is so much more to marketing than putting a LinkedIn post up and hoping that someone will see it.

There are 4 Ps of marketing.

Product, price, place and promotion.

Product is all about what you offer and ensuring it meets your client's needs.

Price is all about your value proposition and making sure you're pitching your services at the right price.

Place is all about choosing the best channels and platforms to reach your audience.

And promotion is how you actually put your brand and services in front of people.

And you need to get each of these 4 ps right in order to grow your consultancy without pulling your hair out. 

Because...

If you have a crappy product or service.
Or if you're trying to sell at the wrong price.
Or if you're using the wrong communication channels.

Then it is incredibly difficult to promote your services and you're unlikely to get any results from your marketing.

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And that's why, in this podcast episode I want to talk you through the 4 ps of marketing.

And tell you exactly what you should be working on to help you grow your consultancy and get new clients in the easiest, quickest and most affordable way possible.

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So let's get started with our first P and that's product.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...

How you package up and sell your services is THE most important thing you can think about.

Not only from your point of view, but from your clients too.

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Most consultants I know go into a business and say that they can help with anything.

That they work in a completely bespoke way.

And they then just try to sell this big chunk of HR and as many hours as they can.

But I think this is a really big sales killer.

Business owners don't understand what they're buying.

They don't understand what they actually need.

It's hard to sell.

It's hard to deliver.

And for me, it's just completely the wrong approach.

***

So, what should you do instead?

Well first, you need to break HR down using the new framework I've created called the HR service pyramid.

Imagine a pyramid for just a second and think about your services through the eyes of a business owner.

At the bottom you have admin, so this is HR Software and payroll.

You then have advisory, which is the day to day advice business owners need.

You then have management, which is the day to day operational stuff.

You then have director, which is the strategic stuff.

And then you have your specialist services at the top.

You then need to package up each level of the HR Service Pyramid using the right revenue model.

So there are 4 revenue models available to you.

Passive, subscription, time based and one off.

You're no doubt great at selling your time...

But you're missing out on a huge chunk of recurring revenue.

So I want you to think about packaging up the admin and advisory levels of the HR service pyramid using passive and subscription revenue models.

Then, when it comes to marketing and selling your services,  instead of trying to sell this big chunk of HR and as many hours as you can.

I want you to flip the pyramid and think of it as your funnel.

Start off by selling initial services like HR software.

It's easy to market.

Easy to sell.

It's easy to buy.

And this will help you get your foot in the door.

And then finally, I want you to think about value stacking your services on top of one another.

So when it comes to the first p, which is product.

Instead of trying to sell this big chunk of HR and as many hours as you can.

I want you to create different packages for each level of the HR service pyramid and I want you to think about value stacking your different packages on top of one another.

***

Let's move onto our second P and that's price.

From your point of view, you obviously want to make as much money as you possibly can.

And from your client's point of view, your services needs to be seem like great value for money.

So there's a balance you need to find here.

Most consultants I know are undercharging...

So if you're just selling your time right now...

The only thing you can really do is to review your hourly rates and see how much you could increase them without scaring anyone off.

But the ultimate flex here, both for you and your clients, is to create more value based packages.

As they allow you to scale your earnings beyond your available time and if positioned in the right way provide your clients with great value for money.

So remember I said that we should turn the advisory level of the HR Service Pyramid into a subscription based package?

Well, this package should only include first line day to day support that business owners need.

If we were using a time based model, the costs could quickly escalate for the business owner depending on use.

However, if we were to use a value based subscription based model, business owners could access unlimited first line support and it's a fixed cost each month.

By using this terminology, we make our subscription package seem like the safer option, more affordable and best value for money.

And we create an opportunity for you to scale your income beyond your available time. 

This only works because we have broken HR down via the different levels of the HR service pyramid and we've been very clear to define what's in and out of each level.

I know this is a huge mindset shift and you might have a lot of questions.

And that's why I created my flagship video programme: How to package up and sell HR to more money.

Within this video programme,  I talk you through exactly how to do this and 8 steps you should take to create your package prices. 

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Once you've packaged and priced your services up in the right way, you can then think about getting your name out there .

Which leads us nicely onto our 3rd P and that's place.

This one is really easy to be honest.

You just need to think about your target market, where they hang out and the best way to contact them.

For B2B businesses like ours, there's only really 4 communication channels.

Socials.
Email.
Website.
And Telephone.

Social wise, I always get asked if you should be using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

My answer is really simple, if you're clients are using the platform for their business or personal use then be on there.

If they aren't then don't bother.

So that's why I pretty much focus on LinkedIn.

And depending on your target market, you may choose to only focus on LinkedIn too.

Emails and website are obvious.

And jumping on the phone to call someone is always an effective way to get an appointment in the diary.

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So once you've figured out how to package and price your services up.

And the best way to communicate to your target market.

You'll then want to actually get some comms out there.

