Download the Selling Consulting Services Roadmap to Sales Success to learn what's covered in the program

Are you serious about improving your selling skills? Is this the year for you to make the transition from service provider to rainmaker? Are you looking for a proven way to improve your sales conversations, fill the pipeline, and close more new deals?

If so, then you’ll want to check out our popular online training program: Selling Consulting Services 2.0 with RAIN Selling. And you’d better do it fast because we’re closing enrollment tomorrow (February 3) to devote our full attention to helping the new group of members successfully grow their consulting practices.

Special Offer: Save $100.00 off your first month when you enroll right now.

This online training program is absolutely the best way to boost your selling skills. But don’t take our word for it; here’s what a few industry experts have to say:

“This program has it all: superb content, a self-paced format, and a community of like-minded practitioners. The program strikes a perfect balance between recorded presentations, video, and live interaction with RAIN Group and RainToday founders Mike Schultz and John Doerr. The lesson on mastering sales conversations alone is worth the price of admission. Highly recommended for consultants looking to bring in more business.”
— Michael McLaughlin, author of Winning the Professional Services Sale and Publisher of Management Consulting News

“I’ve been selling and marketing professional services for over almost 20 years. Over that time there’s only been one external program I’ve ever felt comfortable recommending: Selling Consulting Services with RAIN Selling. With a wealth of video, audio, interviews, presentations, and exercises, it covers the full range of skills a consultant needs to excel at business development. Right from generating leads through to closing deals. And because it’s online, you can benefit from it without losing precious billable time. In fact, I signed up for the program myself and was delighted to find that despite my years of experience, there was plenty that I learned from it. I got an email a few weeks ago from a fellow consultant who thanked me for introducing them to the program and said how much they’d benefited from it. Frankly, it’s not often people feel compelled to thank you just for making a recommendation, and it’s testament to the quality of the program that it provokes this kind of response.”
— Ian Brodie, Managing Director, Rainmaker Academy

If you enjoy the content we publish on this blog and in our RainToday.com newsletter, you’ll love the Selling Consulting Services 2.0 program.

But enrollment closes tomorrow. Check out all of the details here:  http://www.SellingConsultingServices.com.

How does the program work?

Enrollment closes tomorrow. When we close the doors, we shift our attention to focus on helping you improve your sales skills and grow your business. When you enroll you’ll get:

• 27 training lessons: 1 or 2 new lessons will be released every week over the next 4 months until you complete the 6 core modules. Lessons are designed to give you every last piece of the puzzle you need to fill the pipeline with qualified leads, win more new business, and command higher fees. Click here to download an overview of the 27 lessons.

• Access to members-only forums: You’re not going through this alone. In the forums you can share challenges and successes, get individual feedback from instructors, and learn from your peers.

• Monthly Q&A Coaching Calls: We’ll dig deep into the issues you face and provide specific feedback and suggestions for your situation.

• Worksheets, templates, tools, and checklists: Apply the learning to your sales practices immediately.

• RAIN Selling Simulation: This 2 -part choose-your-own-adventure-style sales game is a fun, competitive way for you to put the program’s techniques and tactics to use.

• Email Reinforcement: Helps you retain the core RAIN Selling concepts so they become second nature

• Plus, you’ll get access to 4 exclusive bonus webinars for Selling Consulting Services members, including Prospecting 101, How to Craft a Value Proposition, How to Turn Cold Prospects into New Clients, and Using Questions to Make the Sale. You’ll get immediate access to these webinars when you sign up.

Time is winding down. We’re closing the doors tomorrow, and we don’t know when we’ll open them again. Plus, we’re offering you a special deal when you enroll by the deadline: Enroll now and save $100 off your first month’s tuition.

So, start your journey down the path of making 2012 a year of growth and prosperity. Go grab your spot in the program before it’s too late! Doors close Friday at 9:00 pm ET.

