Industry Specific Content

June 25th, 2008
Do Lawyers Sell?

Have had a few calls recently from law firms who feel the need to train their attorneys how to sell. The one hurdle they must ...READ MORE

Do Lawyers Sell?

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

Have had a few calls recently from law firms who feel the need to train their attorneys how to sell. The one hurdle they must get over is the word “selling” as it relates to that profession.In short, “yes” they do sell and for those that do it well, they prosper.An Antiquated Way of Thinking:  “The old way of thinking is that when a client needs something, they’ll call. And it does me no good (as an attorney) to call them when they have no issue at hand.”BS.That presumes a very faulty piece of logic: that a person knows when they have problems. Of course, when they get sued, that’s a “no-brainer.”But aren’t there many other business problems that would require the competent hand of an attorney to solve? And is it possible they might not know they have them?I worked with a law firm last year and trained a few of their new staff of lawyers.We made progress in changing their minds, but it was hard work. They couldn’t make the leap from ‘they’ll call me when they hurt’ to ‘I need to proactively help them see if they have issues that could cause problems later.’Are You Helping Them Recognize Business Issues?If you’re in a professional service practice of any kind (consulting, law, accounting, engineering, design) the highest service you can be to prospects is to continue to see if they have business issues that you can solve.Connect with them once in a while to see what’s on their mind in their business. Have an audit/assessment that you run to help them discover for themselves any potential pains they may run into.And when they have those issues that you can help them with, you’ll be the one to know first.

Tags: Bill Caskey, business sales, lawyer selling, sales strategy for lawyers, sales training, selling professional services
Posted in Bill Caskey, Professional Services, The Technical Sale | No Comments »

March 15th, 2008
Call it What You Will, Accountants Do Sell

Just finished a two year engagement with a group of CPAs here in Indy. The goal was to teach them how to sell services at ...READ MORE

Call it What You Will, Accountants Do Sell

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

Just finished a two year engagement with a group of CPAs here in Indy. The goal was to teach them how to sell services at a higher fee than other CPAs in their market.

Here are some lessons I learned in my work with them:
1. Accountants are a lot of fun to work with. Each meeting–even the ones in which we role played–were full of energy and stories of ways they had tried to implement the strategies.

2. They need content that doesn’t turn them into sales people. As a trainer, the worst thing for me to do was to “convert” them to sellers. They’re fine the way they are. In fact, they’re better-than-fine. They are great problem solvers so they need to lead with that.

3. They are very coachable. I had peers who said not to take on work for CPA firms because they’re not teachable. I found the opposite. The truth is that if you teach someone to do something that works–and he gets the results he wants–everyone is trainable.

4. CPAs need to find other services to sell. If you’re in a large firm, you had better be abel to sell strategic planning, business planning, business analysis, etc., You can’t survive doing taxes and audits.

I can tell you this: they were so coachable that their business/revenue grew double digits for three years under our engagement. Now, granted, this wasn’t a one day motivational-fest. It was thoughtful, planned, strategic and practical.

And there were plenty of meetings with senior partners to make sure we were on track.

Strategic. Planned. Cerebral.  

But for you CPA’s who want to lear how to sell, find a trainer who won’t turn you into a sales person. Find a trainer who has a strategic way to look at what it means to develop new business. Find a trainer who is there to coach you when you get into deep waters. All will be well.

Tags: accountants who sell, business development for professional services, sales training, technical sales
Posted in Bill Caskey, Professional Services, The Technical Sale | No Comments »

December 21st, 2007
Pharma Reps-Change Or You Might Become Expendable.

I work with a fair number of pharma reps--and I must tell you--there are changes you'll have to make in order to be of value ...READ MORE

Pharma Reps-Change Or You Might Become Expendable.

Friday, December 21st, 2007

I work with a fair number of pharma reps–and I must tell you–there are changes you’ll have to make in order to be of value to your clients.

Here’s an idea: Instead of moving into the sales process operating from a place of “how do I get the Doc to prescribe my drug?” - move into the relationship from a place of, “what can I do in order to help the Doc solve a problem?” Do you see the difference? You should. Because you bring value the second way. Doing it the old way–how do I get him to prescribe?–you set yourself up for lies and reluctance. And you bring no value. Plus, you’re like every other pharma rep that shows up. That’s not in your best interest.

The Doc’s Problems
Think about how tough it is to be in the medical profession today: Regulations, annoying/slow insurance companies, staff issues, long hours, less money….and all the other stuff that comes with the profession. Then he has you to deal with–and all others like you. Why don’t you step back and think about how you can solve his problems by you doing what you do.

First make a list of the problems, then next to that, list out how you can help him. I don’t expect you to help in all of these areas, but maybe you could help him by being more of a resource for him and his patients. Maybe you could help him by providing some training for his staff in a certain disease state area. You are creative–so you come up with how to help him solve problems.

