Selling
The Halo Effect: What is it and can I use it to power sales?
What Is It We Do That Has the Largest Impact on Business? Your employer’s reputation is based on what? Its website? A 2017 survey revealed that only 12.2% of AEC firms feel that its website has the most impact on business. As far as I am concerned, a website has very little impact on a…
Read MoreUse these steps to avoid CRM implementation failure
A strong Client Relationship Management program (CRM) can be a major asset for your organization’s revenue generation engine. But… effective CRM implementation is OFTEN TRICKY and more often than not, it fails. Time and money is lost and frustration and blame leads to misery. There is a right and wrong way to implement CRM. Very…
Read MoreThree questions for successful client relationships
Want to build strong relationships with your clients from the beginning? One that ensures all their goals and issues are addressed effectively to set you both up for success? Then, client relationship management must be a top priority. This does not mean you “roll over” when pushed by a client. Of course, these are two…
Read MoreYour firm is missing revenue if junior staff isn’t billable
The best use of technical staff is to be billable, right? One needs more technical and managerial experience to be effective at sales, right? Yet, there are 3-4 times more junior staff then senior staff. If you could get that many more people driving sales just how fast can you go? Lucky for me I…
Read MoreWho Says Only Senior Managers Can Generate Sales?
Who brings in the business in your firm? Usually it is the senior managers. Think about how strong business would be if everyone– CEO, CFO, Project Manager, and junior Engineer/Architect/Scientist– also contributed. What do each of you have in common? Each of your livelihoods are impacted by your contribution to generating revenue. You are either billable…
Read MoreThe life or death of an exit strategy
Over my 35 year career, I learned there is one challenge firm owners face that is most prevalent, that negatively impacts their wealth and the stability of the firm. The challenge is created by being too caught up in the day to day business. Thus, there is little thought given to exit strategies– until it…
Read MoreMust use simple tool to develop and grow your business!
In a recent podcast produced by Matt Handal, author of Proposal Secrets, titled Growing A/E/C Firms with Doug Reed, I share how a unique approach centered around an accounting mechanism (the timesheet) that most of our firms use, will help firms grow even during the most challenging economy. I know because I was a consulting engineering firm…
Read MoreFor best results don’t just learn, learn right
As a staff engineer on the cusp of securing my professional license, my employer gave me opportunities to support new business pursuits. While I happened to be successful on the first few, I don’t give myself the credit. I give the credit to the owners and senior managers of the firm who gave me the…
Read MoreCEOs and CFOs can endear their creditors by sharing their sales process
CRMs have been a tough sell for many professional services firms because they were seen as adding work. So, I often end up implementing a simplified system that mainly used the Opportunities tracking module. I think that the newer cloud based systems have overcome many objections and their use is finally starting to sink in.…
Read MoreTo broaden sales participation, the CEO must remove barriers
As a principal in charge of the largest division of a 130 person firm, a first step in implementing a highly efficient sales program was to make sure everyone knew the latest sales methods and spoke a common sales language. Since operations and finance managers were a potential barrier to broaden sales, all senior managers went…
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