“Selling Consulting Services has had a direct positive impact on my business. I was able to turn a prospect that was in my pipeline for the past few years into a significant client. The framework provided by the program really made a difference, especially during the proposal development process. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to improve their sales approach, conversations, and results.”
- Perry Parendo, Perry’s Solutions, LLC

Get started today for just $97 for your first month. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to grow your business.

Did you listen to last week’s podcast interview with Lee Salz on how to get new salespeople up to speed quickly? If not, you probably should, because it won our Readers’ Choice Award! Congrats to Lee, and thanks to everyone who voted.

Who will win this week? Let’s take a look at what’s in this week’s Rainmaker Report (February 1) to find out.

RainToday founder John Doerr starts us off with an insightful piece on why process, methodology, goal setting, and action planning are so essential to sales success. Without them, your sales efforts will lack the direction and focus necessary to be truly successful.

And speaking of failed sales efforts, have you ever been on a date where the other person comes on way too strong? The same thing happens in sales, and Jill Konrath is here to tell you why it could be devastating to your business. If you think you might be guilty of pushing prospects towards the sale too quickly, you’ll find this article to be extremely valuable.

Also in this week’s issue, we have Jeff Roberts talking about the numerous benefits of mobile marketing (and why it isn’t optional in today’s market), along with a fantastic podcast interview with Adrian Davis on how to become a CEO’s trusted advisor. He gives a preview of next week’s webinar, Proposals that Matter: How to Structure Your Business Case for CEOs. So if you enjoy his podcast, you’ll definitely want to check out the webinar.

OK, have at it. Check out all of this week’s content, and vote for RainToday’s Readers’ Choice Award:

• Sales Success Calls for Building a Better Road: Define, Support, and Drive Action – By John Doerr
• How to Become a CEO’s Trusted Advisor – A RainToday Podcast with Adrian Davis
• Promiscuous Sales Behavior Is Damaging Your Reputation - By Jill Konrath
• Mobile Marketing a Must for Firms – By Jeff Roberts

Cast your vote today.

Once again, it’s time to vote for RainToday’s Readers’ Choice Award. Congratulations to Kristin Zhivago for winning last week’s award with her article Secrets to Writing Marketing Copy that Customers Can’t Ignore. It was a great article, and a well-deserved win for Kristin.

On to this week. I have a feeling that our new content will generate a tight race for the top spot.

Ever had a prospect fight you on price? I’m guessing the answer is yes. But before you agree to drop your fees, take a look at Greta Schulz’s new article. In it, she tells you why walking away from the table might be your best course of action.

Up next is Contributing Editor Vickie K. Sullivan who tells you how to fill the house with potential buyers at your next speaking engagement. And David Spark gives you firsthand insight into how you should approach journalists and bloggers so that they write about your content rather than send you to their SPAM folder. Both articles are packed with great tips that you won’t want to miss.

This week we also have a case study by Mary Flaherty that shows how relationship-based selling works. Check it out to learn how Simplicity Consulting used that model to grow revenue from $300,000 to $11.5 million in three years.

Last, but certainly not least, Lee Salz gives a fantastic podcast interview on how to get new salespeople up to speed so that they’re making money for you in no time.

Now it’s up to you. Read the articles, listen to the podcast, then visit our Facebook page to vote for your favorite.

• How to Close Sales When Buyers Fight You on Price – By Greta Schulz
• 3 Strategies to Get Buyers to Attend Your Next Speech – By Vickie K. Sullivan
• The Best Way to Get New Salespeople Up to Speed and Generating Revenue Quickly – A RainToday Podcast with Lee Salz
• How to Approach Journalists and Bloggers–and Get Them to Write about You – By David Spark
• Relationship-Based Sales Model Grows Consulting Firm from $300K to $11.5M in 3 Years – A RainToday Case Study by Mary Flaherty

Cast your vote today.

Congrats to Dan Antonelli for winning last week’s Readers’ Choice Award with his article Is Your Business Struggling? Your Ego May Be to Blame. It was a great read, so if you missed it, I recommend checking it out.

