Lessons from editing prospecting emails
(Part 1 of 3) I get to see, critique, and edit a lot of outreach emails written by consultants. I always start by putting myself in their prospect's shoes. Then I look at the email on an iPhone (with a 5 line preview*) and sense what I’d
Confidence tricks
If you sell consultancy you’ll appreciate how your confidence levels shift, depending on your current success. That’s a good reason to consider embedding simple positive psychology into your daily routines. For example, reflecting on your goals, achievements, and gratitude. This week you might want to spend some time
How to enthuse clients about your consultancy offer ... more
Last week I wrote about enthusing clients about your consultancy offer. A couple of people ask for more details. Here’s what I teach my clients: Time travel with your prospects. Into the future to the point where they’ve already achieved the result they wanted in technicolour detail. Guide
How to enthuse clients about your consultancy offer
Decision Makers don’t get enthused over what you do. That’s not how it works. They buy your consultancy offer because they want something else - a result of some kind. When you focus your attention on that result and the impact it brings, you’ll enthuse clients about
Top of mind consultants
Nowadays our contacts are crazy busy. They have massive pressures on their time and energy. They’re dealing with unclear priorities from higher-ups. And distracted by attention seeking from lower-downs. That’s their life. And, what you must realise is, even when they have a problem we can solve, clients
Painting by numbers isn’t art
Some trainers make it out to be so simple, like ‘painting by numbers’. Stay within the lines, use the right colours, and you’ll close the sale. They present their proprietary sales process as the ultimate solution. But look at it this way … when you put ‘painting by numbers’ next
It was 20 years ago today ...
20 things I’ve learnt since incorporating 20 years ago. It's 20 years since I signed up at Companies House and incorporated my boutique consultancy. To celebrate here are 20 things I've learnt, which you may also find useful: 1. Start coaching others as a side
4 signs a prospect relationship is going nowhere
Last week I wrote that senior level decision makers want and value long-term partnerships. They find transactional selling off-putting and time consuming. Instead they carve out careers by working with valued team members, fellow executives, and a few well chosen outsiders. This inner network is precious to them. And it’
Meetings with senior level decision makers
Your consultancy has great credentials. You don’t find it difficult to get meetings per se. However, when you analyse these meetings, the majority aren’t with senior level decision makers (SLDMs) … are they? And you know that winning bigger, juicier projects means meeting ‘higher-ups’. But like a lot of
Why revenue and profit are rubbish metrics
Do the right things well The outcome most consultants want from business development mentoring is increased revenue and profit. So, when I start working with my clients we inevitably set sales targets and create a ‘rough cut’ plan for their achievement. However, I always caution my clients that while sales