Then, the next time you show up, tell him what you’re up to. Tell him that your intent for the new year is to be more of a problem-finder and solver than you have in the past. See what happens.

Tags: sales process, sales strategies
Posted in Bill Caskey, Pharmaceutical | No Comments »

September 1st, 2006
Do Project Managers Need Sales Training, Too?

Well of course, you know the answer to that question before we start. But I'd like to share some observations that may make it easier ...READ MORE

Do Project Managers Need Sales Training, Too?

Friday, September 1st, 2006

Well of course, you know the answer to that question before we start.

But I’d like to share some observations that may make it easier for you to train your PM’s in communication skills. It seems that companies are relying more and more on their PM’s to manage the client relationships and generate referrals so this topic might be relevant for your firm.

One chapter in Same Game New Rules is titled Process Makes Perfect, and it’s about how engineers and technical sellers make the best sales people. Mainly because they are in the right place to bring tons of value.

1. Need for Good Communication. In most projects, there are many tiny details that can spin out of control. Since the relationship is only as good as the project process, then it is necessary for PM’s to know how to communicate issues to clients. The PM must have a “relationship awareness” all the way through.

This includes: bringing up sensitive topics PRIOR to them becoming problems; knowing how and to whom to communicate these issues at the client; knowing how to keep the atmosphere open and honest so bad matters don’t get worse; and having a paper stream of promises so that there is nothing left to memory.

2. Having a Problem-Solving Attitude. I like to think of selling as problem-solving. And nowhere does that get stated like it does in project management. The PM is always solving problems and keeping things on course. It may be that they don’t want to be in front line sales (and they shouldn’t) but it doesn’t mean that they can’t have the same attitude as the top flight sales person has.

3. Referral Generation. Most times, the PM is the exact person who should be cultivating referrals. In most B2B businesses, referrals make up 60-80% of new business. It’s a bit of a stretch to think that a sales person who sold the deal, but does NOT have the relationship, can waltz in and get referrals. It should be the PM. So any training you do for that group, should have ‘how to generate referrals’ as part of the curriculum.

Fewer Sales People-More PMs
Many companies are hiring fewer new account sales people, and relying on their subject matter experts (the PMs) to do more of the value communication. I think it makes sense in certain industries. Just make sure you train those people on the principles of selling and good communication. They ARE trainable. Just don’t try to turn them into sales people.

Tags: , Communication Skills, project managers, referral generation, sales, sales people, sales training
Posted in Professional Services, The Technical Sale | No Comments »

March 17th, 2006
Professional Services Sell, Too…

"Oh, Bill, we don't sell at our accounting firm. We prefer to wait until the phone rings with referrals. Besides, selling is so unprofessional." Believe it ...READ MORE

Professional Services Sell, Too…

Friday, March 17th, 2006

“Oh, Bill, we don’t sell at our accounting firm. We prefer to wait until the phone rings with referrals. Besides, selling is so unprofessional.”

Believe it or not, I actually heard that once–from a CPA. Absurd I know, but talk to some young attorneys or accountants today, and rarely will they say they’re prepared for selling. It was never taught in grad school–so it must not be important.

In fact the way they get around it is they call it “marketing.” Well let’s set the record straight. Selling is the discipline of communicating your value (solutions) to a potential client with the intent of determining if they have a need for it.

If you’re a professional services deliver (technical / subject matter expert) you sell, every day. Whether it’s talking to new prospects, getting referred by your current clients, uncovering problems your clients have, or getting a fee increase, you are selling.

In my work with services firms, the first thing they must do — and the only point of this message –is reframe the discipline of selling. Right now, you must start thinking of selling as the “finding and solving of problems.”

Once you do that, you will be set free. You won’t have to convince, persuade or defend your price. You’ll be liberated to go out and find problems. If you show up and the prospect loves his current lawyer, has no problems now or doesn’t anticipate problems, then he is not a prospect. And you can leave. Don’t stick around and tell him how great you are and how smart you are (we know you are).

I’ll go even one better than that—articulate that position to your client. Say to him, “I have no idea if I do anything that could be of service to you, but here’s the kind of people we work with–with these issues–do you fit?” It may not be quite that straight, but it’s pretty close.

If you really believe you help your clients solve problems, then you are obligated to ask for referrals. If you don’t, you’ll leave a lot of people on the sidelines, unable to take advantage of your value. You’ll leave them laying in the muck of their own pain.

So you see, it’s time to ask for referrals and go find problems. Stop selling and convincing and start solving. You’ll get paid a lot more for that anyway.

Tags: , communicating your value, referral, selling
Posted in Professional Services | No Comments »