Rainmaker’s Realities are real-life situations where the application of skills and perspectives of a Rainmaker make a difference for the client and the company. The situations as described are real; the names are changed to protect confidences.
Jennifer’s Reality — Jennifer’s longtime client, the president of the company, is retiring. The replacement is also someone Jennifer has known for a long time. There is a lot going on and the incoming president is getting attention from a lot of people.
Jennifer knows she can help with the transition. So do a lot of other people, and they are all calling trying to get time with the new guy. So Jennifer, being the Rainmaker that she is, asks the big question — what comes first? Do I focus on me and how I can help or do I focus on the top priorities where help is needed?
Jennifer understands that the top priorities come first and generosity overrides her desire to position her services. Knowing the issues Jennifer sends the incoming president a book that is exactly “on point” regarding the challenges the new guy is facing. She includes a hand-written note saying she is available to help whenever he is ready. The book went out on Wednesday. Jennifer was having lunch with the incoming president on Monday of the following week.
The Rainmaker Realities for Jennifer — Focus on the relationship and the needs of the other person tripled Jennifer’s deal flow last year. She is doing more of the work she loves.
Richard’s Reality — Richard has two business development challenges. First, Richard’s value for his clients depends on timing. There is usually just a specific window of opportunity where Richard’s services can profoundly improve the results for a client. Second, the client is not prone to letting anyone outside of their immediate circle know they need Richard’s kind of services. Those who usually know are the client’s accountant and attorney.
Richard realized that building relationships directly with clients would be difficult, mainly because identifying them in the time frame applicable for them would be happenstance at best. So Richard focused on the relationships that could facilitate the timing — relationships with the accountants and attorneys.
Richard’s tactic was to own events that generously delivered value to the accountants and attorneys. About every 6-8 weeks he extended personalized invitations to a select number of accountants or attorneys, inviting them to an exclusive educational breakfast roundtable. The speakers were outstanding — best in field; the information shared was unique. The brand attributes established for Richard were experience, knowledge, generosity and value.
Richard also took time to build strong individual relationships with specific accountants and attorneys.
The Rainmaker Realities for Richard — his approach resulted in a 5X increase in deal opportunities and a 3X increase in closed deals within 18 months.
Carolyn’s Reality — Carolyn has two business development challenges. First, Carolyn is in technology sales, a very competitive space. The solutions are complex, the needs analyses are detailed, and the opportunity to help the client see strong connections between solutions and ROI are tempered by many outside factors. Second, Carolyn’s company uses a structured sales process that strongly focuses on needs analysis and product-centric solutions. Anchoring client meetings are questionnaires that explore each and every aspect of the client’s IT infrastructure and business operation.
Carolyn is an improving Rainmaker. She recently completed the Rainmaker’s Workshop and is less than one year in practice with the Rainmaker’s perspective and skill set. Operating under the transaction-focused structured approach her company uses, Carolyn’s best monthly performance was 85 percent of quota.
After completing Rainmaker training, Carolyn shifted her emphasis from technology to people. She focused on individuals, first building a relationship with them and increasing the level of trust they felt with each other. Only then did she begin to explore opportunities where her solutions would benefit the client.
The Rainmaker Realities for Carolyn — she increased her performance to well over 100 percent of quota each month, and achieved 100 percent of her entire second-year annual quota by mid-May. Carolyn is now #3 on the sales performance chart, trailing two individuals who each have over 10 years with the company.
The reality is that Rainmakers are not bound by industry, products, or positions. Rainmakers are relationship focused and that enables success in any arena, for the Rainmaker, their company and their clients.
Author Ken Cook is founder and managing director of Peer to Peer Advisors and developer of the Rainmakers System. He writes a monthly column for the Hartford Business Journal. Contact him through his website at www.therainmakersrevolution.com.
