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selling professional services

Have You Forgotten How To Listen?

16 March 2010
Listening Skills

We’re sorry, we’ve decided to go with someone else.
Aargh. The worst words any professional wants to hear.
You did a great job, it’s just we decided to go with a training solution rather than the coaching you proposed.
But hang on, I do training. In fact I’m great at it. Let me tell you about the training [...]

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The Referral Formula

17 June 2009

This is the second in a series of posts on how Professional Firms can get more referrals. Read the first in the series – Referrals: You’ve Got to Have A System
To some degree, succeeding with referrals is something of a numbers game. More referrals equals more business. However, for busy professionals who need to balance [...]

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Keep out of the “Muddy Middle” when Selling Professional Services

16 June 2009

For many decades, perhaps the most successful client development strategy for both professional service firms and individual professionals has been one of focusing on a small number of high value clients.
As Andrew Sobel points out in “All For One”, a consultant or accountant only needs a handful of good clients to make a great career. [...]

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Helping Professionals Sell Using Empathy Styles

10 April 2009

One of the biggest barriers professionals have in developing their selling skills is that they simply don’t see themselves as salespeople. Many carry round negative sterotypes of salespeople – but even when they don’t, their image of a successful rainmaker is of a charismatic extrovert with highly developed social skills.
Not fitting this model themselves, they [...]

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Business Development for Accountants – is there Anybody Out There?

14 July 2008

When I was compiling Rainmaker Resources I scoured the net for articles, blogs, podcasts and videos of value to business developers in professional services. Most of these resources are, of course, produced by consultants and advisors who aim to help professionals in these areas. I informally categorised the firms and individuals I found, with the intriguing [...]

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Social Media and Professional Services Business Development

14 July 2008

An excellent post by Matt Brazil caught my eye recently. It’s provocatively entitled Are Social Networks the Last Nail in the Coffin for Cold Calling?
Now, of course, the increased prevalance of social media (and Matt includes blogs, articles, podcasts, etc. in that group) aren’t going to completely kill off cold calling. But Matt’s point – based [...]

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Rainmaker Resources | Links & Resources for Professional Services Partners, Business Developers and Marketers

8 July 2008

I spend quite a bit of time scouring the net for high quality resources and information on business development and marketing for professional services. While they have a lot in common with product sales – particularly large, complex sales; there are also a number of unique factors which need to be taken into consideration when marketing [...]

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Becoming a Trusted Advisor

5 July 2008

It’s the holy grail of Professional Services – to become a trusted advisor to your senior clients. To be viewed – and sought out – as a source of valued advice and support.
The benefits from a business development perspective are clear: the professional who is the first port of call for a client with a [...]

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3 Quick and Simple Steps to Improve Sales in Professional Services Firms

18 June 2008

3 quick and simple steps that professional service firms (lawyers, accountants and consultants) can take to hugely improve their sales:

Cut the marketing and advertising budget in half
Take the money you’ve saved from this and use it to reduce the billable hours targets of your partners and get them to focus on business development activities instead
Ensure [...]

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Do I really need a USP?

4 June 2008

It’s accepted wisdom in marketing and sales nowadays that every business needs a strong Unique Selling Point (USP). “Differentiate or Die” has become the clarion call of consultants across the globe, urging their clients to (pay them to) develop clever positioning statements showing how unique and different they are to their competitors.
But does it work? [...]

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