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5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 1 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Mike Schultz
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 2 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
A lot of people are predicting more of the same for 2012:
But the private conversations we’ve had with consultants about their firms are the complete
opposite. Instead of more of the same, they’re talking about:
Few say the economy is great, but most agree opportunity is everywhere. Their fears are gone.
Although things have not returned to how they once were, it’s back to business and back to growth
in 2012.
“The housing market stays stuck
in the mud.”
“Volatile stock market.”
“Unemployment stays elevated.”
“Social media presence critical.”
“Mobile technology poised for growth.”
“Lots of opportunity.”
“Sea changes on the horizon.”
“Leaders less skittish.” “Plenty of need.”
“Time is now for significant growth for my firm.”
“Harder to get new clients.”
“More clients to push back on price”
Introduction
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 3 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
1. Highlight Specialties
2. Use Infographics to Communicate Value Late
3. Sell with Social Media
4. Strengthen Selling Attributes
5. Build and Reinforce Selling Skills
When we talk about growth, we talk about the
ability of leaders and consultants to bring in new
business and close new deals. We talk about
selling. Some things about selling haven’t
changed much, like the need for filling the
pipeline with qualified leads, building
meaningful relationships, communicating value,
listening, uncovering needs, crafting solutions,
overcoming objections, and winning new
business. If you want to put selling to work for
you, you have to master the core of the craft.
Certainly, these topics are evergreen, but there’s
a lot that is changing and changing fast. In this
report, while we will touch on some of the
evergreen topics, we’ll look through the lens of
what’s new and what’s evolving to give you the
edge you need in 2012. If you want to take
control of your success in the new year, keep
reading and pay attention to these 5 game
changers:
Introduction
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 4 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
1 Highlight Specialties With the now ever-present Internet and rise of
social media, it’s become much easier for
prospects to find and learn about service
providers. A simple Google search for a
particular need brings up hundreds of providers,
most of them specific to the search term.
Given that buyers perceive they can find
solutions to their specific need with minimal
effort, it’s no surprise that buyers are trending
more and more towards searching for, making
contact with, and buying from specialists.
In our benchmark research report How Clients
Buy, we asked 231 buyers of consulting and
professional services which factors are most
important to them when choosing a provider.
The results were telling.
As shown in Figure 1, the #2 and #4 most
important factors related directly to
specialization.1
Figure 1. Importance of Factors in Hiring Decision - % Rated “Extremely” or “Very” Important
90%
88%
86%
83%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Overall value provider can deliver
Experience in specific area when I have needs
Overall costs or fees
Experience in my industry / business
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 5 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Another recent research study of professional
services firms by Dr. Lee Fredrickson at Hinge
Marketing2 showed that High Growth firms were
much more likely to rate themselves as being
highly specialized when compared to Average
Growth firms.
Figure 2. % Very Specialized
28.5%
46.1%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Average Growth High Growth
In 2012, specialized firms will continue to
outperform less specialized ones because buyers
are increasingly selective and fit conscious.
Fortunately, this trend presents an opportunity
for you and your firm in 2012 because most
consultants find it difficult to focus their
services. Even when they are focused, they find
differentiating their offerings to be the most
challenging component in communicating their
value.
Highlight Specialties
Specialized Firms Grow Faster
1
The more you can highlight your specialization, the more you’ll differentiate. The more you differentiate, the greater competitive advantage you’ll have in 2012.
!
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 6 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
In our How Clients Buy3 research, buyers reported that the #1 factor they consider when hiring
consultants is the ”Overall value provider can deliver.” 90% of buyers cited this as extremely or very
important.
The ability to communicate the value of their solution to prospects distinguishes rainmakers from
the rest. They’re always looking for new and better ways to communicate value more effectively.
You should, too.
What This Means for 2012
Two things you can do to gain an edge in 2012:
1. Reinforce your value in the later stages of the sales process
2. Use infographics to express your value
Figure 3. Importance of Factors in Hiring Decision - % Rated “Extremely” or “Very” Important
90%
88%
86%
83%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Overall value provider can deliver
Experience in specific area when I have needs
Overall costs or fees
Experience in my industry / business
Use Infographics to Communicate Value Late
2
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 7 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
No matter if it’s 1982, 2012, or 2022, the definition of a value proposition remains the same.