Also worth checking out is the new content from this week’s Rainmaker Report (January 18). In it, Kristin Zhivago shares the secrets to writing successful marketing copy in a time when traditional copy is, in her words, dead. And RainToday Contributing Editor Charles H. Green delves into why trust-based networking is so essential to the success of your business.

Also in this week’s issue is a piece by Eric Goldman in which he describes how inbound marketing automation can help integrate a company’s sales and marketing teams, something that’s proven to be a challenge for even the best firms. If that sounds like a problem your company has encountered, this could be the article for you.

Meanwhile, if you can’t wait for Dan Waldschmidt’s webinar tomorrow (Break the Rules: Edgy Ways to Drive Sales and Business Growth), you can listen to his podcast interview below. You’ll learn about one of the most important components when it comes sales: listening.

“You really have to listen to what the soul of the person is saying,” Waldschmidt says.

If that doesn’t make your curious, I don’t know what will.

Once you’ve chosen your favorite piece of content, head over to Facebook and vote. As always, the results will be announced right here next week. Here are the nominees:

• Secrets to Writing Marketing Copy that Customers Can’t Ignore – By Kristin Zhivago
• A Key Component to Winning More Sales – A RainToday Podcast with Dan Waldschmidt
• Trust-based Networking Critical for Business Success – By Charles H. Green
• How an Inbound Marketing System Can Help Increase Revenue - By Eric Goldman

Cast your vote today.

Congratulations to Mike Danielson for taking home last week’s Readers’ Choice Award with his article Why Social Media Marketing Must Follow Old Media Rules. It was a great article, and clearly the topic resonated with many of our readers. Great work, Mike.

Shifting our focus to the present, this week’s content leads off with some truly valuable advice from Mark Hunter: you might need to fire some of your clients. Let’s be clear—this isn’t clearance to start casting off any client you find to be slightly irritating. However, Mark presents a convincing argument for why some very specific clients aren’t worth the effort, so be sure to read all about it.

Next up, Dan Antonelli tells you why your ego might be to blame for your business’ struggles, while the always-engaging Bruce W. Marcus returns with an article that teaches you how to use marketing to truly compete.

And are you one of the holdouts who isn’t yet convinced of the effectiveness of inbound marketing? RainToday’s own Mary Flaherty has a case study that might just change your mind.

Last but not least, Sandy Blaha tackles probably the number one question on all of your minds: how can your business succeed in this incredibly tough economy? She’s got some great insight that you won’t want to miss.

There’s a ton of content and only a week to read it, so check it all out and then vote for your favorite.

• You Might Need to Fire Your Client If . . . – By Mark Hunter
• Is Your Business Struggling? Your Ego May Be to Blame – By Dan Antonelli
• Competing for Clients—Emphasis Is on Competing – By Bruce W. Marcus
• Inbound Marketing Helps Consulting Firm Increase Leads by 193% – A RainToday Case Study by Mary Flaherty
• How Your Business Can Succeed Despite a Tough Economy – A RainToday Podcast with Sandy Blaha

Have a favorite yet? Awesome. Go vote!

I hope that everyone had a very happy New Year, and that you all enjoyed reviewing the RainToday Readers’ Choice winners of 2011. It was a hard-fought battle, but in the end Carl Wideberg took home the title of Readers’ Choice 2011 Champion with his article Ethical Selling = Effective Selling. Congratulations, Carl, and thanks to everyone who voted!

But now we need to look to the new year, and we’re kicking off 2012 with a stellar roundup of fresh content.

First up is Contributing Editor Michael McLaughlin, who tells you the 10 things you need to do if you want to be a top consultant. And if you’re curious about what not to do, Robert Middleton is here to explain what might be keeping your business from finding the success it deserves.

And you know how social media is the “cutting edge” marketing strategy of our time? Well, Mike Danielson says that we need to look at it through the lens of traditional marketing in order to maximize its potential. Otherwise, it could end up being a hindrance rather than a help.

Finally, Stephanie Chandler contributes an outstanding podcast interview  about how publishing a book can generate a ton of revenue for your business.

