Rules for Rainmakers
By Michael W. McLaughlin
Rainmaker: a professional with an uncanny ability to win new and repeat business.
Ask ten successful consultants how they land profitable work, and you're likely to get ten different answers. You'll find some consultants who sell with apparent ease and others who sweat every sales encounter. You'll also find some who, in spite of their best efforts, just can't sell.
What separates the rainmakers from everyone else?
A colleague I'll call Jack is a rainmaker by anyone's definition. He uncovers and closes enough work to occupy a large practice, and he performs at that high level every year. Some people believe that his skills are the result of a "sales gene" few of us mere mortals possess.
Even though, at first glance, he doesn't seem that impressive, Jack does have advantages over others. He's immediately trusted by people he meets, grasps core issues facing clients in a flash, and he has service offerings that are second to none. His skills aren't in his DNA, though.
Instead, Jack does three critical things: he ignores conventional sales advice; cultivates his natural curiosity about people and events; and he practices continuously.
If you assume that rainmakers are born, instead of made, Jack's life is much easier. That's because you have erected a self-imposed barrier to reaching levels of success like his.
Miss Congeniality Doesn't Win the Crown
To begin with, rainmakers cast aside hackneyed sales advice for building "instant" rapport with clients. Granted, you probably won't win if your prospective client finds you repulsive.
But rainmakers are confident enough in their own abilities to engage in substantive, issue-based conversations with clients. They establish real connections with others based on undeniable professional competence—without trying to win a personality contest.
Rainmakers pursue a deep, holistic understanding of the client's strategic and operational issues. Their mindset is that of a business advisor, not just a vendor. And they immerse themselves, not just in the current client's concerns, but also in the high-priority issues facing all of the client's executives.
That means going beyond a cursory review of the annual report and the client's web site to prepare for meetings. Rainmakers focus on the issues below the surface by talking to their client's suppliers, customers, and their employees. They dig deeply into third-party analysts' reports and study industry dynamics and trends.
The rainmaker wants a long-term relationship with a high-value client as much as that first sale. So, if you're just scanning web sites and news clippings to get ready for important sales meetings, prepare for the rainmaker on the scene to beat you on a regular basis.
Float to the Top
I've known consultants who worked tirelessly for weeks, or longer, to win a project, only to find that none of the client people involved could make the decision to hire them. It happens.
Rainmakers avoid that fate. They apply their knowledge of the client's business to establish advisory relationships with executives who have responsibility for the performance of the business. Many consultants understand this imperative, but still fail to get to the real decision makers. Instead, they get intercepted by lower-level people who insulate them from those who can offer a broader set of opportunities.
How do you get to the top people in your client's organization? First, take off your business development hat until the time is right. Clients smell a sales pitch a mile away and if they get one before they're ready, you'll be politely excused.
From day one, create a relationship matrix—an influence map—that lays out the routes for getting essential introductions. Work to understand where influence resides in the organization, whether it's in the sales organization, manufacturing, or elsewhere.
In smaller companies, finding the influencers and decision makers is usually straightforward. But in large companies, the path may not be so obvious. And, titles and influence aren't always related, so use your contacts, observations, and your creativity to understand who's calling the shots and navigate to them.
Floating to the top clarifies the big picture in your own mind, which helps you serve the client more effectively in the future. And after a successful sale, you will be positioned to ask for, and get, references from your client's top executives.
What's the Plan?
Becoming a client's advisor at this broader level takes systematic planning and action. To reach that goal, rainmakers work from proactive, customer-specific plans that articulate how they'll attract and hold on to profitable clients.
One consultant thought it would be a great "win-win" plan to discuss with clients how his work would benefit the client organization and his business. In spite of positive intentions, his approach ignored clients' real interest, which is solving their own problems. That consultant left the industry after an unacceptable number of failed sales attempts.
Good consultants have client account plans specifying how to differentiate offerings to solve client problems. Most plans include the purpose for each client, how you will achieve it, the people you must meet, and what you must learn about the client. You should also outline the tactics you'll use and how much time, money, and effort you will expend.
The rainmaker takes the planning process one step further by developing a plan for gaining the client's personal trust. Research shows that client trust, which is highly correlated with sales, is dependent on three factors: trust in the firm, trust in the salesperson, and trust in the offering.
Clients know that service offerings have lifecycles, so they base their trust on their perceptions of the firm and the individual. The rainmaker knows that building that trust is a key part of the client marketing plan, not just something to hope for.
Then, of course, you have to work the plan. It's easy to get caught up in the client's day-to-day demands and let your marketing activities fall to the bottom of your to-do list. Rainmakers spend time every day on marketing. Set a goal, such as completing a few activities each day.
Great Work Won't Speak for Itself
Some consultants believe that delivering outstanding results in the present is enough as a successful sales strategy. It seems like a logical notion that, if you do great work, your client will hire you when new needs arise and send you valuable referrals. But don't bet your business on it.
Flawless delivery is essential for long-term success. You're hardly likely to survive a string of service failures. But you can't assume in today's business environment that word of your great performance will travel through your client's organization—and beyond that to others—without sustained effort on your part.
To get the word out, you need client-level communication plans for your current clients, and you need to integrate the details of the success you have helped clients achieve into your overall client marketing plan.
Assume No Allegiance
Complacency is the enemy of loyalty, so the rainmaker never assumes a client is loyal. A client's trust and loyalty can be swept away if you get too confident or let performance slip, even on one project or sale.
Clients will always surprise you, but be patient and understand the realities they face. Don't throw in the towel when things aren't going your way or you think clients don't show enough or appropriate appreciation for you.
Rainmakers understand that earning loyal clients is not a predictable, linear process. Instead, it's one that has growth spurts, plateaus, and setbacks. Patience and sustained action are at the core of the rainmaker's mindset. Invest yourself in that mindset, and watch it seed the clouds.