How Clients Buy: A Practical Guide to Business Development for Consulting and Professional Services
by Tom McMakin
View on GoodreadsSelling a service isn't like selling a product, and the book is for experts trained in their craft, not in sales. McMakin and Fletcher's case is that you don't need a pitch to win clients. At the end of the day, you win them through relationships, trust and honest, useful conversation.
Core ideas
- Seven elements: The book organizes business development around a seven-part framework describing how clients evaluate and decide to buy professional services.
- Drop the pitch: Honesty, positivity and real value should replace the traditional sales pitch, and the book also covers handling self-promotion.
- Networks and trust: You need a professional network and prospects' trust, in a market where professional services are often the first spending cut when budgets tighten.
Published2018
Pages272
ISBN9781119434726
ReadJan 2023
