I have a consulting colleague who claims that cows don't give milk. If you think about it, he's right. Cows don't give milk. You have to take it from them.

I have another colleague who is a very creative and inspiring marketer of his services. Unfortunately, he and his firm are not prospering. He doesn't know cows don't give milk. Marketing your firm's consulting services is an important function, but clients rarely give an assignment based on marketing alone. Someone has to go out and get the assignment by selling.

Sometimes the selling process seems to stretch out over such a long time that one wonders if the fee quoted will cover all the up-front costs. At other times, the sales close seems to come instantly. What is the difference, and how can we shorten the sales cycle to accelerate the close? Here are eight action ideas that should help.

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