It’s all valuable content, so I’m going to get out of the way and let you check it out for yourself. Then, head to our Facebook page to cast your vote for the first Readers’ Choice winner of 2012!

• 10 Things the Top Consultants Do – By Michael W. McLaughlin
• The Only Thing Holding Your Business Back – By Robert Middleton
• Why Social Media Marketing Must Follow Old Media Rules – By Mike Danielson
• How Publishing a Book Can Generate Business Revenue – A RainToday Podcast with Stephanie Chandler

It was a couple of nail-biting weeks as we watched the poll numbers for the Top Sales & Marketing Awards. Would our fans turn out to vote? Will the expert judges consider us a valuable source? Could we take home the gold for a second time?

The answer is yes.

RainToday was named the Top Sales & Marketing Resource Site for 2011 by Top Sales World, taking home the gold for a second year in a row.

We at RainToday believe we produce the best sales and marketing resources for our readers. But it is only when we hear it from our fans and industry experts that we know we’re on target. Thank you so much to everyone who voted. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Equally as thrilling are the gold awards won by Mike Schultz, John Doerr, and the RAIN Group team:

• Top Sales & Marketing Thought Leader—Mike Schultz and John Doerr
• Top Sales & Marketing Book—Rainmaking Conversations by Mike Schultz and John Doerr
• Top Sales & Marketing eBook—Why Sales Training Fails

Schultz also won the silver award for Top Sales & Marketing Webinar— 7 Principles of Successful Sales Conversations—and the bronze award for Top Sales Article—3 Ways to Improve Your Value Proposition…Right Now.

Several RainToday contributors won awards as well:

• Jill Konrath—Bronze, Top Sales & Marketing Thought Leader
• Kelley Robertson—Silver, Top Sales Article
• Paul McCord—Silver, Top Sales Article; Bronze, Top Sales & Marketing Blog
• Kendra Lee—Silver, Top Sales & Marketing Webinar
• Ardath Albee—Bronze, Top Sales & Marketing Blog

Congratulations to all of these sales and marketing “heroes,” as awards co-founder Jonathan Farrington calls them. You all “went the extra mile,” challenged the status quo, and brought new and innovative ideas to the industry.

Put on some holiday music, grab a pitcher of eggnog, and gather your friends and family around the computer, because it’s time to vote for the best of 2011’s Readers’ Choice Award winners.

That’s right. We’ve taken all of this year’s winners out of our members-only archive so that for the next two weeks everyone will have the opportunity to vote for the best of the best. The winner be dubbed the Readers’ Choice Champion of 2011 (or something epic like that).

I don’t think there’s much need to ramble on. You know the drill. Check out the best of this year’s sales and marketing content, and then head over to our Facebook page to vote for your favorite. Enjoy, and we’ll see you in 2012!

The Finalists:

• Terrible Sales Ideas We’re Addicted To, Part 2 - Dan Waldschmidt
• Are You Approachable? Try Doing This to Draw Clients to You – Scott Ginsberg
• 9 Non-Technical Ways to Increase Website Traffic – Eric Rudolf
• Firm Combines Direct Mail with Online Features to Increase Sales – Mary Flaherty
• Ethical Selling = Effective Selling – Carl Wideberg
• Your Marketing Communication Lacks Credibility. Here’s Why – Eric Rudolf
• Don’t Convince and Coerce Prospects, Influence Them - John Doerr
• How to Rise above Sales’ Low-Trust Reputation – Charles H. Green
• How to Deal with Delusional Buyers Suffering from Sticker Shock – Vickie K. Sullivan
• Never Ask a Prospect These Questions – Andrew Sobel
• How Being Likable Helps You Win Sales – Michelle Tillis Lederman
• The Dangers of Discounting Your Price to Create Cash Flow – Mark Hunter
• Consulting Firm Attracts Large Clients, Grows Revenue 50% Using Implementation Fee and Guarantee – M. Sharon Baker
• 10 Things You Must Know About C-Level Decision Makers – Kelley Robertson
• What to Do When Your Website Goes to Google Jail – Melanie Yunk
• Changing the Sales Process to Reflect New Buyer Behavior – Eric Keiles
• Company Uses Video to Build Relationships, Become Trusted Source in Their Industry – David Spark
• Letter from a Client: This Is Why You Lost the Contract – Andrew Sobel
• Does Your Website Follow This Wrong Advice? – Beth Carter
• 3 Essential Elements of Successful Sales Presentations – Tom Kennedy
• The Costly Assumption Most Salespeople Make – Dan McDade
• The Sales Trap: Know It, Avoid It – Eric Keiles
• Lead Generation: Prospects Need a Human Touch – Dan McDade
• Top Challenges of B2B Firms and How to Address Them – Lisa Nirell

