Are you on the road to sales success?

Lots of things can determine whether you win sales. Buyers might not understand the value you offer. You might come on too strong and push people away. You might not have identified your ideal clients, and so the people you talk to have no need.

The list can go on and on. But here are four things that are essential for not only making a one-time sale, but establishing long-term buying relationships with clients—becoming a trusted advisor on whom they rely.

1. Market Your Services According to Buyer Preferences

You know you have to market your services using methods your ideal clients prefer. You have to go where your buyers are. If they use Twitter, you have to be there. If they prefer email notifications, you need to update them via that form of media.

Fairly new to the game is mobile marketing. Companies may be reluctant to adopt that type of marketing, but they shouldn’t be, says Jeff Roberts in his article Mobile Marketing a Must for Firms. Millions of people now use smartphones and other mobile devices, and if your firm doesn’t have a mobile website, chances are you’re not reaching those buyers, he says.

“Mobile websites are here to stay and are fast becoming one of the dominant ways that buyers access content,” Roberts writes. “In fact, Morgan Stanley predicts that by 2014, more people will access the Internet from mobile devices than from computers. And according to Google’s study, “The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users,” nine out of 10 smartphone searches results in an action (purchasing, visiting a business, etc.).”

If you’re new to the mobile marketing game, Roberts’ article can help you get started.

2. Provide Sales Training

You’ve identified your ideal client, you’re marketing where they hang out, your value proposition is crystal clear, you’re publishing content to help potential buyers and prove your expertise, and you’re ready for your sales team to start bringing in the clients. But they’re struggling. Even the “sales superstar” you hired is having trouble.

The problem could be that you haven’t prepared your sales team. They might not understand the firm’s value proposition and therefore aren’t communicating it well. They might not know what is expected of them.

Companies can’t expect their sales force to “just know” how to sell their products and services, writes John Doerr in his article Sales Success Calls for Building a Better Road: Define, Support, and Drive Action. They must provide a framework that salespeople can follow systematically to move prospects through the pipeline, as well as help them set goals and put plans into action.

“Most would agree that there are right and wrong ways to do just about everything, and sales are no exception,” Doerr says. “Process and methodology are essentially guides for behavior. They help you know when to do certain things (process) and how to do them well (methodology). It should be the basis for any sales training program looking to increase sales efficiency.”

3. Make Sure Buyers Are Ready to Change

As you talk with potential buyers you have to be careful that you accurately judge prospects’ interest, warns Jill Konrath. You might assume they’re ready to buy when really they’re still trying to decide if they should change from the status quo.

Your prospect would “prefer not to [change] because it takes a lot of extra time and effort. But if they can see that all the hassle and pain leads to a better outcome, they’ll do it,” Konrath writes in her article Promiscuous Sales Behavior Is Damaging Your Reputation.

She also points out that 90% of the people you meet are still in that deciding phase. Get them past that and onto the next phase—selecting a service—and then you can talk about your solution.

Sales expert Adrian Davis agrees that getting buyers to change from the status quo is a significant step sellers need to do well. In fact, the status quo is often a business’s greatest competition, he says in his podcast interview How to Become a CEO’s Trusted Advisor.

“Most people don’t seriously consider how much competition the status quo poses,” Davis says. “They’re seeing themselves as competing against another vendor, and really what they should be thinking is that they are competing against the status quo. And they should work with the chief executive to figure out how to move the organization out of the status quo.”

4. Work with the CEO

Getting a chief executive to take action on what you propose calls for a different approach than when you present a proposal to a department manager, says Davis. The chief executive has the final say, and there’s a level of risk involved. It’s on his shoulders if he makes a decision that hurts the company.

That means you have to present a business case and explain the ROI. With a business case you work with the CEO to uncover the real needs of an organization, agree on the requirements, and present tangible and intangible benefits. And you use an ROI to back up your claims.

“What’s going to make the sale is emotional engagement,” Davis says. “When that chief executive has completely bought in emotionally to making this change, then they’re going to look for ammunition that will support the change that they want to make. And one of the most powerful pieces of ammunition is ROI.”

What other things should firms do to make sure their services sell well?

Photo by Rob Owen-Wahl

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.

Do your clients love you and what you do for them?

It may sound a little risqué to say you’re in the relationship business, but the truth of the matter is your relationships with clients play a huge role in your company’s success. Do your clients like you? Can they depend on you? Do they value you? Do they trust you? Do you trust them?

All of those factor into whether you have good relationships with your ideal clients.

