Networking for Fun and Profit

Young man riding hour hand of clockHow to make business development fun, and not a dreaded, anxiety-provoking activity.

BONUS CHECKLISTS with 57 ITEMS: From 15 simple conversation starters to top 5 mistakes.

By Marc Rosenberg
The Rosenberg Practice Management Library

Networking is creating a group of acquaintances and professionals and keeping it active through regular communication for mutual benefit.

MORE: Why Consultative Selling Works | How Marketing Systems Produce Business Growth | 6 Keys to Developing New Client Prospects | Now Is the Time to Activate Your Referral Network | Does Your Firm Recognize All Its Skills? | Protect and Grow Existing Clients | The 4 Marketing Disciplines | 15 Powerful Niche Marketing Practices
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Truthfully, all professional service providers want to be held in high esteem by their clients and professional colleagues. Practicing true professionalism means becoming more than just a vendor who takes and fills orders from a client. It means transitioning into a trusted advisor whose expertise transcends your individual practice. Trusted advisors know the right questions to ask and where to find the right answers.
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Why Do We Accept Poor New Business Results?

5 critical steps to turn things around.

By Domenick J. Esposito
8 Steps to Great

The question to ask is why do so many firms accept poor performance from so many of their partners relative to growth and generating revenue?

MORE ON STRATEGIC PLANNING: Is It Time to Manage Your Receivables Like a Real Business? | Profitability Requires Discipline | Pitching Vs. Pursuing | The Top 11 Reasons CPA Firm Mergers Fail | Growth: The Difference between the Disruptor and the Disrupted? | M&A: Sometimes Bigger Is Better | What a Value Proposition Truly Is (and Isn’t)
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There isn’t a firm in existence that does not depend on constant growth to be successful and to generate enough profit to pay its staff and partners well.  Yet, so many firms accept the old bell-shaped curve argument that they are winning if just 20 percent of their partners are good at generating business.
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5 Reasons You Fail

Word "fail" written in red markerAnd 8 things to stop doing right now.

By Martin Bissett

There is one promise I can confidently make to you: if you follow the steps contained in this blueprint you will be successful in your bringing in new business proactively. The reality, however, is that things don’t always run as smoothly as they should.

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: How to Calculate Your Growth Target | Close the Deal and Get Paid | Change Your Mindset, Change Your Future [VIDEO] | How to Create a Winning Proposal | How to Prepare for the First Meeting with a New Prospect | The Five Fastest Ways to Kill a New Opportunity [VIDEO] | Use This Spreadsheet to Evaluate Prospects | Before the Sales Meeting | Do You Deliver on Your Website’s Promises? | Lowballing Is Undervaluing Yourself | Appraise Your Prospects | How to Win Your First Client

Based on my many years of working with accounting firm partners, I have observed that lack of success usually boils down to the following five factors:
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Preventing Buyer’s Remorse

Invisible businessman saying "blah blah blah blah blah"
Don’t be this guy.

Are you prepared?

By Martin Bissett
Business Development On a Budget

You may have the experience yourself of making a major purchase and then having second thoughts most people do.

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Close the Deal and Get Paid | Change Your Mindset, Change Your Future [VIDEO] | Handle Objections Effectively by Preparing for Them | The Five Fastest Ways to Kill a New Opportunity [VIDEO] | Understand the DNA of Business Development Success | Do You Deliver on Your Website’s Promises? | The Science of Pipelines | Prepare Your Next Generation of Professionals | How to Win Your First Client | 5 Ways to Make Selling Easier to Swallow | You’re Selling All the Time

You wonder if you’ve done the right thing or if you can afford the purchase. This is known as buyer’s remorse.
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Close the Deal and Get Paid

Two businesswomen shake hands while seated at deskAre you looking at closing all wrong?

By Martin Bissett
Business Development On a Budget

You might think closing is a huge topic that requires a long post. That’s because most professionals place unnecessary emphasis on closing as if it were a separate step, and in fact that’s what makes the idea of selling so intimidating.

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: How to Prepare for the First Meeting with a New Prospect | The Five Fastest Ways to Kill a New Opportunity [VIDEO] | Understand the DNA of Business Development Success | Do You Deliver on Your Website’s Promises? | The Science of Pipelines | Prepare Your Next Generation of Professionals | How to Win Your First Client | You’re Selling All the Time

But the fact is, if you
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2 Rules for Getting Your Pricing Right

Businessman extending $100 bills fanned outAre you leaving money on the table?

By Martin Bissett
Business Development On a Budget

There probably is not a bigger issue in professional services selling than pricing. The war between timesheet and value pricing has been going on for some time now, with no sign of resolution in the near future.

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: How to Prepare for the First Meeting with a New Prospect | The Five Fastest Ways to Kill a New Opportunity [VIDEO] | Use This Spreadsheet to Evaluate Prospects | Before the Sales Meeting | Lowballing Is Undervaluing Yourself | Do You Have a Pipeline or Just a List? | Overcome Recurring Fee Apathy

Pricing is a huge topic, and it’s not within the scope of this post to cover it in detail. I do, however, want to give you my two major rules for the pricing aspect of any proposals you present.
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Handle Objections Effectively by Preparing for Them

Business meeting of three men3 ways to address a prospect’s concerns.

By Martin Bissett
Business Development On a Budget

If you have landed the opportunity to present your proposal in person, understand that concerns will be raised, particularly if several decision makers are present. Don’t be put off your stride by these objections, or assume they mean that the prospect doesn’t want to work with you. On the contrary, objections can be a sign that there is interest, but they just need more information or assurance.

MORE ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: How to Prepare for the First Meeting with a New Prospect | Consider Hiring a Sales Director | Your Perception vs. Your Client’s Reality | Appraise Your Prospects | Develop the Habit of Consistency | Banish the Idea that Selling is Difficult | How to Win Your First Client | 5 Ways to Make Selling Easier to Swallow

When it comes to handling objections or concerns, you have three options on the timing. You can handle it
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