4 Sure-Fire Ways to Land More Clients

Oily. Smarmy. Phony. Mendacious. Two-faced…

Right or wrong, these words are often associated with salespeople. They are also the first words that come to mind for many consultants (along with images of the overly aggressive, overly slick, walking sales cliché) when they learn they need to sell.

While being salesy is ill-advised for almost any sales rep, it is particularly bad for consultants.

Buyers of products often say, “I don’t like the sales rep, but I can tune her out for the next few minutes and simply evaluate whether or not I want to buy her product.”

Buyers don’t, however, disregard the seller of consulting. Why? The seller is often the product itself! The relationship does not end when the sale is completed. It begins. Thus, the foundation of trust set up between the buyer and seller in the sales process is of paramount importance.

There is Nothing Wrong with Selling

Quite the contrary, the act of selling, when done well, adds a significant amount of value. A well-planned sales conversation can help even sophisticated buyers make smarter decisions.

And, you can be effective without sounding like a used car salesman. You can and should sell with high integrity, and high success, and do it without snake oil tactics.

In fact, we’re going to let you in on a little secret: you can apply the same skills that make you a great consultant to help you succeed in selling—all you need to do is sharpen them to apply them effectively.

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

Here are four ways you can apply consulting skills to your selling process:

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, one that would naturally 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.

The skills that make you a great consultant can make you a great rainmaker.

Sales is about helping clients and prospects find solutions that solve their problems and help them succeed.

2. Sell to Need: Great consultants are masters at uncovering clients’ goals and challenges and helping them to 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 yet 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 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, confidence inspiring, and 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.

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.

Make the Transition from Consultant to Rainmaker

To help you make the transition from consultant to rainmaker we developed the online training program, Selling Consulting Services with RAIN Selling. This step-by-step program will walk you through a proven process designed specifically to teach consultants how to sell.
The program covers everything from developing your value proposition to starting sales conversations with rapport to getting in front of the economic buyer to crafting winning solutions and closing the deal.

And, we opened limited time enrollment for the program today!

“Selling Consulting Services with RAIN Selling has given me greater confidence and comfort with selling my services. The program structure and tools are logical and practical, and have helped me learn how selling can be a natural extension of who I am and what I have to offer. Additionally, it allows me to go at my own pace, which given an already busy schedule is a huge plus. This program is really enjoyable and valuable.”

- Jeremy Bromberg, Bromberg LLC

You too can start feeling more confident and comfortable with your selling by enrolling in Selling Consulting Services.

Here’s what you’ll get when you enroll:

27 training lessons. This is an online self-paced learning program. A new lesson will be released every single week over the course of 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.

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

Monthly teleseminars where we’ll dig deep into the issues you face and provide specific feedback and suggestions for your situation.

Worksheets, templates, tools, and checklists you can use to apply the learnings to your own sales practices immediately.

Because we’ve received such fantastic feedback from the charter group of participants, we did everything we could to make Selling Consulting Services with RAIN Selling available for a new group of students this summer.

“I’ve done many online training programs over the past 10 years, and this is, by far, the most well thought-out and best presented program I’ve seen.”

- Ghennipher Weeks, Applied Connectioneering

Get started down the path of rainmaking success – check out what the Selling Consulting Services with RAIN Selling program is all about. But do it fast – enrollment closes July 2.