When it comes to starting relationships with prospects, there are many things that can demonstrate your expertise, give a feel for what it’s like to work with you, and create a foundation of trust. Here’s a look at a few:

Articles that Feature You

In this online world, the first thing people do when researching purchases is go to the web. They research their problem and possible solutions. If they find an article on the topic that features you or is written by you—and it provides helpful information—you move to the top of their list.

You can write an advice-like article and post it on your website or blog. You can also approach journalists and bloggers and let them know about you and your expertise. If you have something newsworthy to share, they could write about you or they could use you as a source in an article they write.

Approaching such writers requires some tact. Like your buyer relationships, relationships with journalists and bloggers call for a softer touch that first gets you on their radar and then proves you’re someone they want to work with. In fact, a personal approach often works best, writes David Spark in his article How to Approach Journalists and Bloggers–and Get Them to Write about You.

Bloggers on a recent PR summit said “they appreciate the personal approach where the person contacting them knows the writer, what they cover, and what they’re interested in,” Spark writes.

Other tips: keep pitches short, avoid all capital letters, and don’t call to ask if they received your email or press release.

Get Prospects to See You in Action

Speaking opportunities at conferences or industry meetings are a great way to demonstrate your expertise, showcase your personality, and network with potential buyers. The key to successful speeches depends on getting buyers into your session. And that takes work.

“Too many professional service firms put out a press release about the event or speaking engagement and call it a day. That doesn’t cut it anymore. Neither does writing a blog post or announcing it on LinkedIn. Elbow grease is required,” writes Vickie K. Sullivan in her article 3 Strategies to Get Buyers to Attend Your Next Speech.

Again, personal is best when telling people about the event. What you say to a conference attendee is different than what you say to a cold prospect, she says.

Other ways to help fill the room, according to Sullivan: ask current clients to talk up the event and include opinion leaders who will be attending the conference in your presentation.

Build a Trustworthy Sales Team

If you have a sales team talking with prospects, you have to make sure they have all of the essential information and materials. And that means having an onboarding program for each salesperson, says sales management strategist Lee Salz.

With onboarding programs companies can get new-hire salespeople up to speed and making sales faster, he says in his podcast interview The Best Way to Get New Salespeople Up to Speed and Generating Revenue Quickly. Without them, even great salespeople will fail.

“One of the challenges companies have is they say their new salespeople don’t sell the value that they offer. And I’ll say, ‘OK, when did you teach them about that value?’ And they’ll say, ‘What do you mean teach them the value? They’re salespeople. They’re great salespeople. They should know that.’ Well, you don’t come out of the womb knowing that. You’ve got to teach them how to apply the skills they bring to the table in your selling environment,” Salz says.

Being able to demonstrate the value of what you offer is also critical when it comes to pricing, adds Greta Schulz. If they understand your value and have the budget, you owe it to yourself to stand firm on price, she says.

“A prospect tells you that your price is too high for two reasons: you haven’t built up enough value or you haven’t shown them how your service can satisfy their need. If you do those two things, you should never defend or justify anything about your services, including your rates, to a prospect,” says Schulz in her article How to Close Sales When Buyers Fight You on Price.

Relationship-based Sales Success Story

Relationship-based selling works, as evidenced by Simplicity Consulting, which went from generating $300,000 in revenue to $11.5 million in just three years following that model.

CEO Lisa Hufford’s approach is to focus on the deliverable, writes Mary Flaherty in her case study of the firm Relationship-Based Sales Model Grows Consulting Firm from $300K to $11.5M in 3 Years. Projects often change in Hufford’s industry, so she works closely with clients from the beginning to get a good handle on the work required. The quote is based on the deliverable, and then she carefully matches a consultant to the project. The goal is to meet the clients’ unique needs.

“I believe it’s all about quality, not quantity,” Hufford says, “Clients don’t have the time to screen candidates. They just want to go somewhere they trust to find quality resources.”

Hufford’s relationship approach is a large part of her marketing, as well. She spends a lot of time networking, speaking to groups at large corporations, and educating companies on how to reduce costs and leverage resources in a new way.

“In a people business—especially one just starting out—it’s all about relationships, and that takes a lot of face-to-face meetings,” says Hufford.

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.

Whenever somebody says “trust me” don’t you instinctively put up your guard? I do. If you have to tell me to trust you, then you aren’t doing your job. I need to feel I can trust you—and so do your prospects. They need to feel you have their best interests at heart and that you can truly help them.

Often the first feelings of trust—or mistrust—come when potential buyers read your marketing copy. If you don’t know your buyers and you aren’t relevant, they aren’t going to give you the time of day let alone trust you. That means you must research your buyers, uncover their concerns with buying from you, and help them weigh the tradeoffs of buying from you, writes Kristin Zhivago in her article Secrets to Writing Marketing Copy that Customers Can’t Ignore.

