book

How to Win Client Business When You Don't Know Where to Start

by Doug Fletcher

October 2021

Beginner

240 pages

5h 42m

English

Wiley

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What Is a Rainmaker?Why Do I Feel So Stupid About Selling?The Five Rainmaker Skills, the Focus of This BookMoving Forward with the Five Rainmaker SkillsReferences
The Seven Elements of the Client's Buying Decision JourneyUnderstanding Client RiskIt's Not a Long Sales Cycle, It's a Long Buy Cycle References
The Seven Most Common Client PathwaysWhere Clients Come From: The Seven Client PathwaysConnecting the DotsReferences

The Rainmaker MindsetLessons from Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director at McKinsey & CompanyReferences
The Birth of Personal BrandingStupid Choices!Society's Hall PassReferences
If You're Not in the Client's Top Three, You're Not Going to Be HiredFilling an Empty Slot in the Client's MindReferences
Terry Pappy's Success Story: Carve a Niche, Then Carve a Niche within a NicheBill Stoddart's Success Story: Knowing What You Believe InThree Ways of Defining Your Personal Brand Identity: Functional Expertise, Target Audience, and Geographic FocusFinding Your Unique Combination of These ThreeReferences
The Story's BeginningThe Story's MiddleThe Story's EndingThe Lessons of the StoryA Seat at the TableReferences
Clients Seek to Avoid RegretHow We Can Help Clients Avoid Anticipated RegretUnlearning the Mental Hang‐up We Have with Talking about OurselvesChoosing Your Credibility MarkersReferences
Technique 1: WritingTechnique 2: Public SpeakingTechnique 3: University TeachingTechnique 4: Radio Programs and PodcastsTechnique 5: Serving on a Board of DirectorsTechnique 6: High‐Profile Work and Case StudiesTechnique 7: Industry AwardsTechnique 8: Professional CertificationsChoosing Where to Focus Your EnergyReferences
Master Digital Marketing at OxfordWhat Is the Internet Good For?LinkedIn Is a Powerful Enabler, But It Won't Do the Heavy Lifting for UsDon't Turn into Human SpamThe Power of Sharing and ConnectingReferences
Genuine Relationships, Not LinkedIn ConnectionsWhat's the Difference between Your Ecosystem and Network?Why Your Ecosystem Matters: Revisiting the Seven Client PathwaysThe Makeup of Your Professional EcosystemThe Double Helix of Your Ecosystem and TrustReferences
Remember What Mom Said: Don't Talk to StrangersMaking Friends on the PlaygroundMaking Friends with Your Two Hundred PeopleWhen Cold‐Calling Works BestCold‐Calling and Making FriendsReferences
Warm Prospecting: Leveraging Your Relationships to Make New FriendsNobody Likes Human SpamHow to Get an Introduction without Seeming PushyReferences
The Tree Farm AnalogyCaring for Your Professional EcosystemReferences
Recognizing the Limits of AdvertisingA Better Way: Building RelationshipsReferences
Recognizing Authentic LikeabilityWhere Trust Comes FromAdvice from a Seasoned Relationship BuilderReferences
Finding Common Ground through Small TalkBuilding Common Ground over TimeReferences
Finding Opportunities to Be Thoughtful and HelpfulCaring and Empathy MatterReferences
Why Undersharing Is a Path to IrrelevancyHow Much Is Too Much?Finding the BalanceReferences
The Roller Coaster of RevenuePracticing the Rainmaker Skills Every DayThe Most Important Hour of Your DayReferences
Building the Rainmaker Skills into Our Daily LivesReferences
The Modus OperandiA More Modern M.O.The Middle GroundFinding Your M.O.Rainmaker M.O. Best PracticesReferences
What We Can Learn from the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling StonesBecoming a Rainmaker Is Not a Structured 10‐Step ProgramReferences
Do You Enjoy Your Work?Enthusiasm for Our Work Is Key to Our SuccessKeep Exploring Until You Find Your CallingRespect, Trust, Likeability, and EnthusiasmReferences
On PatienceOn PersistenceThe Rainmaker MindsetReferences

Content preview from How to Win Client Business When You Don't Know Where to Start

CHAPTER 7Choosing Your Specialty : Shrink the Pond Until You're a Big Fish

You must identify your niche, and then master it. Put in the time and effort it takes to become exceptional at a niche that generates value for clients. Mastery matters because that is what drives clients to hire you.

—Art Gensler, architect, founder of Gensler (designer of the Apple Store)

We need a focused personal brand identity if we are to become successful rainmakers. Al Ries offers us these words of encouragement: “Focus is the art of carefully selecting your category and then working diligently in order to get categorized. It's not a trap to avoid; it's a goal to achieve. Don't let mindless criticism detract you from this goal.”

For most of us, our personal brand identity doesn't appear to us all at once like a moment of inspiration on the mountaintop. It often unfolds over time – often months or years. Many successful rainmakers find their personal brand identity by connecting the dots of our resume in the rearview mirror.

Terry Pappy's Success Story: Carve a Niche, Then Carve a Niche within a Niche

Trevor's story from the previous chapter provided an example of what a brand identity doesn't look like: going to market doing anything for anyone. Unfortunately, there's no slot for that in the client's mind. And, if there were, it would be a poor slot to own. This reminds me of a character in John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden: