Situation: A CEO is looking for cost-effective ways to boost her company’s marketing. They currently focus on trade shows where they can set up as many as 15 meetings per day. Their cycle for creating new relationships is typically 3-6 months. What can they do to increase client acquisition? How do you maximize relationships on a limited budget?

Advice from the CEOs:

• Create a public relations campaign around your star designers.
  • An example is a successful campaign created by a well-known creative director with the theme “Ads I Wish I Had Done.” Given the prevalence of social media, programs like this can attract large audiences, particularly if there is wit and humor involved.
  • Consider analogous promotion for the company along the lines of: “Our designer’s favorite products.”  In a promotion like this company designers would “review” good industrial or commercial designs that other designers have done.
  • This is a thought leadership approach designed to compensate for the fact that the company designs for some heavy hitter brand names but is not allowed to reveal that information.
• Given limitations in using referrals due to agreement with certain clients, how can these be avoided?
  • While the company is limited by agreements in place with certain clients, these agreements do not forbid subtle mention of these clients in 1:1 meetings.
  • Just take care that strict client confidentiality agreements are not voided. Instead of using specific company names, refer to them by industry or commercial sector.
• Create and conduct your own design conference.
  • Start locally to test the waters and develop a successful program and format.
  • Once an effective format is developed, gradually expand the geographic reach to attract more attention and additional new clients.

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