As outlined in our book Rainmaking Conversations and in the report, The “10 Commandments for
Building a Value Proposition that Sells”4, value propositions have three building blocks:
Resonate: Buyers must see your messages as important.
Differentiate: Buyers must see you as both distinct from others and difficult to substitute.
Substantiate: Buyers must believe you can deliver what you say you can deliver.
If you’re reading this report, you’re probably someone that believes in your own value. You believe
that you resonate – your service is important. You believe that you differentiate – your service is
different. And you believe that you substantiate – your service is credible.
The next step is communicating that value effectively in all stages of the sales process.
Use Infographics to Communicate Value Late
The Basics of Communicating Value 2
A value proposition is the collection of reasons why a person or company buys something.
!
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 8 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Most consultants know that communicating value is important early in the sales process, but most
buyers evaluate whether they should buy from you with what you communicate late in the sales
process.
Make sure when they do, you measure up.
If you don’t reinforce the value of your solution late in the sales process, particularly in the proposal,
it could cost you the client.
What This Means for 2012
In 2012, make a point of communicating your value late and you’ll have an advantage over much of
your competition.
Use Infographics to Communicate Value Late
Communicate Value Late in the Sales Process 2
Buyers evaluate the overall value the provider can deliver at the end of their buying process.
!
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 9 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
A great way to communicate your value is with infographics.
An infographic is a graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge. These graphics
present complex information quickly and clearly.5
If a recent college grad can do it, you can, too.
Figure 4. Infographic Used as the Resume of a
Recent College Graduate6 One buyer we interviewed told us that
hiring consultants sometimes felt just like
hiring anyone for their companies.
He told us, “Going through proposals is
just like going through resumes. There’s a
lot of junk and we just toss those out. But
then it comes down to a handful that look
good, and it’s tough to make a decision
because no one really stands out.”
It doesn’t have to be like that.
In Figure 4, have a look at what one recent
college grad used for his resume.
Use Infographics to Communicate Value Late
Make Your Presentations and Proposals Stand Out with Infographics 2
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 10 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
I’ve seen dozens of website design proposals. But I’ve never seen one where the company takes
something like this, showing the prospect, in each of the following categories, exactly what they’ll do
for them. Imagine how much more powerful a customized version of this would be than a bulleted list
outlining “what we’ll do for you.”
Figure 5. Infographic Describing the Anatomy of a Perfect Website6
Use Infographics to Communicate Value Late
2
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 11 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Lots of companies have been using infographics
in their marketing recently. It’s a trend. Only a
few, however, have been using infographics in
their proposals.
There’s a big opportunity for those that start.
I’m not suggesting you adopt a graphical
communication approach to completely replace
whatever you’re doing now.
If, however, you want to get your message
across clearly and powerfully, if you want to
stand out from the other consultants, and if you
want to inspire confidence that you’re “the real
deal” in whatever it is that you do, an
infographic customized for the prospect in the
proposal can make the difference.
The great majority of consultants are not doing
this. It’s an advantage waiting for you to seize it. How about comparing your prospect’s “current
reality” to their “new reality”. Do you draw the
distinctions as powerfully as this?
Figure 6. Infographic Comparing the Summers
of 1969 and 20097
Use Infographics to Communicate Value Late
2
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 12 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Success with social media has been the shiny new penny everyone has been chasing for a few years.
All the chasing, however, seems to be on the marketing side.
How to develop a community of followers.
How to drive people to your website through social media.
How to build a brand and get press mentions with social media.
Very little focuses on how to sell with social media.
What This Means for 2012
Perhaps the greatest opportunity for selling with social media is developing new relationships with
prospects.
Sell with Social Media
3
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 13 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
One consultant I know spent over 6 months
trying to get in touch with a senior vice
president at a Fortune 500 company using
telephone and email as his core outreach
tactics. No luck.
Then he set up social media monitoring on this
person and several topics that he knew were top
of mind for him. Eventually, the consultant saw
an obscure quote by the executive, and reached
out via a common connection on LinkedIn to
start a discussion with him about it.
