How to win client business when you don't know where to start : a rainmaking guide for consulting and professional services / Doug Fletcher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fletcher, Doug (Wade Douglas), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Consulting firms.

Consultants.

Consulting firms--Marketing.

Consultants--Marketing.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (242 pages)

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2022]

Summary:

"Winning client business is necessary for us to succeed. And, yet, very few professionals truly understand how to do this well. We're not taught this at universities, nor receive substantive training by our firms. We're left to figure it out on our own -- some do, many don't. We are frequently on a wild quest trying a little of everything without really knowing what to do or having a master plan to guide us. The key to success lies in understanding how clients buy -- the topic of our first book, How Clients Buy. Rainmakers are those among us who understand this well and demonstrate six skills that help facilitate the client's buying decision journey: 1) One: Strategy: Choose Your Niche and Whom You Wish To Serve 2) Two: Credibility: Demonstrate Your Expertise 3) Three: Relationships: Build Your Network 4) Four: Solutions: Understand Client Needs and Creating Solutions 5) Five: Performance: Do Great Work 6) Six: Stewardship: Care for Clients We can learn these skills and become more successful in our own practices"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Reviews

Title page

Copyright

Contents

Introduction: Selling a Service Is Different (and Harder) Than Selling a Product

If I'm So Smart, Why Do I Feel So Stupid about Selling?

1 Things Rainmakers Do That Most of Us Don't: The Five Rainmaker Skills: Universities Don't Teach Us and Our Firms Don't Train Us

2 How Clients Buy: Understanding the Client's Buying Decision Journey

3 Where Clients Come From: Understanding the Key Client Pathways

4 Rainmaking for Introverts and People Who Don't Want to Sell: Winning Client Business While Being True to Yourself

The Five Skills We Must Learn If We Want to Become a Rainmaker

Skill 1: Create Your Personal Brand Identity

5 Decide What You Want to Be Known for and Who You Wish to Serve: You Can Be Known for Anything, But You Can't Be Known for Everything

6 The Power of Focus: The Key to Being Remembered

7 Choosing Your Specialty: Shrink the Pond Until You're a Big Fish

8 You Can't Sell Beyond Your Credibility Zone: The Cautionary Tale of EDS

Skill 2: Demonstrate Your Professional Expertise

9 How Clients Tell Who the Real Experts Are: Clients Need Clues That We Are Really Good at What We Do

10 How to Toot Your Own Horn without Looking Like a Jerk: Proven Techniques for Demonstrating Your Expertise

11 Using LinkedIn to Build Your Credibility: It Won't Make the Cash Register Ring, So What's It Good For?

Skill 3: Build Your Professional Ecosystem

12 The Two Hundred People You Need to Know: The Closest Thing to Knowing Something Is Knowing Where to Find It

13 Does Cold-Calling Work? And What to Do if It Doesn't: Remember What Mom Said: Don't Talk to Strangers!

14 Making Friends in a Natural Way: How to Get an Introduction without Seeming Pushy

15 I Can't See the Forest for the Trees: Segmenting Your Ecosystem into Three Distinct Groups.

16 Why Advertising Doesn't Work for Us: Leveraging Your Firm's Brand Reputation and What to Do When You Don't Have One

Skill 4: Develop Trust-Based Relationships

17 What Is Trust and Where Does It Come From?: Do Clients Really Hire People They Like?

18 Conversation Skills for Introverts (and the Rest of Us, Too): Using Small Talk to Find Common Ground

19 The Art of Keeping in Touch: Finding Opportunities to Be Thoughtful and Helpful

20 Transparency Is Good, Right?: How and When to Be Transparent

Skill 5: Practice Everyday Success Habits

21 The Daily Habits of Successful Rainmakers: The One Hour Each Day That Will Build Your Career

22 Making the Rainmaker Skills Stick: 66 Days That Will Shape Your Future

23 Finding Your Rainmaker M.O.: Building a Rainmaker System That Works for You

The Rainmaker's Journey

24 Thoughts on Becoming a Rainmaker: Stop Trying to Be Wonder Woman or Superman

25 Finding the Work That You Love: And What to Do When You Don't

26 A High Road with a Long View: Parting Words as You Begin Your Rainmaker Journey

Appendix A: The Rainmaker Skills Self-Test

Recommended Reading

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-119-67692-4

1-119-67696-7

OCLC:

1281963863