Why Consultants Must Embrace Selling—An Interview with John Doerr

RainToday.com's Podcast: Marketing & Selling Professional Services

The economy is beginning to turn around, but that does not mean consulting firms can go back to what they used to do to get new clients. Referrals and waiting for the phone to ring will not cut it, says RAIN Group President John Doerr. Consultants must follow the new rules of selling services, which includes embracing selling and going after ideal clients.

If firms don't embrace these new rules, "they will continually be set as a commodity, they will have to accept price pushback from their clients, they will give away too much, and in the end they will be no better off two years from now than they are now," Doerr says. "It's an absolute acceptance of these new rules because we're not going back to what we saw prior to 2008."

Listen as Doerr explains:

• Why the new rules for selling consulting services are needed
• Two of the new rules for selling consulting services
• How to avoid appearing like a commodity and get the fees you deserve
• What to do if prospects push back on price