Do you think of yourself as a salesperson? Do you subscribe to the notion that we are all in sales? Would you like to become a “rainmaker” for your organization or firm?
Ed “The Rainmaker” Robinson has been a business growth advisor and sales trainer for over 30 years. He’s consulted, coached, and spoken to thousands of audiences and hundreds of businesses in more than 30 countries and multiple industries. Ed has helped facilitate many organizations’ growth, leadership, business development, and sales with projects to improve performance and productivity. His company provides business growth strategies and leadership skills that transform professionals into rainmakers. He refers to himself as a recovering CPA.
Ed started working in the oil and gas industry at Union Oil doing corporate accounting before starting his practice. He believes that technical skills will only get you so far in life — brought on from his experience working with professional service groups. His company tasked him with bringing in clients and making the firm money, and despite his technical competency, it was a shock to his system. But it’s not as shocking if you have a simple strategy to help you make it happen.
Ed shows entrepreneurs a five-step process to help them have a balanced business practice. Those five things include having specific goals, a marketing strategy, a business development strategy, customer service, and keeping your pipelines full. Business development is where you “make it rain,” and RAIN is an acronym for: build Rapport, Asking specific questions, Implement solutions, and Negotiate next steps.
We are all in the people business. We must be cognizant of what our customers need from us. Reach out and find what they need not just from a business perspective but a human perspective. If you can help them, even outside of the personal-finance realm, you’ll earn goodwill worth far more than what you’re charging.
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