Doug Fletcher - How to Win Client Business When You Don't Know Where to Start

1 Cover

2 More Praise for How to Win Client Business When You Don’t Know Where to Start More Praise for How to Win Client Business When You Don’t Know Where to Start “ How to Win Client Business When You Don’t Know Where to Start skillfully captures the fundamental and critical insights about how to really ‘sell’ professional services. Doug Fletcher synthesizes years of valuable experience into a pragmatic dialogue that is pure gold for any professional working to develop clients and business. Whether you have never sold a dollar, or you have years of client development experience, you will find these invaluable lessons instructive, refreshing and inspiring.” —Walt Shill, Global Commercial Officer, ERM “If you are highly skilled at doing client work—but are puzzled by how to ‘get’ the client work, Doug's wonderful book demystifies the process for us. This book contains proven techniques that will make you more credible, trusted and in demand. Read this today, apply the lessons and watch your practice grow.” —David T. Richardson, President & CEO, Cognision “A rare and terrific resource for lawyers, consultants, and other providers of professional services, who are often intimidated at the concept of selling their time and expertise. Winning client business is different from selling widgets. Doug provides real world examples and pragmatic, doable strategies that even the most sales-adverse among us can use to build a successful business.” —Judy Selby, Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

3 Title page HOW TO WIN CLIENT BUSINESS WHEN YOU DON’T KNOWWHERE TO START A Rainmaking Guide for Consulting and Professional Services DOUG FLETCHER

4 Copyright

5 Dedication

6 Introduction

7 If I'm So Smart, Why Do I Feel So Stupid about Selling? CHAPTER 1: Things Rainmakers Do That Most of Us Don't: The Five Rainmaker Skills What Is a Rainmaker? Why Do I Feel So Stupid About Selling? The Five Rainmaker Skills, the Focus of This Book Moving Forward with the Five Rainmaker Skills References CHAPTER 2: How Clients Buy The Seven Elements of the Client's Buying Decision Journey Understanding Client Risk It's Not a Long Sales Cycle , It's a Long Buy Cycle References CHAPTER 3: Where Clients Come From The Seven Most Common Client Pathways Where Clients Come From: The Seven Client Pathways Connecting the Dots References CHAPTER 4: Rainmaking for Introverts and People Who Don't Want to Sell The Rainmaker Mindset Lessons from Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director at McKinsey & Company References