The executive accepted his connection request,
but did not respond.
But about 3 weeks later, the executive’s assistant
called the consultant and requested a meeting
himself.
On the call, the consultant learned the executive
knew the consultant was trying to get in touch
with him. But what the consultant wanted to
talk about had, up until that point, not been on
the to-do list. When he got the LinkedIn
connection he decided to take a look at the
consultant and his company, and his interest was
piqued.
A few weeks later an issue shot to the top of his
to do list, and he then asked his assistant to
schedule the meeting.
Without the social media monitoring and the
LinkedIn networking, the consultant would have
never gotten the meeting with this powerful
buyer.
Sell with Social Media
Example: Small Social Media Effort Gets Big Results 3
Consultants as a whole are just starting to use social media for selling, especially engaging new relationships with potential clients.
!
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 14 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Advice for how to sell with social media is a journey longer than this report can travel.
Those that take the journey themselves, however, may find it’s a shorter road to success than the
one they’re on now.
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are your starting points for selling with social media, but
there’s a lot to take advantage of beyond these four major sites.
Here are 10 other tools you might find helpful:
InsideView
Google Alerts
Radian6
Hootsuite
ActiveConversation
Gist
Jigsaw
OneSource
Xobni
Trackur
Sell with Social Media
Social Media Technologies to Explore for Selling 3
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 15 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
When my business partner John Doerr worked for a large company, he used to know a number of
people who were top performers – really excellent results producers – who retired. But there was a
big problem…they never told anyone about the retirement!
For years, they just kept showing up to work but they weren’t nearly the producers they used to be.
They had the capabilities to be top performers – they could sell – but they were no longer actually
doing what it took to produce results. After years of crushing sales targets for this company,
commitment waned. Results dropped.
In this case, attributes were the difference between past success and current mediocrity.
Strengthen Selling Attributes
4
Commitment is an attribute, not a capability. !
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 16 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
As the academics put it, selling is complex, and
thus performance may be less attributable to
skills, knowledge, and credentials, and more
attributable to factors such as positive attitude and
self-image, motivation, and emotional intelligence.
They go on to note that if it’s true, assessing
“competencies” (we use the word attributes), is a
must.8, 9
Consultants must assess their own sales attributes
along with skill and knowledge needs.
It’s not enough to build selling capabilities for
yourself and your team; you have to develop (or
hire for) the attributes required for top
performance. We call these attributes drivers and
detractors of selling success.
If the drivers of success aren’t in place – meaning
you don’t have, for example, the desire to achieve
in sales, the necessary commitment to take action,
the right self-image, and so on – selling never
quite gets the passion, energy, and enthusiasm
that the rest of your job gets.
If too many detractors are in place you might know
what to do and have the capability and drive to do
it, but you still often fail for other reasons.
Detractors are bad for consulting and bad for
selling. If you don’t know which ones might be
holding you back, you’re at a disadvantage.
Tendency to get emotionally
involved
Non-supportive buy cycle
Money discomfort
Self-limited record collection
Need for approval
Strengthen Selling Attributes
Drivers and Detractors of Sales Success 4
Common Detractors of Selling Success
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 17 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Say a consultant is listening to a prospect talk
about his plans for a technology purchase. The
prospect says he plans to move forward in three
areas: A, B, and C.
The consultant, having been through these
technology challenges many times before, knows
that A and B are good ideas, but C is a disaster
waiting to happen.
He should bring this up appropriately to the
prospect, see if there’s something he’s missing,
and, if he still thinks C is a bad idea, see if he can
help get things on the right path. He might even
have the conversation skill to be able to do this
well.
But if the consultant has the detractor need for
approval, it’s likely he won’t say anything at all
because consultants with a need for approval
have great difficulty speaking with prospects
about anything that might upset the prospect or
rock the boat in their relationship.
This detractor attribute will, in this situation and
many others like it, inhibit the consultant’s ability
to help the prospect make better decisions, to
build a trusted advisor relationship, and set
themselves apart from competitors.
So while he had the capability to sell, something
else was holding him back from reaching top
performance.
