Creating Rainmakers: The Manager's Guide to Training Professionals to Attract Clients

Rainmakers can be defined as professionals who consistently do two things very well--they generate leads to gain new business and then they use their selling skills to turn a portion of those leads into new business. Unfortunately, rainmakers are hard to find, and the efforts of professional firms to end this shortage have been largely ineffective. As every manager of a professional firm realizes, generating leads and landing new clients are critical components of any successful business venture. But transforming accountants, architects, attorneys, consultants, engineers, and other professionals into client-generators is not always easy to do. There is no magic bullet to rainmaking success, but with Creating Rainmakers: The Manager's Guide to Training Professionals to Attract New Clients, you'll be introduced to a variety of strategies and techniques that will help you build a reliable, sales-driven team. Based on interviews with more than 100 preeminent rainmakers and people who have watched them in action, Creating Rainmakers outlines all the necessary steps you should take to turn your professional staff into a powerful team of sales winners. It also details specific elements of the rainmaking process and defines exactly what successful rainmakers do to stay on top of their game. Divided into two comprehensive parts--The Rainmaker Model and The Elements of Rainmaking--this book will show you how to: Generate leads through several different strategies, including cold calling, publicity, speaking engagements, trade association activity, direct mail, and relationship marketing Build a strong network of contacts through established clients and new associations Master a variety of sales techniques, including listening, value-based selling, and anecdotal selling Develop capable successors, so that your firm can survive if a rainmaker decides to leave And much more A firm that can consistently develop and retain rainmakers will have a strategic advantage over competitors. It will grow more rapidly, earn greater profits, attract the best young talent, and provide well for the retirement of its partners. Engaging and informative, this unique guide will help you create the environment necessary for the development of rainmakers and show you what specific things can be done to cultivate those rainmaking skills.…