RainToday's Sales Tips & Techniques Podcast

3 Keys to Forming Partnerships with Your Clients - With Andrew Sobel

June 17, 2009 14:00 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MB

Every consultant wants to form solid business partnerships with their clients, but many things can get in the way. Andrew Sobel, author of All for One: 10 Strategies for Building Trusted Client Partnerships, explains how to address some common challenges consultants face when trying to partner with their clients. Questions he addresses include: How do you relate to clients as trusted advisors when you're an expert in your own business and not theirs? How do you move past the function ex...

Tips for Creating a Social Media Marketing Strategy for Your Firm - With Dana VanDen Heuvel

June 10, 2009 14:00 - 10 minutes - 9.98 MB

Many professional services firms see their competition winning new business by blogging, connecting on social networks, and launching podcasts and online videos. And they want to know, "How can I do the same?" Dana VanDen Heuvel, founder of the Marketing Savant Group, explains how firms can create a social media marketing strategy. Topics he addresses include what questions firms need to ask themselves and how firms should integrate a CRM system into their plans. (Time: 10:54) Interested ...

Tips for Marketing on LinkedIn (Without Upsetting Your Prospects)

June 03, 2009 14:00 - 8 minutes - 7.81 MB

Millions of business professionals have a LinkedIn profile. So how does a marketer tactfully and effectively use this resource? Jason Alba, author of I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What, explains the finer points of netiquette (Internet etiquette), the best way to build a list from your connections, and what your personal profile should look like (Time 08:32) Interested in hearing more? Watch Jason Alba's on-demand webinar.

Making Change Happen: Insights for Creating Remarkable Things at Your Firm - An Interview with Dr. John Kotter

May 27, 2009 15:06 - 11 minutes - 11 MB

The strategies for marketing and selling for professional services firms aren't that complicated. But getting the leaders together and choosing a strategy often is. In this podcast we look at what leaders can do to make change happen at their firms with Dr. John Kotter, professor of leadership at Harvard Business School and author of New York Times bestsellers A Sense of Urgency and My Iceberg Is Melting, as well as the world's most influential book on organization change, Leading Change. ...

Breakthrough Strategies for Building Trusted Client Partnerships for Life - An Interview with Andrew Sobel

May 20, 2009 14:00 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MB

In this episode, Andrew Sobel, author of the book All For One: 10 Strategies for Building Trusted Client Partnerships, reveals approaches to building long-term trusted partnerships with flagship clients—those key clients that provide a disproportionate share of revenue and profits. Andrew provides research-based strategies for individuals and institutions to develop these trusted partnerships and shares examples from his book. (Time: 14:29) Interest in Hearing More?: Reserve a seat a And...

How to Transition from Hourly Fees to Value-Based Fees - An Interview with Alan Weiss

May 13, 2009 13:30 - 9 minutes - 8.7 MB

In this episode, we talk about how your firm can transition from basing its fees on hourly rates to basing its fees on the value your firm delivers. Alan Weiss, author of the seminar book, "Value-Based Fees: How to Charge and Get What You're Worth," explains why firms should use value-based fees, how firms can start adopting them, and how to respond to client objections. (Time: 09:30) Interested in hearing more? Sign up for Alan's upcoming teleseminar, Getting Paid What You're Worth: How...

How to Make Yourself Memorable in Networking Conversations - With Scott Ginsberg

May 06, 2009 15:57 - 8 minutes - 7.43 MB

Most people automatically say, "So, what do you do?" at networking events, but don't care what the answer is. Scott Ginsberg, "the authority on approachability," explains how to create a "soundbite" that will have people actually take interest in what you do. Listen as he offers tips to opening a whole new world of business opportunities, in this excerpt from Scott's recent webinar with Raintoday.com. (Time: 8:07 ) Hear the rest of Scott's advice by visiting the RainToday store and watchin...

The Importance of Building Relationships with People Committed to Your Success - An Interview with Keith Ferrazzi

April 29, 2009 14:00 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MB

Everyone needs two or three people who will tell them the truth, who will push and encourage them, and who will hold them accountable. Everyone needs two or three people who are committed to their success. Yet, most people, when ask, "Who's got your back," aren't sure that anyone does, particularly in a professional context. Listen to this podcast with Keith Ferrazzi, bestselling author of Never Eat Alone and the forthcoming book Who's Got Your Back?, as he explains the keys to forming the...