Strengthen Selling Attributes
Example: But He Won’t Like Me… 4
You might be thinking, “Isn’t a core role of the consultant to tell a client what he needs to hear to make him successful, not what he wants to hear? Don’t consultants do this as a matter of course?” The answer to the first is, yes, it’s important. But the second… it doesn’t happen as often as you think.
!
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 18 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
As Fiona Czerniawska10, a well-regarded researcher in the consulting field, puts it:
Any senior executive in a big organization is surrounded by sycophants, yet success depends on
receiving and acting on objective feedback. “I want consultants to challenge my thinking,” said one,
“to help me see where I’m going wrong even if I resent the criticism at the time.”
Experienced consultants will know how hard this can be: difficult messages sometimes have to be
disguised or approached circuitously if they’re to be accepted; real courage may be required to stand
up to overbearing managers. There’s always the fear that an upset client will not hire you again and
may not even pay the current bill. But I worry that, these days, there’s more. The public stock of
consultants is not high and perhaps their awareness that they’re not loved makes them more eager
to be liked.
The most common reason consultants don’t ask difficult tough questions or push back when they
need to is a need for approval.
Strengthen Selling Attributes
Many Consultants Have a Need to Be Liked… Is This Holding You Back? 4
47% of consultants have a need for approval. !
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 19 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Need for approval is only one of several detractors that could be holding you back. The first thing
you need to do is find out which drivers you have that you should build on and which detractors may
be holding you back.
The second thing is to start improving your attributes as you also build your skills. But take note:
training is only a small piece that can affect attributes. Coaching makes the biggest difference here.
Fortunately, it’s becoming more and more accepted, and more and more common, to assess for
drivers and detractors. We at RAIN Group have been applying these kinds of evaluations for years to
help our clients hire and develop the best business developers, and train their consulting teams to
maximize their selling results.
What This Means for 2012
If you don’t know where your drivers and detractors are, 2012 is the year to find out.
Strengthen Selling Attributes
Uncover Detractors and Build on Drivers 4
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 20 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Months after a sales training event, consultants, professionals, and salespeople too often say:
I don’t remember what was covered in the sales training program
I don’t know enough to use the tools and apply the advice
I didn’t get enough practice to feel confident enough to give it a try
I tried something and it didn’t work. I'm not sure if I did it wrong
I’m pretty sure the powers-that-be don’t remember that this was a priority anyway
Most sales training is focused around a two- or three-day event where people learn and practice
new skills.
Without reinforcement, as much as you might have loved the program, it’s the rare consultant who
goes home and curls up by the fire with their General Foods International Coffee and reviews the
sales training materials 3 times a week.
Build and Reinforce Selling Skills 5
The problem with event-only training is that the effects of the event fade over time.
!
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 21 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
With event-only training, after short-term bumps in selling improvement, people forget learned
skills and knowledge, forget how inspired and motivated they were given what they covered, and
the learning effectiveness decreases.
In this case, you end up with what ES Research calls the 120-day sales training curse. Four months
later, results and behaviors go right back to where they started before the training.
During Training Event After Training Event
Program: • Engaging • On target • Well delivered
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0%
Lear
nin
g Ef
fect
iven
ess
Months 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
No concept reinforcement No complementary learning No action reminders, practice, feedback No expectation reinforcement
Build and Reinforce Selling Skills
Stand-alone Training Results Fall Short 5
Figure 7. Poor Reinforcement Leads to Reduced Impact of Training Over Time
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 22 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
During Training Event After Training Event
Program: • Engaging • On target • Well delivered
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0%
Lear
nin
g Ef
fect
iven
ess
Months 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Concept reinforcement Complementary learning Action reminders, practice, feedback Expectation reinforcement
Figure 8. What’s Possible with the Right Before, During,
and Post-Training Activities
Build and Reinforce Selling Skills
Reinforce Training for Lasting Impact 5
Adult learning is an ongoing process. Only through repetition and practice will you internalize the
training and consistently put it to use. When you attend to the before, during, and after of the
training, here’s what’s possible…
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 23 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
“Best-in-class companies outpace laggards by nearly a two-times factor in providing post-training
reinforcement of the best practices commonly learned in classroom-style instructor-led sales
education sessions. These firms have learned that long-term success depends on underscoring the
best practices in sales training deployments…”11
And the reinforcement makes a difference in results…
-5.00%
-4.00%
-3.00%
-2.00%
-1.00%
0.00%
1.00%
2.00%
Team Attainment of
Quota
Time to Productivity
Reps Achieving Quota
Sales Turnover Reduction
Sales Cycle Reduction
Reinforcement Users Non-users of Reinforcement
Figure 9. Impact of Reinforcement in 835 Organizations that Recently Employed Sales Training11
Build and Reinforce Selling Skills
5
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 24 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Build and Reinforce Selling Skills
Getting Post-Training Right 5
The concept that learning needs to be reinforced won’t be much of a news flash for most readers.
