I frequently recommend to entrepreneurs that they focus their marketing on building referral partnerships instead of attracting clients by advertising and promotion or approaching them cold. With a few pointers, most entrepreneurs can identify many possible referral sources. But I’m often asked how to best go about approaching these potential partners. Read more

Speaking in public can be a powerful marketing tactic for any professional. Public speaking increases your visibility, boosts your credibility, and establishes you as an expert in your field. It puts you in direct contact with potential clients in such an impactful way that you may find yourself closing a sale before you leave the room. Read more

Do you find sales and marketing to be a constant struggle? It doesn’t have to be that way. The most successful professionals make it look easy because they have found a way to market themselves that is effortless. Perhaps you have tried to copy what those successful people were doing, and it didn’t work for you. Here’s why. Read more

It sometimes seems in the game of marketing professional services that the only rule is to land the client at all costs. We spend an enormous amount of time and effort pursuing our prospects — tracking down the decision-maker, making sales calls, writing proposals, and following up over and over. But not every prospect is a good candidate for becoming a client. In fact, some of them can be downright detrimental to your business. Read more

One of the biggest complaints I hear today is that entrepreneurs aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. Many business owners looking to land more lucrative clients and contracts struggle to distinguish themselves in an authentic and profitable way. Recently, I’ve honed in on what it takes to turn what I call “The Scorching Hot Sweet Spot™” in your business into cold, hard cash! Read more

No, I’m not talking about the Beatles. Instead of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, there’s a different Fab Four you’ll encounter in selling your services to corporations. Meet the Decision-Maker, the Champion, the Technician, and the Gatekeeper. Read more

As business owners, we are frequently offered “opportunities” that may deliver a significant return, but also have the potential to take up a great deal of time. You may be asked to provide your professional expertise, collaborate on a project, help with organizing an event, or Read more

Has this ever happened to you? You’re at a networking event with the intention of meeting new people, yet you find yourself stuck in one conversation with no end in sight, and you don’t know what to do. Read more

This sample proposal for a corporate training program could easily be modified to use for a consulting or coaching proposal. It includes a summary of the client’s needs, description of the trainer’s qualifications, outline of the proposed program, and two pricing options. Read more

It often happens that we follow up with prospects multiple times without getting a response. If you call them, email them, and send them letters, but you never get through or hear back, at what point should you scratch them off the list and move on? The rule I’ve always used to make this decision is: evaluate the value of the potential sale. Read more