Which leads us nicely on to our 4th and final P which is promotion.

So there's two type of marketing that you can do.

Some people call this farmer hunter marketing.

But this cringes me out a bit, so I like to use the term push pull marketing.

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So pull marketing is the typical brand awareness stuff.

This is all about putting content out there and hoping that it pulls people in.

To do this you simply need to create a content schedule for yourself.

Like a monthly newsletter.
A weekly email.
Posting to LinkedIn 3 times a week etc

And then you can create the content yourself or tweak the content we provide as part of the HR Marketing Box.

This type of marketing is really important because this is how you're consistently seen and heard.

But this alone won't help you to get new clients.

And that's why you need to also do push marketing.

So push marketing is when you push your message in front of someone by doing some direct marketing.

And multi-touch point campaigns are a great way to do this.

Let's say you've got 50 leads you want to target.

Over the course of a 2 weeks you're going to contact them using all communication channels with the same angle and CTA action.

The angle could be HR software for instance - as this is a easy and great way to get your foot in the door. 

And then CTA is to book in a FREE demo.  

So on Monday let's say, you could send a letter. 

On wednesday you could send an email,

On Friday you could send a  DM on Linkedin.

And on Monday the following week you could give them a quick call. 

Doing both pull and push marketing will help you to get results fast. 

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So let's quickly recap each of the 4 ps of marketing and what you should be doing to get new clients and grow your consultancy. 

The first and second Ps are product and price. 

I think you have a huge opportunity to break your services down into different packages and value stack them on top of one another. 

This will help you to sell and to make more money. 

And then the 3rd and 4th P is place and promotion. 

You need to pick the communication channels that are right for your target market and you need to do a mix of pull and push marketing. 

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Although the 4 ps of marketing is a bit old school, I do think it provides you with a great foundation framework to work from. 

So if you're thinking about 2025 already and what you can be doing to grow your consultancy, make sure you're doing each of the 4ps right and you should be okay. 

And I'm always here to help if you need me. 

I have some very exciting news to tell you. 

I've packed up my life in London and I'm flying to Bali tomorrow for the foreseeable future. 

Not sure what that really looks like. I could hate it and come back in a month. 

But I've gone without any ties back to London and I'm just going to go and let the wind take me to where I need to be. 

How cool is that?! 

Don't worry, nothing will change business wise. 

I still have HUGE plans for the business in 2025. 

The only difference is that I'll be working from a bamboo style Wework surrounded by other digital nomad types like me that I hope will be super inspiring. 

***

I attended an event a few months ago and one of the speakers spoke about the importance of dreaming big. 

This really resonated with me and it's something that I want to empower you to do too. 

I'd LOVE to inspire you to dream big and take bold action to help you achieve your goals. 

And this time of year is perfect to start looking back at the year you've had and start thinking about what you want to achieve in 2025. 

I feel like this is perfect timing for me too. 

As I close this chapter in the UK and look back, I've been super proud of what we've achieved. 

I've dreamt big and I've really gone for it. 

***

I was first recognised by Breathe as their official marketing partner. 

I massively pushed myself out of my comfort zone and hosted my first in client event which I think went really well. 

My accountant forced me to go VAT registered. 

Nikki who looks after our VA clients came on board full time. 

I've launched this podcast. 

We've relaunched our VA services and 20% of clients have signed up. 

We hit my initial target of 100 clients on the HR Marketing Box. 

We've launched the HR Marketing Box in the USA which has pretty much doubled the size of the business in 2 weeks. 

I've launched my flagship video programme which I've been working on for most of the year and 80 clients signed up within the first week. 

I've doubled revenue since August. 

I had our best ever month last month. 

I've packed my life up in London. 

I'm now moving to Bali. 

And now I'm exhausted! 

And Nikki is too - 

she's worked so hard this year and I couldn't have done it without her. 

So a huge shout out and thank you to her. 

I think she's looking forward to me going to Bali to have a break as much as I am! 

***

So yeah, this year I've dreamt big and I've been super focussed on what I wanted to achieve. 

I made loads of mistakes. 

Learnt loads of lessons. 

And it's funny how you can slog away for months and then all of sudden everything comes together. 

***

So why am I telling you this? 

Well, I'm really excited by what we've achieved and I want to share that with you. 

I also want to lead by example. 

And I also want to inspire you to think back at the year you've had and take time to recognise all of the achievements you've had. 

And I want you to treat yourself. 

Take yourself out for a fancy dinner, or to the spa or on holiday to celebrate all of your hard work. 

And then I want you to start gently thinking about 2025 and the year that you want to achieve. 

What would your perfect year look like? 

What would you most like to achieve? 

What's in your vision board? 

What are your dreams? 

Then when you think of your goals I want you to times ten them. 

Make them bigger. Make them bolder. 

Inspire yourself. 

Empower yourself. 

And make 2025 your best year yet.