Still, strong post-training reinforcement is the exception in sales training.
For those companies that get post-training right with reinforcement that works, it makes a
tremendous difference in effectiveness and sales results.
“Reinforcement was helpful”
Leads are up 14%, close rate is up 11%,
average sale up 22%...
“Bring on the results meeting!”
“That went well!”
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 25 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
These 5 game changers are just the beginning when it
comes to boosting your sales success in 2012. When it
comes to bringing in new business and growing your
firm, opportunities abound. And to help make 2012
your best sales year ever, we’re releasing the entirely
revamped online sales training program:
It provides you all the knowledge, tools, and
confidence you need to make the transition from
consultant to rainmaker and to take your selling to the
next level.
The best rainmakers are students of sales. They are
constantly learning, growing, and changing for the
better. They read about sales. They get coaching to
improve. They are not afraid to ask for help.
Boosting your selling skills does not have to happen
through years of trial and error. You can take a cue
from the best rainmakers and speed up the process by
learning from others’ successes and missteps.
In SCS 2.0, we’ll share lessons from successes,
challenges, and mistakes we’ve seen thousands of
consultants make along with the best of what we’ve
learned in our decades of experience in the field of
sales, our research, and our own success in selling
consulting services that propelled us to win a spot on
Inc. magazine’s list of the fastest growing companies.
This intensive online training program is designed to
walk you step-by-step through all facets of selling
consulting—from building a value proposition that
sells, to leading masterful sales conversations, to
filling the pipeline with qualified leads, to overcoming
objections, to closing the deal.
The world of consulting, and selling consulting has
changed. We’re here to be your guides to help you be
more successful. You can make 2012 a year of
tremendous growth and prosperity.
The Best Way to Improve Your Selling Results in 2012
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 26 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Over the course of the program we’ll give you all the pieces of the puzzle you need to:
Develop a winning value proposition and describe complex services in a way that gets prospects excited about you and your services
Keep the front end of the pipeline full with qualified prospects while maintaining your practice with active clients
Position yourself as a trusted advisor during the sales process, building strong, trusting relationships from the get go, making the sale smoother and faster
Lead masterful sales conversations in any situation
Overcome objections and get closer to the close
Follow up with prospects in a way that deepens your relationship over time
Get premium fees for your services even when clients pressure you for lower fees
Make the business impact of your services clear so you can sell more with less resistance
Increase profits by charging (and getting) premium fees for your services
Create proposals that win at full price
Selling Consulting Services 2.0 will help make 2012 your best sales year yet. Learn more at www.SellingConsultingServices.com.
What You’ll Learn
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 27 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
Get the Tools, Skills, and Support You Need to Become a Rainmaker
27 Training Lessons: Designed to give you every last piece
of the puzzle you need to fill the pipeline, lead masterful
sales conversations, and close new deals. Click here for a
complete list of topics covered.
Worksheets, tools, checklists, and templates: Following
each lesson, assignments will be available for you to
download and complete to help you immediately put the
new learning into practice.
Monthly Q&A Coaching Calls: One of the cornerstones of
this program includes regular Q&A calls to dig into the
issues you face in selling your consulting services and
provide specific feedback for your situation.
Expert Forums: The course instructors are active
participants in the forums and will provide direct feedback
on your value proposition, sales conversations, proposals,
and whatever specific challenges you face.
In the program, we’ll dive deep into the RAIN Selling process. We’ll equip you with the practical, how-to information and tools you need to fill the pipeline, command higher fees for your services, and bring in a predictable flow of profitable new clients.