Vote Now

Did you enjoy last week’s podcast interview with Lisa Nirell? If so, you’re not alone because the podcast, Top Challenges of B2B Firms and How to Address Them, earned Lisa last week’s Readers’ Choice Award. Congratulations, Lisa! Great work.

This week, our contributors have all sorts of excellent advice to share with you. For instance, did you know there’s a similarity between grocery shopping without a list and cold calling? I’m guessing no, but Mark Heerema has written a great piece on how the practice of “winging it” could be devastating to your sales results. Definitely worth checking out.

Next up, C.J. Hayden tells you how to leverage personal connections to bring in better business, and Scott Hunter discusses how to build strong client relationships in order to set yourself apart from your competitors.

And who doesn’t love a new case study from M. Sharon Baker? The answer is nobody because her case studies are phenomenal. This week, she dives into the world of landing pages, describing how one company redesigned their pages and not only improved lead generation but saved $65,000. I’m guessing a lot of you will be interested in learning how they did it.

Finally, RainToday Publisher Mike Schultz takes center stage in this week’s podcast. He demonstrates how automated marketing and sales tools are helping to drive business growth and what that means for your business in the coming year. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg because next week Mike is giving a must-watch webinar on sales and marketing trends to look out for in 2012 and how to keep your business ahead of the curve. I’ll see you there.

OK, have at it. Soak in all of the content from this week’s Rainmaker Report (December 7) and then head over to Facebook to vote for your favorite.

• The Biggest Cold Calling Mistake—and How to Prevent It from Ever Happening – By Mark Heerema
• Automated Marketing and Sales Tools Help Drive Business Growth – A RainToday Podcast with Mike Schultz
• Connecting the Dots to More Sales – By C.J. Hayden
• The Secret to Profitable Client Relationships – By Scott Hunter
• Landing Page Redesign Doubles Conversion Rates and Results in $65K Cost Savings – A RainToday Case Study by M. Sharon Baker

It’s tough, I know, but go with your gut. Vote now.

Happy post-Thanksgiving, everyone, and congratulations to Dan McDade for winning last week’s Readers’ Choice Award with his podcast Lead Generation: Prospects Need a Human Touch.

To help you fill the time between holidays, we’ve published some stellar new content that should give your business a boost as we rapidly approach the end of 2011.

Ever wonder what makes top salespeople stand out from the rest of the pack? Steve W. Martin breaks it down to seven key characteristics and documents the sales impact that each quality brings to the table.

Meanwhile, RainToday favorite Bruce W. Marcus returns to describe the impact Professional Services Marketing 3.0 will have on your future, and Lisa Nirell gives a fascinating podcast interview on the top three challenges B2B firms face today.

To top it off, Kristin Zhivago reveals the biggest sales lie that hurts businesses. Want to find out what it is? Check out her article below, along with the rest of the content from this week’s Rainmaker Report (November 30). Then choose your favorite, and head over to Facebook to vote for the Readers’ Choice Award.

• Top Traits of Successful Salespeople – By Steve W. Martin
• The Biggest Sales Lie in Business – By Kristin Zhivago
• Top Challenges of B2B Firms and How to Address Them – A RainToday Podcast with Lisa Nirell
• Why Professional Services Marketing 3.0 Matters for Your Future - By Bruce W. Marcus

Who will win this week? Cast your vote today.