8 The Five Skills We Must Learn If We Want to Become a Rainmaker Skill 1: Create Your Personal Brand Identity CHAPTER 5: Decide What You Want to Be Known for and Who You Wish to Serve The Birth of Personal Branding Stupid Choices! Society's Hall Pass References CHAPTER 6: The Power of Focus If You're Not in the Client's Top Three, You're Not Going to Be Hired Filling an Empty Slot in the Client's Mind References CHAPTER 7: Choosing Your Specialty Terry Pappy's Success Story: Carve a Niche, Then Carve a Niche within a Niche Bill Stoddart's Success Story: Knowing What You Believe In Three Ways of Defining Your Personal Brand Identity: Functional Expertise, Target Audience, and Geographic Focus Finding Your Unique Combination of These Three References CHAPTER 8: You Can't Sell Beyond Your Credibility Zone The Story's Beginning The Story's Middle The Story's Ending The Lessons of the Story A Seat at the Table References Skill 2: Demonstrate Your Professional Expertise CHAPTER 9: How Clients Tell Who the Real Experts Are Clients Seek to Avoid Regret How We Can Help Clients Avoid Anticipated Regret Unlearning the Mental Hang‐up We Have with Talking about Ourselves Choosing Your Credibility Markers References CHAPTER 10: How to Toot Your Own Horn without Looking Like a Jerk Technique 1: Writing Technique 2: Public Speaking Technique 3: University Teaching Technique 4: Radio Programs and Podcasts Technique 5: Serving on a Board of Directors Technique 6: High‐Profile Work and Case Studies Technique 7: Industry Awards Technique 8: Professional Certifications Choosing Where to Focus Your Energy References CHAPTER 11: Using LinkedIn to Build Your Credibility Master Digital Marketing at Oxford What Is the Internet Good For? LinkedIn Is a Powerful Enabler, But It Won't Do the Heavy Lifting for Us Don't Turn into Human Spam The Power of Sharing and Connecting References Skill 3: Build Your Professional Ecosystem CHAPTER 12: The Two Hundred People You Need to Know Genuine Relationships, Not LinkedIn Connections What's the Difference between Your Ecosystem and Network? Why Your Ecosystem Matters: Revisiting the Seven Client Pathways The Makeup of Your Professional Ecosystem The Double Helix of Your Ecosystem and Trust References CHAPTER 13: Does Cold‐Calling Work? And What to Do if It Doesn't Remember What Mom Said: Don't Talk to Strangers Making Friends on the Playground Making Friends with Your Two Hundred People When Cold‐Calling Works Best Cold‐Calling and Making Friends References CHAPTER 14: Making Friends in a Natural Way Warm Prospecting: Leveraging Your Relationships to Make New Friends Nobody Likes Human Spam How to Get an Introduction without Seeming Pushy References CHAPTER 15: I Can't See the Forest for the Trees The Tree Farm Analogy Caring for Your Professional Ecosystem References CHAPTER 16: Why Advertising Doesn't Work for Us Recognizing the Limits of Advertising A Better Way: Building Relationships References Skill 4: Develop Trust-Based Relationships CHAPTER 17: What Is Trust and Where Does It Come From? Recognizing Authentic Likeability Where Trust Comes From Advice from a Seasoned Relationship Builder References CHAPTER 18: Conversation Skills for Introverts (and the Rest of Us, Too) Finding Common Ground through Small Talk Building Common Ground over Time References CHAPTER 19: The Art of Keeping in Touch Finding Opportunities to Be Thoughtful and Helpful Caring and Empathy Matter References CHAPTER 20: Transparency Is Good, Right? Why Undersharing Is a Path to Irrelevancy How Much Is Too Much? Finding the Balance References Skill 5: Practice Everyday Success Habits CHAPTER 21: The Daily Habits of Successful Rainmakers The Roller Coaster of Revenue Practicing the Rainmaker Skills Every Day The Most Important Hour of Your Day References CHAPTER 22: Making the Rainmaker Skills Stick Building the Rainmaker Skills into Our Daily Lives References CHAPTER 23: Finding Your Rainmaker M.O. The Modus Operandi A More Modern M.O. The Middle Ground Finding Your M.O. Rainmaker M.O. Best Practices References

9 The Rainmaker's Journey CHAPTER 24: Thoughts on Becoming a Rainmaker What We Can Learn from the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones Becoming a Rainmaker Is Not a Structured 10‐Step Program References CHAPTER 25: Finding the Work That You Love Do You Enjoy Your Work? Enthusiasm for Our Work Is Key to Our Success Keep Exploring Until You Find Your Calling Respect, Trust, Likeability, and Enthusiasm References CHAPTER 26: A High Road with a Long View On Patience On Persistence The Rainmaker Mindset References

10 Appendix A: The Rainmaker Skills Self‐Test: What Are My Rainmaker Strengths and Weaknesses?

11 Recommended Reading

12 Acknowledgments

13 About the Author

14 Index

15 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 1 FIGURE 1.1 The Five Rainmaker Skills

2 Chapter 2 FIGURE 2.1 The Seven Elements of the Client's Buying Decision Journey

3 Chapter 3 FIGURE 3.1 The Seven Client Pathways FIGURE 3.2 The Seven Client Pathways Pie Chart

4 Chapter 7FIGURE 7.1 Three Ways of Defining Your Personal Brand Identity

5 Chapter 15FIGURE 15.1 Your 200‐Acre Tree Farm

6 Chapter 17FIGURE 17.1 Being Likeable Allows Respect and Trust to Grow