Well, January has kicked off 2011 with a bang for us.  I've been in the office all hours getting jobs completed, but also getting quotes prepared for prospective new clients.

The interesting thing about the potential new business that we've got is that it's of a very high quality and it all comes from referrals from existing clients.  This proves that our strategy of taking on fewer, larger projects and concentrating on quality is starting to pay off.

In the last week I have quoted for 7 pieces of work with a total value in excess of £70,000.  Of these 7, one is an existing client, five are referrals from existing clients and one found us through Google.

I'm more than pleased with this as it shows that clients trust us enough to recommend us to others and that the quality of the projects we win is much more important than the quantity.

Everyone knows that the most cost effective way to win business is through word of mouth but sometimes it's difficult to ensure that you offer the level of service that will generate advocates for your business.  If you've been running for a while and have lots of jobs that prevent you from doing this then the only way forward is to stand still... just for a short time while you take stock, clear the books and then start to move forward again.