Podcasts by How Clients Buy

Using the Seven Elements as a Diagnostic Tool from 2018-08-08T13:15:29

The Seven Elements framework presented in"How Clients Buy"represents a list of ingredients essential for business development success. As such, they can be used to conduct a self-assessment of r...

Learning from Rainmakers from 2018-07-12T23:25:52

When researching"How Clients Buy,"Doug Fletcher and Tom McMakin interviewed dozens of successful rainmakers. Their subjects ranged from solo practitioners to managing partners of global consulti...

First is Best from 2018-06-12T21:01:14

By all means, create content. Share the good stuff. Use inbound marketing and marketing automation—mindfully—to build awareness and understanding of your firm and its capabilities. Just don’t ne...

Trust is Everything from 2018-05-24T23:57:41

When it comes to professional services, Tom McMakin believes trust is everything. That's because information asymmetries are inherent in professional services. The service provider diagnoses the...

Sales or Marketing? from 2018-05-12T21:53:34

Which is more important to professional service providers: marketing or selling skills? The answer is both, contrary to common assumptions about the value of division of labor. Solutions provide...

Forget About Being Likable from 2018-04-30T19:03:05

Doug Fletcher is one of the most likable people you'll meet. His easy-going manner puts one at ease. So, it's a bit jarring to hear Doug advise,"Forget about being likable."Instead, Doug encoura...

The Good Stuff from 2018-04-08T16:55:58

When it comes to content marketing, if you hold back your “good stuff,” your efforts will be less effective. Your good stuff is, by definition, the most interesting stuff. If you hold back and...

The Decline of Business Golf from 2018-04-02T19:49:50

Playing golf at the country club used to be an effective way to cultivate business relationships. That's no longer true. Globalization and specialization have made selling professional services ...

What They Don’t Teach You in B-School from 2018-03-14T16:53:26

Even if the primary purpose of your practice isn’t to make money, making money is a requirement for sustaining your practice. By definition, a sale is the exchange of a service for money. So why...

The Seven Elements of Business Development for Professional Services from 2018-03-02T03:01:17

In this second in a series of interviews, Andi Baldwin of Profitable Ideas Exchange interviews"How Clients Buy"co-authors, Tom McMakin and Doug Fletcher, about the framework they call,"The Seven...

Why We Wrote“How Clients Buy” from 2018-02-09T15:32:16

In this first of a series of interviews, Andi Baldwin of Profitable Ideas Exchange asked"How Clients Buy"co-authors Tom McMakin and Doug Fletcher to explain the premise of the book and why they ...

Keeping It Real: Why Clients Value Authenticity from 2018-01-26T14:00:14

Authenticity is critical to successfully engaging potential clients, but you can't game it. You are who you are. That means authenticity comes at a cost. Nate Bennett explains why the benefits o...

Can a Billboard Improve Your Sales? from 2018-01-10T21:31:15

Advertising professional services can help, but it's a relatively poor investment. With the help of Walt Shill, Global Managing Partner for Client Services at ERM, Tom McMakin explains how it's ...

Underwriting the Conversation from 2017-12-05T15:27:41

It's better to demonstrate expertise than to claim it. Paul Quigley explains how organizing and moderating well-crafted panel discussions can help you sell from"the front of the room."

The...

Making Friends: The ABCs of an Introductory Call from 2017-08-22T15:00:28

I sat down with Cavin Segil and asked him to narrate a typical introductory call with a potential client. He says they always include a handful of key components. Call them the ABCs of an introd...

Following Up–How to Write a Compelling Deck from 2017-08-08T15:00:40

At the end of the introductory call, most prospects will ask for a “short piece” describing what you do and what you’ve done for others. Carlie Auger describes the four elements of a strong deck...

Seeking Assistance from Fellow Travelers from 2017-07-28T15:00:15

If you could ask a question of one of your peers, what would it be? We naturally seek assistance from those who are fellow travelers. Andi Baldwin seeks to find out what you would ask one of you...

The Seven Elements of Business Development from 2017-07-19T15:00:05

Clients aren’t sold services. They buy them based on their evaluation of seven criteria: Awareness, Understanding, Interest, Belief, Trust, Ability, and Readiness. All seven elements must be pre...

The Customer Journey from 2017-07-06T15:00:42

Too often, we start the sales process from our point of view. Instead, start from your desired customer’s perspective.

The postThe...

Outrageous Success from 2017-05-25T15:00:25

Ann Kieffaber recently retired from the healthcare practice at Accenture as a Managing Director. Before that, she worked for IBM. In both roles, she was charged with helping the largest healthca...

The Lost Art of the Cold Call from 2017-05-23T15:00:25

In an age when computers are ubiquitous, it is easy to want to automate the selling of expert services. Software can have its place, but nothing replaces human contact. If you see someone you fe...

Three Legs of a Stool from 2017-05-22T15:00:54

When selling services to large organizations, there is never a single decision-maker. Individuals buy, but they exist within a buying ecosystem. Ann Kieffaber explains how understanding the sea ...

Servant Leadership from 2017-05-10T15:00:26

Leadership is not just Braveheart-come-follow-me. It’s also a healthy dose of listening to those one wants to lead.

The postServant ...

How Selling Expert Services is Different from 2017-05-08T15:00:54

Tom McMakin believes that selling expert services is different than selling a product. I'm convinced he's right. Marketers of products are generally able to rely on what Doug Hall calls"kitchen ...

A Tasting Flight from 2017-05-03T15:00:10

The biggest challenge Dave Bayless sees in his own and others’ professional services practices is the tendency to be “intentionally vague.”

The postListen

On Making Friends Across the Organization from 2017-04-29T15:00:12

John Nord refers to the process of selling across an organization as"farming."It's a term that connotes stewardship and sustainability.

The postListen

How Selling Expert Services is Like a Game of Baseball from 2017-04-27T15:00:39

Matt Ulrich tracks professional services business development like it's baseball. “The game is pretty simple. You’re at bat and the trick is to round the bases. Think of BD baseball as a series...

Using Peer Forums to Develop Relationships from 2017-04-18T15:00:25

Expertise is better demonstrated than described. Likewise, trust is earned, not demanded. In this podcast episode, Jacob Parks explains how to use peer forums to demonstrate expertise and cultiv...