referrals

stand out with positioning

Consulting Positioning: 4 techniques to nail your niche

Positioning your consulting practice is perhaps the most critical sales and marketing decision you can make, but it’s also hard, so a lot of consultants don’t really do a great job with it. This leads them to struggle unnecessarily. Why … Read More

As a consultant, are you a business owner or a subcontractor?

The phone rings and you can see the name of your client. What’s the feeling in your gut? Is it, “oh, great, I’m looking forward to talking to so-and-son”? Or is it, “not again, this so-and-so is draining the life … Read More

The Bar Test

passing the bar test for positioning

What do you say when people ask what you do? In person? On your website? On LinkedIn? When you’re talking to your friends? What do your clients say you do for them? Is your answer consistent and authentic? For many … Read More

always-be-closing beliefs are the biggest sales obstacle

Our own beliefs are the biggest sales obstacle

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

Closed for business

Reasons you don’t have a Lead Magnet on your site

After I published a 3,000 word article on using a Lead Magnet to generate leads for your professional services business, responses ranged from “hey, this is exactly what I needed”, to “this would never work for me.” Within the “never … Read More

The Reconnection Challenge

I’ve been thinking (and writing, and coding, and acting) a lot about the importance of connections. Not just social media connections, but actual social connections, which take time to nurture. Social media should (and can) facilitate real connection, but often … Read More

The Maximum Social Network

With the rise of online social networks, it’s easy to quantify our connections. Or so you’d think. How many likes? How many followers? But what does this really mean for human connection? How many connections can you actually have? And … Read More

Making Sales Call Easier

If there’s one overriding theme beyond the Mimiran product, it’s: “automate around Reuben’s weaknesses.” One of those weaknesses is calling people. I’m getting much, much better, but it’s still not my favorite thing, and I’m still behind where I should … Read More

Pipeline Planning

2019 Sales and Marketing Pipeline Planning

We’ve all done our sales planning for 2019? If you’re a bit behind, like some people I’ve heard about, you can use this quick pipeline planner to get a sense of how many leads you need, what your close rate … Read More

Word of Mouth Marketing Michael Katz Blue Penguin Development

Are you maximizing word of mouth and referrals?

Referrals are awesome, right? Just because I’m a big fan of “growing beyond word of mouth”, doesn’t mean I hate referrals. On the contrary, I love referral business. When I did consulting, all my business was word of mouth. (And … Read More