Description
Book SynopsisAn effective strategic framework for successful face-to-face selling for financial services industry professionals
Times are very tough for people who sell professional services and Selling Professional and Financial Services Handbook offers a new solution proven in practice.The book describes methods the authors have used and taught since the 1990s, most recently at a major consulting firm, where they led a Global Business Development team to revenue gains of 500% over six years in a period that included the recession of 2008-10.
The solution is not any new twist on face-to-face selling techniques or the art of persuasion.It's a strategic approach built around a simple fact: the markets are tight but far from static. Even with lean budgets, client companies must respond to urgent changes and emerging threats in their industries. Thus they will buy services from the sellers who can help them detect, understand, and cope with what's coming their way
Table of Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
A New Way to Sell 1
Chapter 1 Changing Times, a New Dimension: The Rock-Ripple Strategy 3
It’s All about Recognizing Change 4
What the Man on the Doorstep Did 6
Sense the Wave, Trace the Ripples 7
The Rock-Ripple Effect 9
Chapter 2 Fields of Vision, New Relationships: On Being a Guru 11
What Doesn’t Work; What Does 11
Building Guru Status 13
Creative Solutions 14
What’s Next? 16
Chapter 3 The Four-Stage Process: Why and How It Works 17
Why the First Mover Wins 17
Getting Started, from Wherever You May Currently BE 21
How the Stages Work 22
Stage 1: IDENTIFY
Chapter 4 The Identify Stage: What to Look For 33
The Industrial Mindset 33
Defining and Thinking about What to Look For 35
Experiments in Mind Stretching 38
Drawing Parallels 40
Chapter 5 The Identify Stage: How to Look Systematically 43
The Entrepreneurial Mindset 43
Putting Yourself in the Path 44
Tapping the Internet 44
Tapping Human Intelligence 46
Narrowing Down and Homing In: How the Identify Process Comes Together 47
Moving On 48
Stage 2: EVALUATE
Chapter 6 Intro to Evaluation: Basics and the First Step 53
The Process: First Things First 54
Lost in Space 56
Other Possible Outcomes 56
Numbers versus Judgment 57
Moving On 58
Chapter 7 Deeper Evaluation 59
Evaluation Points 59
Getting to “No” 63
A Note on Strategy versus Sales Skills 65
“Yes,” Plus Continuous Improvement 66
Every Step Counts 68
“Yes” Plus One for the Portfolio 68
Stage 3: INNOVATE
Chapter 8 Innovation and Preparation 73
Where You Stand in the Process 74
Innovating the Solution 74
The Multilayered Benefits of Innovation 76
Innovating the Campaign 77
Building the Package for the Sales Force 78
Background Materials 79
Targeting 80
The Message and the Talk Track 81
The Professional Team and Qualifications 82
Chapter 9 Top-of-Mind Awareness Tools and Launch 83
Parallel Marketing Efforts for Persistent Issues 85
Targets, Tracking, Reporting 86
The Launch Call 86
Stage 4: DEPLOY
Chapter 10 Transforming How You Sell: What’s New, What Isn’t 91
A Game Plan, Not Basic Coaching 92
What You Are Setting Out to Do in the Deploy Stage 93
Transformation, Not a Blitz 94
Chapter 11 Steps to Full Deployment 97
Tracking, Refining, and Extending the Initiative 97
What’s Next, What’s Next? 99
Initiatives May End, but the Process Doesn’t 100
Building Relationships with Content Tools and Events 101
Selling to Both Sides of the Client 103
Roundtables and Other “Scale” Outreach Events 105
Keep It Simple 107
Extending Relationships into Other Initiatives 108
The Multiplier Effect and the Small-World Effect 108
Indirect Sales: The Ultimate Payoff 109
Chapter 12 Hunting or Farming? It’s Both: An Approach for New and Existing Clients 113
The Downsides of Account-Centric Farming (and Why Rock-Ripple Is Superior) 115
Efficiencies on the Hunting Side 118
Where the Differences Come In 119
Indirect Sales: The Big Difference 122
Chapter 13 Where to Go from Here 125
Boarding Call: The Destination, the Ticket 126
It Always Starts with What’s Next 127
Implementing for an Individual 130
Implementing across a Team 132
Implementing across a Firm 136
What’s Next? 137
Appendix A: Books for Further Reading 139
Appendix B: Strategic Initiative Checklist 143
Appendix C: Key Concept: ROCK-RIPPLE 149
Appendix D: The Four-Stage Process 153
Appendix E: Idea-Starters and Tools 159
About the Companion Website 165
About the Authors 167
Index 169
