Your positioning statement, elevator pitch, brand story, whatever you want to call it, should be doing a lot of heavy lifting for you. But there are 2 very short words that always weaken your positioning. (And I know some folks … Read More
referrals
Positioning is a lever for consultants to make sales and marketing easier
Levers are one of the basic machines you may have learned about way back in high school physics. Or, if you go back even further, the see-saw on the playground provides a visceral appreciation of leverage. If you sit further … Read More
The secret 2 step sales process to get consulting clients: it’s not quantum mechanics!
Some consultants, especially when they are uncomfortable with the sales and marketing side of running their own practice, have a tendency to make sales more complicated than necessary. They buy lots of books, take classes, implement enterprise-level CRMs, etc. (So … Read More
What’s the best CRM for an independent consultant?
People constantly ask me, “what’s the best CRM for independent consultants?” Actually, they usually don’t even qualify the question that much. They just ask, “what’s the best CRM?” (“CRM” stands for Customer Relationship Management, but most folks use it more … Read More
As a solo consultant, you’re a sales manager (are you a good one?)
“I can’t be a sales manager! I’m a solo consultant, it’s right there in the name! I barely sell myself! I get almost all my business from referrals!” That’s the paradox. Those referral partners are your sales team. Do you … Read More
21 Day Independence Day Challenge
Does your positioning do most of the sales and marketing work for you? Or do you have to slog to get leads and then try to close them? When your positioning is doing the work for you, you have easier … Read More
How to choose between 2 consulting niches
When I ask people who their ideal client is, I often get answers like, “I serve a lot of different people/companies/industries.” That’s fine, but I wasn’t asking who you could conceivably serve– your Possible Client Profile (PCP, which is a … Read More
I know what I’m supposed to be doing, I’m just not doing it…
Ever been in that situation before? (Like how I was supposed to write this post a week ago, but somehow didn’t.) I’ve noticed 2 major issues when I’m having trouble getting started on something. A lot of folks make some … Read More
What’s your Provocative Perspective?
Jay Kingley recently came on Sales for Nerds to talk about optimizing referability, the 3 levels of marketing, and how a Provocative Perspective helps cut through the noise and the time wasters to bring the right people into your orbit. … Read More