“Once the copywriter knows what the tradeoffs are, he can and should address them as a friend would, not as a ‘formal’ copywriter,” she says.

Write copy that allows people to think positively about your firm, allows them to picture real, experienced people who take a smart approach to their business, Zhivago says. (Read examples in Zhivago’s article.)

Trust-based Networking

You can also establish trust through networking. Rather than just finding out how others can be helpful to you, “search for others to whom you can be helpful, write Charles H. Green and Andrea Howe in their article Trust-based Networking Critical for Business Success. Focus on others, and the rest will take care of itself, they say.

“This approach has two characteristics: it is inherently longer-term, and it forces focus on the other’s needs,” Green and Howe write. “The reason the trust-based approach is so attractive is the fundamental shift in business, from vertical control to horizontal influence. Coercion can work when you have control; when you don’t, you’d better try influence.”

Trust-based networking works online and in person. And the greatest thing you can do is introduce two people to each other, Green and Howe say. Other ways to practice trust-based networking include collaborating with others, recognizing others’ contributions publicly, talking about your partner more and about you less, and dropping the sales pitch.

How Well Do You Listen?

When a prospect talks with you, do you really listen to what they say? Or are you thinking about what you can buy if they agree to the deal?

Many service professionals and salespeople get dollar signs in their eyes and tune out when a prospect approaches them and says they’re ready to buy. They get excited about the money and “run roughshod” over people, says Dan Waldschmidt in his podcast interview A Key Component to Winning More Sales.

“We blame it on passion,” he says. “‘I’m just passionate,” we say. What we really are is a little bit inconsiderate. We’re a little hurtful. So, what we have to do is start listening—listening to what’s being said. Most of what gets said is never spoken. It’s either inferred or implied. It’s never actually said with our lips. It’s said with body language and eye sight. You really have to listen to what the soul of the person is saying.”

Trust Between Sales and Marketing

Companies would like to think they have one team responsible for generating revenue—sales and marketing teams working together. The reality for most, however, is different. Sales and marketing “exist separately, communication between the two teams is usually informal and irregular, and their data is siloed in ways that make it impossible to share,” says Dan Goldman in his article How an Inbound Marketing System Can Help Increase Revenue.

Add to that the fact that the two often don’t agree on what a qualified lead or buyer is, and the problem grows. Salespeople don’t trust the leads given them, they discard them, and sales suffer.

To improve this, Goldman suggests integrating sales and marketing teams via inbound marketing and marketing automation. With the right mindset, shared goals, and appropriate tools they can join forces to pull buyers to them and make sure each team has the same information about marketing campaigns and potential buyers.

With such a system companies can also better determine the ROI of marketing campaigns and stop spending money on those that don’t work.

“Integrating sales and marketing teams can be made to work and work well, but you have to make it an official goal and know what you want to achieve,” Goldman says. “And it has to be a top-down and bottom-up approach to get the right focus of effort and buy-in.”

Photo by Omar Naeem

These game changers will give you the edge in 2012

A lot of people are predicting more of the same for 2012:

High unemployment… volatile stock market… difficulty getting new clients… more push back on price…

But the private conversations we’ve had with clients are the complete opposite:

Lots of opportunity… plenty of need… leaders who are less skittish… time for significant growth…

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.

When we talk about growth, we’re talking about the ability of leaders and consultants to bring in new business and close new deals. We’re talking about selling.

Some things about selling haven’t changed much, such as the need to fill the pipeline with qualified leads, build meaningful relationships, communicate value, listen, uncover needs, craft solutions, overcome objections, and win 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 a lot is changing and changing fast.

To help make this year your best sales year yet, we’ve published the free report 5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012. In the report, we look through the lens of what’s new and what’s evolving to give you the edge you need in 2012. Mike Schultz, co-author of Rainmaking Conversations, Publisher of RainToday, and President of RAIN Group, reveals new ideas that you can implement in your sales process right now. You won’t find these game changers anywhere else.

It’s time to step up and start 2012 with momentum and confidence.

>> Click here to download 5 Game Changers for Selling Consulting Services in 2012.

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.

(Photo by John Perivolaris)

Selling.

What images come to mind when you see this word? Close your eyes and say the word out loud.

How does it make you feel?

If you’re like many consultants, the thought of having to sell makes you anxious, distressed, or uneasy. And for others, while you may want to learn how to sell, you simply don’t know where to start. You’ve never been taught what to do.

Well, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: As a consultant, you already have many of the skills you need to be great at selling.

