Customer Reviews

Selling Your Services: Proven Strategies For Getting Clients To Hire You (or Your Firm)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I discovered how informative this book was last spring when I took a class called Starting a Small Home Business. The instructor recommended 'Selling Your Services' as an excellent resource for small business owners and I must agree. Not only did I learn how to counteract objections of prospective clients, I also learned easy ways to promote, structure, and grow my business. This book proved to be an asset in the creation of my small business. Besides being chock full of great ideas, it's also an easy read for anyone who does not hold an MBA and would like to start their own service-oriented business.

I've been listening to the audio tape that I borrowed from the library and have been so consistently struck by the simplicity and truth of his advice, that I just had to buy the book for myself. Mr. Bly helps the independent consultant/vendor get back to basics and has some excellent concrete suggestions and checklists. I didn't learn any one thing that was startling, but in the din of ideas and tactics that the independent gets inundated by, Mr. Bly's work stands out.

For over 10 years I've provided management consulting to executives, and now I feel ten times more confident about selling my own services. As with many experts, I know my craft, but before "Selling Your Services" I wasn't clear on how to sell me.

This book has an easy to follow table of contents and is very well thought out. Everything is modeled around a 5 step strategy to sell your services, and covers the differences between product and service provider selling.

Methods shared are clear and easy to understand, applicable for any professional services from lone landscaper selling to consumers through professional business-to-business firms like my own.

While some of the materials were review, I appreciate the great emphasis on building strong mutually beneficial relationships that grow over the long-term. A very important point that makes this book useful even to executives not directly involved in selling.

I am charging this book with one star because the author despite his very creative ideas, has let his prejudice against certain types of promotion such as telemarketing and door-to door canvasing, highlight his preference in direct marketing which is a business in which he has made his living. By no means am I knocking the usefulness of direct marketing, but I am certain that many businesses could benefit greatly from these other two methods of promotion, depending of course on the type of service they are offering. An obvious example of this might be a lawn care service who in my opinion would benefit greatly from knocking on doors.

As far as handling leads once you have them , how to deal with arguments and closing the sale I believe that the book is an excellent reference especially for people that don't have much experience selling intangibles.

This is a good oveall handbook for any service providing small business that wants to learn how to maximize his or her results with their potential clients.

Although I'm a graphic designer and not a writer, I found this book extremely helpful. Most sales books come from the perspective of selling a product - very different from selling a service. Bob has an excellent way of translating the sales process for those of us who depend on repeat business. He also includes very relevant cautions. Relationship selling requires good chemistry and common sense, as opposed to a product sale where numbers are the only concern. I would (and have often) recommend this to anyone who has a service to sell.

this book taught me some great things that will help me max my income potential. it had a lot of accompanying material that you might have read somewhere else. but if not this would all be useful and if you had read it it would be a good review.

there is enough that i never found anywhere else to justify buying this book just for that. indeed, it was the special material i found when browsing at the bookstore that convinced me to buy it.

this book is for all of us who are not yet in the top tier with bob bly, jeffrey lant, ted nicholas, jerry buchanan, et al.

ordinary self employed consultants and free lance types should read this book. it is worth the time and the money. reread it every few years to keep the material in mind for active usage.

unless you like making less than you are worth you need this book.

I read Selling Your Services some years back when I was first starting my business, and recently re-read it. The information holds up very well. The thing I gleened the most truth from is/was the idea that your time is valuable and not to simply give it away.

Robert Bly is amazing. I have increased my earnings many fold based on the advice in this book. Today, as someone who coaches independent professionals on how to find more clients, I always point them to the money-making secrets in this book.

Recently, I decided to enter into my own consulting practice. I had bought this book years ago when I was doing seminars and found it helpful back then. The same is true today. It is well constructed, well paced and full of practical, actionable advice.

I really appreciate the author's candor in trying to steer people away from certain practices. He doesn't mince words and I like that.

Of course, with its age, there is not much help in the computer or email arena. I would suggest to the author that he update the book and publish it again. I would certainly buy another updated copy.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR
Author of Wingtips with Spurs

Great book. Very informative. I buy alot of books from Robert Bly and this one is another hit.