Sales is hard for anyone, but especially when you start your own professional services business, your own beliefs are often the biggest obstacle to sales. I started with some strange, self-limited beliefs about sales. Over time, I realized that I … Read More
proposals
How to Keep Your Professional Services Practice Going (without going “viral”): tips for coronavirus
With SXSW down for the coronavirus count, along with the NBA, NHL, NCAA, MLB, and innumerable smaller events, how do you handle lead generation for your professional services firm? How do you replace the networking opportunities? The in-person meetings that … Read More
Who is the competition and what are the rules of the game?
How often have you been in the end stages of a sales cycle, you think you’ve laid out a great case against the competition, only to find the prospect goes dark? The first step to beating the competition is to … Read More
Finding the Soul of Your Brand with Justin Foster
What does your brand mean? Does it have a soul? And how does finding the soul of your brand improve your results, in business and in life? Planning your sales and marketing for 2020? Don’t miss the forest for the … Read More
The red/yellow/green copy critique: improve your copy in 15 minutes
Writing copy can be hard and frustrating. Like anything else, getting good takes practice. But here’s a simple exercise you can do in 15 minutes that will have a dramatic impact on your copywriting. I call it the “red-yellow-green” copy … Read More
Why Sales Training Doesn’t Work (for You)
What do you do when you start your own business and realize that you have actually do sales (and marketing)? That being invited on technical sales calls or the occasional account review is not the same thing as running the … Read More
Client Intake Forms
Client Intake Forms let you bring on new clients and (dis)qualify prospects faster. The traditional client intake form is a printed PDF on a clipboard– think doctor’s office. This works, but it’s slow, requires lots of data reentry, it’s often … Read More
Don’t “Market”, “Teach” — marketing for consultants
Last week, I discussed how to “help” instead of “sell”. This is a powerful paradigm shift, especially if you find “selling” uncomfortable, unnatural, and/or unethical. But what about marketing? What about lead generation and business development? Another paradigm shift can … Read More
The Sales for Nerds Signed Bookshelf Giveway
I’ve been lucky enough to have a bunch of awesome authors come on Sales for Nerds, and Aaron Ross recently recorded his 2nd interview, for the new edition of From Impossible to Inevitable. I asked if he had any signed … Read More
Call Mode: An easier way to make sales calls
Most people don’t really enjoy making sales calls. I’ve found that if I’m doing a good job helping prospects, not just selling them, the conversations are easier, more fun, and more productive. But knowing who to call next can be … Read More