Think about it. When you deliver services to your clients, you:

• Ask questions
• Provide expert opinions
• Work hard
• Are accessible
• Build creative solutions
• Deliver what you say you are going to deliver
• Develop relationships
• Act with your clients’ best interest in mind
• Solve problems
• Introduce clients to new ideas, helping them see a better way

This is exactly what you need to do to become successful in sales. It is not about persuading someone to buy something they don’t need. It is about helping clients and prospects find solutions to their needs while providing value.

As a Consultant You Already Have Many Skills You Need to Be Great at Sales

Here are just a few ways you can apply the consulting skills you already have to your selling efforts:

1. Sell as You Serve

Many consultants who have never sold think the purpose of selling is to part someone from their money at any cost. They believe that to be successful at selling, consultants must leave their values and everyday personalities at the door and adopt a sleazy persona and voice—a voice that would normally say something like, “What’s it gonna take to get you into this shiny, red, pre-owned sports car today, ma’am?”

Nothing is further from the truth. The best rainmakers bring in new clients because they are no different when they sell their services than when they deliver their services.

Great consultants create better futures for their clients that the clients didn’t know were possible.

The best rainmakers meet mutually set expectations over and over again, building trust, relationships, and confidence. The best rainmakers are ethical at all times.

2. Sell to Need

Great consultants are masters at uncovering clients’ goals and challenges and helping them make the changes necessary for success.

Great rainmakers are no different. However, many consultants feel uncomfortable making connections, uncovering needs, and working closely with people they don’t know well. Too often, the first conversations go awry when they don’t need to.

The same skills you use to get to the root of your clients’ problems and develop solutions to help them meet their goals are the ones you can use to uncover prospects’ needs and propose winning solutions. You just need to recognize what you need to do and bring these skills out at the right time and in the right way.

3. Communicate the Value

Great consultants understand the value they provide to clients.

They craft compelling solutions based on their clients’ unique needs, and they communicate that value to clients clearly and articulately.

Selling is no different. You must learn to lead discussions that influence direction and outcomes, and you must advocate your services and communicate your value. Just like when you advocate new ideas to your clients when you work with them, you must be persuasive, inspire confidence, and be empathetic all at the same time when you sell to them.

4. Plan for Success

It’s been said that if you don’t know where you’re going, then any road will get you there. Selling consulting services requires planning on multiple levels:

• Generating discussions for the first time with prospective clients
• Leading individual conversations and interactions
• Planning outcomes for specific accounts
• Orchestrating the entire business development process—how many clients you need to gain, how often, and for how much revenue and profit

Great consultants have a clear process that they follow. Each project has a specific objective, timeframe, budget, and resource allocation.

Rainmaking is no different.

Like consulting, selling is a process, and it’s waiting for you to master it.

No matter how you look at it, consulting is a sales business. Every day you are selling your clients on your ideas and your recommendations. So stop letting fear get in your way of selling to new clients and start to embrace the idea that selling is actually a good thing. Prospects are looking for solutions to their problems, and you are the one who is well-equipped to help.

Learn more about how to improve your sales in Dan Waldschmidt's Jan. 19 webinar Break the Rules: Edgy Ways to Drive Sales and Business Growth

If your sales aren’t what you’d like them to be, chances are you’re hanging on to some bad practices that are holding you back. According to sales and business strategist Dan Waldschmidt, there are several out there that salespeople follow not realizing their negative effects.

One of those is pursuing and accepting any client, especially when the prospect says they’re ready to buy. Salespeople get excited and begin spending that money before it is earned. They pursue the sale without adequately qualifying the buyer, Waldschmidt says.

High-performing salespeople don’t do that—even if it seems like the prospect is ready and willing to write them a check, he says. They make sure the buyer is a right fit for them and that they are in fact ready to buy. They aren’t blinded by dollar signs and don’t waste time pursuing a prospect who really isn’t interested. They know that if they carefully qualify buyers, they’re more likely to develop loyal clients who buy from them regularly and refer them to others.

“Salespeople must spend some extra time qualifying, some extra time spent listening—listening to what people are saying and listening to what people aren’t saying,” says Waldschmidt in a recent interview. “All of those things are very helpful in determining if you’re going to be successful or not.”

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Listen to the complete interview here:

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High-performing people and companies also have these qualities, Waldschmidt says:

• Extreme behavior
• Discipline
• Giving mindset
• Human strategy

“Great companies throughout time have shared all four of those qualities—all of them, not one of them, not two of them, not three of them—all four of them,” he says. “So, I’m going to challenge you to be edgy.”

Don’t do things simply because some expert said you should, Waldschmidt adds. Do things because you care about doing them.

“Until you stop and start caring about other people, until you change your message to be interesting and novel and creative, then you’re going to be like everybody else in the crowd. And frankly we have enough of those people. It’s what we call noise,” he says.