!
In SCS 2.0 we’ll equip you with the skills, tools, and templates you need to more successfully bring in
new business and grow your firm. Specifically, you’ll get:
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 28 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
What’s New in 2.0?
Bonus Lessons: Bonus lessons on advanced selling
topics are included throughout the program to help
you get to the next level.
RAIN Selling Simulation: A 2-part, choose-your-own-
adventure-style sales game that’s a fun, competitive
way to put your new skills to use.
6-Minute Goal Planning Tool: Developed to give you
a framework for reviewing and updating your
personal and professional goals on a daily basis. Track
your short and long-term goals to get on track and
stay on track.
RAIN Selling Email Reinforcement Program: Ongoing
email reinforcement makes the learning stick. You’ll
receive short email messages packed full of practical
advice, quick tips, and scenario challenges.
New to the program in 2012 is the
, which includes private, one-on-one consulting calls with one of our sales experts. Gold Members will enjoy lifetime access to the program and exclusive strategy sessions to work through their current sales challenges. Click here to learn more.
!
5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
We have a lot more free content coming your way, so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can learn more about the 6 core modules in Selling Consulting Services 2.0 and what you can look forward to learning in each step. Best regards,
Mike Schultz President, RAIN Group Founder and Publisher, RainToday.com Co-author, The Wall Street Journal bestseller, Rainmaking Conversations and Professional Services Marketing Adjunct Professor, Marketing Division, Babson College Leader, Selling Consulting Services with RAIN Selling
P.S. Stay tuned over the coming weeks and look for emails from me. You don’t want to miss the valuable tips I’m about to share with you. To be sure you receive these emails, please add mike@raingroup.com to your safe sender list.
“I’ve tried several sales training programs and I’ve read the leading books and I can confidently say that the SCS program is the most valuable, highest quality resource out there. “The Selling Consulting Services program jumpstarted my business development effectiveness by helping me identify how I provide value and how to align that value with the specific needs of my clients. The program just made everything click for me.” - Andy Schneit, Consultant and Selling Consulting Services member
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5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com 30 © 2012 RAIN Group | www.RainGroup.com
1 Schultz, Mike and John Doerr. How Clients Buy: 2009 Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing and Selling from the Client Perspective (RainToday, 2009), 4. 2 Frederiksen, Lee W. , Ph.D. The High Growth Professional Services Firm: How Some Firms are Able to Grow in Any Market (Hinge Marketing, 2010), 5. 3 Schultz, Mike and John Doerr. How Clients Buy: 2009 Benchmark Report on Professional Services Marketing and Selling from the Client Perspective (RainToday, 2009), 6. 4 Schultz, Mike. The 10 Commandments for Building a Value Proposition that Sells (RainToday, 2010), http://www.sellingconsultingservices.com/downloads/10-Commandments-Report.pdf/, 7. 5 Spurlock, Christopher J. “Resume/CV,” http://cjspurlock.squarespace.com/resume-cv/, (2011), 9. 6 “The Anatomy of a Perfect Website,” ROI Media (2012), http://www.roimedia.co.za/the-anatomy-of-a-perfect-website/, 10. 7 Rivers, Jonathan. “The Summer of '69 vs. the Summer of '09,” BillShrink (May 22, 2009), http://www.billshrink.com/blog/3615/the-summer-of-69-vs-the-summer-of-09/, 11. 8 Leach, Mark P., and Annie H. Liu, and Wesley J. Johnston (2005), “The Role of Self-Regulation Training in Developing the Motivation Management Capabilities of Salespeople,” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 25, 3 (Summer), 269–281. 16. 9 Spencer, L.M., Jr., and S.M. Spencer, Competence at Work: Models for Superior Performance, (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1993). 16. 10 Czerniawska, Fiona, “Why Consultants Shouldn't Want to Be Liked,” Source for Consulting (The Source Blog 2012), http://www.sourceforconsulting.com/blog/2011/11/15/why-consultants-shouldn%E2%80%99t-want-to-be-liked/, 18. 11 Ostrow,Peter, Sales Training: Deploying, Knowledge, Process and Technology to Consistently Hit Quota (Aberdeen Group, 2010), 23.
Endnotes
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