Category Archives: Business Development and Selling

How to Walk in Your Client’s Shoes

Posted on 4 June 2018 by

We all know we should try to put ourselves in our client’s shoes. But it can be hard to do that when there’s so much going on in our own shoes. So here are some thoughts about what clients might … Continue reading →

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Selling is About Asking the Right Questions – Try BICS

Posted on 24 May 2018 by

The average professional adviser talks too much in selling situations. The art to winning work is to build credibility, rapport and trust in client relationships. And the best way to do that is primarily through asking questions and demonstrating that … Continue reading →

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Business Development in Professional Firms is Still Lacking – Part 2: The Remedies

Posted on 23 October 2017 by

Part 1 of this article outlines the case that senior income generators in professional service firms are still not fully committed to carrying out effective BD. And that this lack of commitment isn’t their fault. I point out that there’s … Continue reading →

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Business Development in Professional Firms is Still Lacking – Part 1: The Problem

Posted on 21 October 2017 by

Let’s admit it – senior income generators in professional service firms are still not fully committed to carrying out effective BD. But is it their fault? I don’t think so. Senior management, heads of BD functions and heads of practice … Continue reading →

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How to Build Greater Rapport with Clients

Posted on 22 August 2017 by

It is believed that there are 5 levels of communication between clients and their advisors (see below). To move to deeper levels of communication you need the skills of building rapport. The more rapport you have the easier it is … Continue reading →

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Influencing Skills for Professionals – The Six Principles

Posted on 2 December 2016 by

We all need to get better at influencing others: clients, colleagues, friends etc. Here is a summary of  the best-selling book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. I’ve adapted the themes and applied them to the world of professionals such as lawyers and accountants. … Continue reading →

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Using the Skills of Improv to Build Better Rapport

Posted on 28 November 2016 by

If you are unfamiliar with the term, by Improv I mean a form of theatre (improvisational theatre) where what is performed is created in the moment. In its purest form, the dialogue, action, story, and characters are created collaboratively by the players … Continue reading →

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