Back in August 2009 I published an edition of my newsletter focused on how to sell professional services in head-to-head competition with other providers.

Most advice and training on selling professional services focuses on how to get more clients by understanding and exploring their needs to develop solutions and proposals that “hit the spot”.

And that's as it should be. Not only does a needs-based approach allow you to develop better solutions for your client, it also allows you to build better relationships (by really understanding their business) and better persuade clients of the need to take action (by exploring the impact of their problems or challenges).

But there are other important elements to selling that professionals must master to increase their success rate in winning new business. In particular, they must learn how to sell when faced with direct competition. Or as one participant at a recent training course I ran on consultative selling put it: “how do I prove that I'm the best option?”

The newsletter also features a short article on using a focus strategy to get more referrals and features a website for accountants that holds many lessons for business development across the professions.

You can read the newsletter in the archives here.