How to win more business for your firm through improving your rainmaking skills.

1. Rainmaking Skills
Non-manipulative skills for Zintro experts
Dr. John Brennan

2. Webinar Objectives
 Apply Rainmaking strategies
and skills to develop new
business
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3. How Your Client
Manages Consultant Relationships
Partner
Problem Solver
Preferred Supplier
Supplier
Unknown Bidder
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4. Rainmaking Process
Prospecting
Qualifying
And
Assessing
Preparing a
Proposal
Presenting
and Closing
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5. Sources of Prospects
 REFERRALS
 Your web site
 Networking
 Blog or newsletter
 Webinars
 Speaking
 Directories
 LinkedIn
 Cold calling
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6. Finding Prospects
 Identify Top 10 prospects in your market
 Ask for referrals
 Use LinkedIn “Introduction” email
 Objective: qualify them and get the
appointment
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7. Prospecting
 Enter 100%
 Pursue 30%
 Close 70%
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8. Rainmaking Process
Prospecting
Qualifying
And
Assessing
Preparing a
Proposal
Presenting
and Closing
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9. Rapport Building Techniques
 Smile
 State your meeting
objective
 Use your client’s name
early and often
 Use simple and familiar
words
 Make eye contact
 Shake hands
 Find areas of mutual
interest
 Be sensitive to client’s
culture
 Show genuine interest
in your client
 Be a real person, not a
role.
 Break the ice with
laughter.
 Be polite and respectful
 Have a positive attitude
 Avoid politics, religion
or sex
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10. Research Prospect’s Background
 Mission and strategy
 Relevant department’s goals and key result areas
 Current economic state
 Major challenges/obstacles
 Organization structure
 Names, titles & phone numbers of key stakeholders
 Their perceptions of your firm
 Most pressing and immediate needs
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11. Qualifying
 Qualifying your prospects means determining if they
are worth pursuing.
 Qualified prospects are MAD (Money, Authority,
Desire)
 Listening and Probing are key skills in qualifying
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12. Business Needs and Priorities
 Make money/save money
 Increase productivity/save time
 Avoid Pain: VUCA
 Create, enhance or re-engineer the
prospect’s vision
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13. Emotional Needs
Self
Actualization
Recognition
Growth Opportunities
Inclusion
Roof over head, Food on the table
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14. Uncover Client Needs
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15. Benefits
of Listening to Client Needs
 They feel positively disposed towards you.
 They will tell you all that you need to know to win
their confidence.
 Shows respect and caring
 Increases the clients’ expectations that you will
deliver a project that addresses their needs.
 Perceived as a gift - of your time and attention
 More likely to listen to you.
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16. Adjust your Attitude and Listen Better
 Put yourself in your clients’ shoes
 Focus your mind on what the client is saying.
 Shut out distractions.
 Listen for the whole story
 Turn off your own worries
 React to ideas … not the people … don’t argue
mentally
 Don’t allow your irritation at the client’s social style
to distract you
 Don’t jump to conclusions
 Check your ego at the door
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17. Probing for Client Needs
Probe for:
 Facts and feelings.
 Gain or pain
 Verbal and non-verbal communication
 Hidden information
Use:
 Open probes to get information
 Closed probes to gain agreements
 Follow-up probes to elaborate or clarify word
choices, jargon, etc.
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18. Rainmaking Process
Prospecting
Qualifying
And
Assessing
Preparing a
Proposal
Presenting
and Closing
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19. Value Proposition
Good value propositions promise to:
 Quantify anticipated improvements
 State the payback period—the return on
investment (ROI)
 Specify how results will be measured and
tracked
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20. Differentiator
 Compare features and benefits of your
approach against those of the competition
 What differentiates you from the competition?
 Why it is of value to your client.
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21. Clients Buy Benefits
 Features
 Advantage
 Benefits
 WIIFM
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22. Standard Presentation Format
Task Objectives Relationship
Objectives
Introduction Define problem
State meeting
objective as a benefit
Grab their attention
Establish rapport
Body Sell your solution
Key Point #1,
benefits, features,
proof and stories
Keep them engaged
Conclusion Summary Call for Action!
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23. Rainmaking Process
Prospecting
Qualifying
And
Assessing
Preparing a
Proposal
Presenting
and Closing
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24. Elements of a Persuasive Presentation
 Collaborate with your client on your presentation.
 Open with a tailored value proposition
 Differentiate your message
 Link client’s business and emotional needs to your
approach/solution
 Show benefits of each step in your approach
 Show “proof” that your approach works
 Use color, visuals, and multi-media
 Close with a request for action
 Rehearse 7 times
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25. Managing Objections
1. Listen without getting defensive
2. Probe the objection
3. Confirm it’s the real objection
4. “Feel, Felt, Found”
5. Close
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26. Buying Signals
 Asking for details of installation,
delivery, customer service
 Objections
 Touching your product/proposal
 A change in body language
 Shift from “you” to “us”
 May occur anytime during the
call
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27. Gaining Client Agreements
 Build up to the big “Yes”
 Earn the right to ask the client to agree to
move ahead.
 Create a sense of urgency and momentum
 Drive presentation to a commitment to next
steps
 Respond immediately to Buying Signals
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28. Summary
 Rainmaking is a process of matching Client needs
and your benefits
 Qualifying your prospects means determining if they
are worth pursuing.
 Qualified prospects are MAD
 Rapport building, listening and probing are key skills
in qualifying
 Clients buy benefits
 Objections are requests for information
 Close when you see buying signals
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29. Contact Information
 Dr. John Brennan
 Interpersonal Development
 Rochester, NY
 1-585-230-5765
 John@interpersonaldevelopment.com
 www.interpersonaldevelopment.com
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