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In this new edition of his classic book, Rain Making, Ford Harding reveals step by step how--even if you've never sold a product in your life--you can become a top performer in your organization. Filled with easy-to-use strategies, checklists, tables, and guides, this book shows you how to:
Ford Harding is the president of Harding & Company, which trains professionals to win new clients. His books are required reading for certification by the Society for Marketing Professional Services. His articles have appeared in Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. He lives in Maplewood, NJ.
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He does make one or two points that may be impossible to implement, such as "Specialize in something early in your career." Obviously you can't do this if you're well into your career. But he gives a lot of practical advice anyone can heed, for example, to update your bio after every major project.
He gives good advice about how to deal with journalists and get publicity, i.e., become a source. Don't promote yourself, just provide information reporters need to write their stories. Once you become a regular source, your name will be mentioned often enough. (He also has a good section on how to be quotable).
The single most trenchant observation is stated early in the book: networking is, first and foremost, about finding ways to help other people. It sounds a bit pollyanna-ish, but it's true, and if you keep this in mind, the whole networking process becomes much less distasteful and "slimy" to those inclined to view it as such.
An excellent business book, whether one is an independent consultant or working in a large firm.
As a provider of strategic marketing services for high-technology companies, I have spent the last 15 years helping my clients better understand their markets and customers' needs and develop effective marketing operations. I have also given much thought about how the concepts I recommend to my clients could be applied to my own business; some are applicipable, but unfortunately, most are not.
Over the years, I've looked for ideas about new business generation for professional Rainmakers -- The Manager's Guide to Training Professionals to Attract New Clients by Ford Harding.
The book starts with a realistic discussion of the problem we face, then continues to outline an approach to the solution. It does not suggest any particular process, but chronicles what has actually worked for others; it is based on interviews with over 100 highly successful rainmakers. Harding tells how to think about the problem and how to develop a process that will work for you and your firm. He acknowledges that many successful rainmakers have an intuitive gift, but points out that those of us who do not have it, can learn from those who do.
I recommend the book to you. Those who are already proficient rainmakers will find ways to polish their technique; those who are struggling rainmakers will find a systematic approach to developing a system that will work for them.
CREATING RAINMAKERS By Ford Harding -- Summary of Main Points
Most professionals are good at reactive sales, i.e., obtaining an assignment when a client comes to them with a problem. Rainmakers, on the other hand, identify prospects for new business and they turn those contacts into revenue-producing assignments.
Successful rainmakers have a system to assure a continuing flow of new contacts which eventually results in new business. There are as many differences as similarities in the specifics of their systems, but all have an "engine" to keep the process working. The most successful systems fit the unique requirements of the rainmaker's market and the characteristics and personalities of the firm. Building a rainmaking system is like investing at compound interest -- success takes time, but eventually it builds on itself.
There are four key parts to successful rainmaking systems. Targeting & positioning -- you must know your market and the value you offer. Lead generation -- using thought leadership, relationship networks and value selling. Face-to-face meetings -- all lead generation efforts must lead to this. Performing -- delivering quality service is most important.
Professional service firms face one or haystack" problem -- finding a client with a problem you can solve. The "many points of light" problem -- many others also provide the service you offer. The "one dog client" problem -- client already has a provider of service you offer. Some rainmaking techniques fit one problem better than others.
Harding describes three types of selling, professional services. Product selling -- works if you can define a "standard service." Need-based selling -- prior contact or a referral is necessary. Value-based selling -- often works when need-based selling won't.
Successful rainmakers spend more time generating leads than selling. Most rainmakers initiate calls; business seldom "falls in their lap." They find a way to integrate lead generation with their other activities.
Above all, Harding's survey shows, rainmakers are optimistic
"Though a buyer of manufactured goods seldom thinks about those who produced them," Harding writes, "one who buys professional services almost always does. Unable to try out or even look at a service before buying it, the buyer does the next best thing by assessing what it would be like to work with the professional who delivers it. This means that, sooner or later, all professionals must market if they want to advance their careers and grow their firms."
Harding's book is designed as a self-help guide for professionals who want to stay employed and keep their careers from plateauing. Reviewing time-tested strategies for positioning and visibility, such as writing, speaking, networking, and media exposure, he repeatedly cautions that the professional must take time to do these things as a matter of survival even if time is tight and the firm is not offering much support for these efforts. "It is always better to be doing some marketing than none," Harding states. "Making progress on marketing is as urgent as making progress on a client's project."
Every one of the specific topics, such as writing, making presentations, getting publicity, and so on, has been written about in entire books that can obviously devote far more time to those topics. Yet Harding does a remarkable job of condensing savvy ideas into the space available, and keying them specifically to professional services. The book contains numerous guides, checklists, and samples to help get each idea off the ground.
If the rest of the book were not already enough of a wake-up call for professionals to expand their focus on marketing, Chapter 17, entitled "Self-Marketing: Experts Make Themselves" should do the trick. Harding made a list of the people he knew well who were most successful in marketing their professional services, and sought to identify the qualities that set them apart. Here's what he found:
1. The stars were universally high producers early in their careers.
2. The stars showed an intense interest in marketing early in their careers.
3. They took great care to credential themselves.
4. All found ways to improve their firms' services.
5. They became specialists.
Against this background, Harding invites the reader to complete a self-evaluation that will help identify strengths and gaps along a four-point track of Skills, Experience, Knowledge, and Expertise. Armed with this information, the reader will be able to take steps to fill in gaps and formulate a suitable personal marketing plan.
Much of this may not be good news to professionals who feel that the quality of their work and devotion to clients should be its own best marketing. ("You probably did not become a professional in order to market," Harding drily observes.) Yet few can deny that the professional career path is littered with the remains of those who didn't "get" the necessity of marketing.
"Many professionals make the transition to marketing slowly," Harding writes, "and others never make it at all, at great cost to their own careers and their firms' bottom lines. The fact is, having professional skills and training just isn't enough to advance in today's world. To succeed you must learn to market and sell." This book is an excellent start down that path.
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