Selling is the oldest profession in the world and a critical fundamental for a successful business. Every service business needs people who are able to generate leads, convert those leads into new customers who will remaining loyal advocates for many years.
Once upon a time, to generate new business could hire a salesperson, provide a telephone and the yellow pages to generate appointments. When we needed to purchase a product or service, the salesperson was the source of all the knowledge. For example, when you contacted an insurance company to purchase coverage for your house and car, you were directed to your local neighborhood broker who was the source of all the knowledge. When you wanted to travel, you contacted a local travel agency to discuss your plans. Today, insurance companies and airlines compete directly with insurance brokers and travel agents, respectively.
Competition across many service industry sectors is rapidly changing the increasing commoditization of many products and services is a challenge for business to business (B2B) services. Buyers today are smarter and able to access information from their computers, tablets, and phones without having to speak with a traditional salesperson.
In the last 15 years, there have been wars, as global financial crisis, and a worldwide pandemic that has contributed to this change. So how do accounting, finance, insurance, engineer, law, and other professionals attract, develop, and retain profitable business?
Enter the rain maker, a term professional services have been using since the 1970s. The term avoids the word selling, which some professionals often find distasteful. Rain makers generate revenue and profits and create opportunities for service business to growth organically, whilst producing opportunities for others to do important work. Rain makers are in big demand and most organizations are unclear how to get them. They constantly search for the elusive person who will generate new business for everyone. Some hire technical people hoping that a few will turn into rain makers. Some try to lure hired guns away from competitors—this is seldom effective, as they know little about the organizations past success, until they learn. A person who was a successful rain maker at one place is seldom able to repeat their success somewhere else.
Rain makers are different from traditional salespeople. Rain makers develop strong networks and powerful relationships, they match a prospect’s needs, opportunities, frustrations, and challenges with their organization’s capabilities to attract prospects. They are customer centric and results focused. Many people believe that salespeople are born and not made. I believe that almost any professional can learn to become an effective rain maker, however, many organizations simply don’t know how to do it.
This book is written for people who manage and lead professionals, and who want to develop their professionals into effective business developers and rain makers. It will help the managers to create the necessary environment what needs to be done to develop those skills.
This book will also provide guidance to those professionals who want and need to learn how to become to be rain makers, such as independent professionals. It compliments my first book, Financial Services Sales Handbook, which was written for the individual professional who wanted to make the transition from doing work to selling it.
This book has three parts. Part I defines what is a rain maker, dispels myths and false beliefs, and covers the rain maker mindset. Part II covers four success frame works required for successful selling and rain making. Part III covers developing and executing action plans, achieving big goals, and success. The appendices cover additional techniques, guidelines, and checklist to implement this program for your organization.