Keys to Becoming More Approachable and More Referable in Business - An Interview with Scott Ginsberg

April 22, 2009 12:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MB

In this podcast interview with Scott Ginsberg, the authority on approachability, Scott discusses how to become more approachable, how to connect with people about their passion, and how to break through the barriers which stop us from initiating conversations. Becoming a more personable professional is vital. Clients choose service providers they like, and rarely those who only serve their needs. (Time: 13:31) Interested in hearing more? Register for Scott's upcoming webinar, Networking f...

How Marketers are Using Social Media to Grow Their Business

April 15, 2009 15:01 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MB

Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn, and Facebook have marketers abuzz. The tools can generate exposure for their firms, increase website traffic, and result in new business partnerships, but marketers still don't know how to best use them. Michael Stelzner, who just published the Social Media Marketing Industry Report, discusses how marketers can tell if social media is paying off, what they should think about before diving in, how much time they should invest in it, and much more. (Time: 11:09)

Building Up Your Brand in a Downturn - An Interview with Mike Schultz

April 08, 2009 14:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MB

In an economic downturn many service firm leaders turn to marketing, and specifically brand building efforts, as the first place to cut. When in fact, your brand building activities (when done right) are the ones that can help generate leads, relationships, and trust—all key ingredients to winning new clients both in boom and in gloom. Listen as we talk about building up your brand in a downturn with Mike Schultz, the publisher of RainToday.com, president of Wellesley Hills Group, and co-au...

Using Social Media for Marketing and Selling Professional Services - An Interview with Paul Dunay

April 01, 2009 15:23 - 8 minutes - 8.13 MB

Where does a professional services practitioner, marketer, or salesperson start with all the social media out there? The choices can be overwhelming and many people choose to ignore the social media landscape altogether. We talk with Paul Dunay, author of the forthcoming book FaceBook Marketing for Dummies, and discuss what social networking is worthwhile and how to have a blog and content that is relevant. (Time: 08:53)

Delivering Client Experiences that Differentiate Your Firm - An Interview with Peter Merholz

March 25, 2009 15:57 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MB

In professional services firms, the experiences we create for our clients plays a huge role in our ability to satisfy them, generate the return on investment they are looking for, and ensure they stay loyal clients. Listen to this episode as Peter Merholz, author of "Subject to Change" and president of Adaptive Path, explains what service firms can do to deliver valuable experiences to clients. (Time 13:49)

The Business Case for Long-Term Lead Nurturing in a Recession - An Interview with Dan McDade

March 18, 2009 13:41 - 9 minutes - 8.37 MB

Most services firms want short-term leads, leads that are ready to buy now. In contrast, the best service firms focus on the 75% of leads that are long-term opportunities that take six months to two years to develop. It's not easy to do, but successful marketers do just that. In this podcast we talk with Dan McDade. Dan helps B-to-B companies fill their forecasts with qualified revenue opportunities as President of PointClear. Specifically, we revisit a questions-and-answer session we had w...

Building a Value Proposition that Sells in Recessionary Times - An Interview with Paul Collins

March 11, 2009 15:31 - 10 minutes - 9.98 MB

If you're trying to sell a 1960s automobile in the next century, you have a very limited market. The same goes for firms trying to sell services which haven't adjusted to the realities of the current recession. Listen as Paul Collins, managing partner of Equiteq LLP, explains how to build a value proposition that sells in a recession, drawing from his vast experience helping consultancy owners improve their profit performance and realize equity value in their businesses.

Keys to Being a Trusted Seller of Professional Services

March 04, 2009 15:00 - 10 minutes - 9.38 MB

A lot of people think "trust in business" is a little soft, a little oxymoronic, and a little odd. But it's not. It is an essential component of successful client relationships and a key element in winning over prospects. In this podcast, Charles H. Green, founder and CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates, breaks down how trust works in professional services, what the components of trust are, and how trusted advisors can reconcile that role with their responsibility to develop new business.

The Basics of Long-Term Lead Nurturing: How to Benefit from Your Firm's Second Best Revenue Source, with Dan McDade

February 25, 2009 16:00 - 9 minutes - 8.61 MB

Lead nurturing is a highly-relevent topic nowadays with most firms struggling to win business in the current recession. Why? Roughly 75-percent of all leads are long-term opportunities that need nurturing. Listen as Dan McDade, founder and president of Point Clear, explains how the best firms focus on these opportunities by using meaningful, thoughtful, and enjoyable communications. Interested in hearing more? Attend Dan's upcoming RainToday.com webinar, Best Practices: 10 Actions to Immed...

