Category Archives: Sales
It’s Time to Stop Selling and Start Focusing on Making Rain
‘Rainmaking’ is a metaphor for bringing in new business and making more money. It’s the highest form of business development. Selling intangibles is hard work. It’s built on reputation, relationships and trust. It’s quite different from selling a car, which is based on features, benefits and price. Most professionals are technically well-trained to be accountants,…
7 Mistakes Many Professionals Make
Why do so many financial services businesses struggle to produce superior growth results? Here are 7 observations I have made: 1. Many professionals don’t have an industry-targeted niche focus Marketing is expensive and ego bruising. The key to predictable, significant growth is to be ‘somebody special’ to a particular group of businesses. 2. Many…
No One is Born to Sell
Everybody is a salesperson. At some point, we all must persuade others that the products or services we can provide will lead to a better life. This goes for anyone who earns money: from carpenters and doctors to teachers and engineers. Selling for a living is an honourable and respectable occupation that plays a significant…
You’re Actually In Four Businesses: 7 Ways To Keep Them All Running Effectively
I regularly meet professionals who are technical wizards. They know everything there is to know about their area of expertise in financial services, whether it be accounting, finance, actuarial services or risk management. Even so, many of these same professionals and firms are struggling to grow their businesses because they know hardly anything about marketing….
9 Steps To Turn Prospects Into Clients: Build Your Advantage
The fundamentals of marketing services are the same as they have been since I became involved in the industry, 30 years ago. And I’m certain they will remain the same for the next 30 years, and beyond. To gain new clients, you must put yourself in front of new prospects and build strong, trusting relationships….
Referrals: Stop Waiting and Start Asking
Referrals are the fastest way to grow. There is no other marketing activity that is more effective than a pro- active referral process. Sadly though, many professionals miss this opportunity because they naively assume that their best clients will naturally refer them. You will never have as many referrals from your loyal clients as you…
10 Ways to Jumpstart Your Referral Process and Dramatically Grow Your Business
No marketing activity is more effective than a proactive referral process. Among top professionals, 80% of their new business comes from referrals. As a way to acquire new business, referrals are the least expensive, have the least risk, and provide the highest potential payoff. And there are additional benefits. You can avoid the ‘commodity trap’…
Pro Active Referral Marketing
The fundamentals of marketing and growing a business, getting in front of the right people, and building trusting relationships have not changed. Professionals and businesses who do this on a consistent basis are able to build a thriving business, regardless of the market conditions. Case Study After 9/11 the travel industry went into a downturn,…
Do You Have a First-Rate Marketing System?
Organising your information is as important as the time you spend gaining an understanding of your market. Your market intelligence information is an important part of your firm’s equity. A first-rate marketing information system organizes your marketing and sales knowledge and becomes the central processing unit for all of your marketing activities. It helps you…
7 Tips for Getting More Meetings with Prospective Clients
Building a successful financial service business is not complicated, but then again, I won’t pretend that it’s easy. If it were, there would be a lot more top producing professionals. In the 20 years I’ve been advising, coaching and training professionals I have identified the biggest challenge for many professionals: getting meetings with qualified…