Keeping Your Revenue Flowing: 6 Key Business Development Factors (Part II)

February 18, 2009 15:52 - 7 minutes - 6.88 MB

If you're looking to create a culture of business development at your firm, you'll want to follow all six factors in the window into business development performance. Miss one of the factors for any reason and you'll severely limit your success. In part two of this two-part podcast, Mike Schultz, publisher of RainToday.com and president of Wellesley Hills Group, outlines factors #4-6 for creating a culture of successful business development performance. Be one of the rare service firms that...

Keeping Your Revenue Flowing: 6 Key Business Development Factors (Part I)

February 11, 2009 13:49 - 10 minutes - 9.17 MB

Lately, business development has been on the minds of service firm leaders, and for good reason: The recession has made firm leaders work extra hard to keep their firms' revenue flowing. So, how do you get the best business development results? Mike Schultz, president of Wellesley Hills Group and publisher of RainToday.com, believes there are six key factors. In the first part of this two-part podcast, Mike explains the first three of those factors: Expectations & Feedback, Tool & Resources...

Marketing in a Recession

February 04, 2009 18:00 - 8 minutes - 7.47 MB

This recession has spawned innumerable how-to-survive-a-down-economy pieces of advice: Focus only on the things that get you ROI and leads; focus on Internet marketing and cold calling; focus on relationships and networking; focus on your client base; build your brand. The list goes on. But, as Mike Schultz, publisher of RainToday.com and president of Wellesley Hills Group, explains, the one key insight you need to remember is that what has fundamentally changed isn't what you should do, it'...

How to Create a Culture of Growth, with Suzanne Lowe

January 28, 2009 19:17 - 9 minutes - 8.67 MB

When it comes to growing revenue and growing market share, professional services firms must effectively integrate marketing and selling into everyone's job. In this podcast, we listen to Suzanne Lowe, president of Expertise Marketing and author of the forthcoming book, The Integration Imperative, as she answers some important questions about how firms can do just that: • How can firms involve new-hires in marketing and sales? • How can business developers help with their firm's marketing? ...

The Top 5 Ways Professionals Sabotage Their Own Sales Conversations

January 21, 2009 14:57 - 8 minutes - 7.91 MB

Every professional service provider tries to make themselves distinct in the eyes of buyers: We seek to show our expertise, to respond to their needs, to listen, to articulate things well. Yet, in sales conversations, according to the buyers, we often don't do these things, making ourselves distinct in a very different way. Listen to this podcaset with John Doerr, founder of RainToday.com and president of Wellesley Hills Group, as he discusses the top five mistakes service providers make w...

Professional Services Spending Looking Down in 2009, Yet Buyers Open to Switching

January 13, 2009 22:20 - 8 minutes - 7.4 MB

In this episode, we look at the whether buyers of professional services plan to increase or decrease their spending. The data from our How Client Buy: 2009 research report shows the news isn't good for nearly every kind of firm out there. Our research does show an upside though. As Mike Schultz, president of Wellesley Hills Group and publisher of RainToday.com, explains, the majority of professional services buyers are not loyal to their current firm and are willing to switch providers. Li...

The Top 5 Ways Clients Find Professional Service Providers

January 06, 2009 13:27 - 8 minutes - 8.23 MB

In this episode, we share results from our How Clients Buy: 2009 research report. Specifically, we talk about the top five ways buyers identify and find their professional service providers. Mike Schultz, publisher of RainToday.com and president of Wellesley Hills Group, also delves into ways four and five—speaking engagements—and discusses what you should do to lead your own and speak at conferences. (Length: 08:59) Interested in learning more? Click here to see the details of our How Cl...

Becoming a Global Consultant, with Alan Weiss

November 18, 2008 17:42 - 10 minutes - 9.75 MB

In this podcast, we talk about becoming a global consultant: Who's it available to? What does it take? How can consultants begin on this quest? Alan Weiss, an internationally-acclaimed consultant and co-author of the new book The Global Consultant: How to Make Seven Figures across Borders, answers these and other questions. (Length 10:39) If you enjoy this podcast and are interested in hearing more, you can click here to sign up for Alan's upcoming teleseminar, with co-author Omar Khan. Y...