During a recent workshop for architects, I challenged myself not to say the words “marketing” or “sales” while talking about marketing and sales for 90 minutes. These emotionally-charged words often get a negative reaction from design professionals, like when my kids hear the words “doctor” or “dentist”—a combination of fear, loathing, and disgust.
The word “rainmaker,” another common and less offensive noun related to professional services marketing, did come up in conversation. Rainmakers generate new business leads by talking with prospective clients about business opportunities.
Some of these conversations begin client relationships resulting in new business. Rainmakers are the most critical asset for your organization as they generate work for others in your firm.You can be a rainmaker by practicing certain characteristics.
Ford Harding interviewed more than 100 professionals from across the United States who generate significant business. Harding’s book, Creating Rainmakers: The Manager’s Guide to Training Professionals to Attract New Clients, confirms there is not a single personality type; extroversion is a not a prerequisite to successful rainmaking.
Rainmakers share five traits:
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All rainmakers are optimists.
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Along with being optimists, they are driven people.
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They relentlessly and meticulously work a system for finding new business.
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They are good listeners and synthesizers enabling them to provide clients valuable feedback.
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Rainmakers never lose touch with a client, thereby maximizing the return on their lead generation and selling efforts.
Introverts and extroverts alike build client relationships, generate significant business, and keep many others in the firm employed. Whatever your personality type, you can develop rainmaker characteristics if you have a good plan.
Start With Your Professional Development Plan
With lunch provided and “sales” left unsaid, the rainmaker workshop with the architectural group was very positive and productive. Each participant began a process to share their career vision (three to five years from now), expertise they will develop, and ways to become a visible expert in the market.
Architects shared areas of expertise and target markets. This was integrated into individual professional development plans that included a career vision, skills analysis, and a personal learning agenda. This included education (formal learning), exposure (observation, etc.), and experience (practice skills). With the help of coaching from your team leader or mentor, you can create your own professional development plan and make incremental progress to become a visible expert.
Brainstorm Ways to Become a Visible Expert
As you develop your plan to build your reputation and visibility, work from the “inside out.” First, brainstorm who inside your company will benefit from your areas of expertise. Start with your group or team and office and company leaders. Then consider the external market segments. Brainstorm all the ways you can raise your visibility with these groups.
In Ford Harding’s Rain Making 2nd Edition: Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field, recommendations for increasing your visibility include:
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Writing and publishing articles (e.g., blogs)
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Speaking
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Marketing by mail and e-mail
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Organizing seminars, workshops, and conferences (including webinars)
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Generating publicity
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Networking (e.g., trade, client, community associations)
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Building an online presence (search engine optimization, social media, etc.)
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Earning credentials
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Becoming a specialist (in areas of expertise)
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Most importantly, getting face-to-face with potential clients
Make Rainmaking Part of Your Career Path
David Maister, in Strategy and the Fat Smoker, said, “Strategy in a professional business is a choice that each individual has to make about whether he or she wants to put more effort into her life and career in order to get somewhere new.”
What effort will you choose to put into achieving your career and your company’s success? Whatever your vision, you’ll need to grow areas of expertise, build a reputation, and increase your visibility among those who will benefit from your talent. As a driven rainmaker, your optimism, listening abilities, and systematic care for clients will attract more and more opportunities.
About the Author: Greg Kanz is the marketing director at Shive-Hattery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Responsible for the strategic marketing program at the 375-person architectural and engineering firm, Greg manages the corporate marketing team and provides high-level sales support, training and strategic and tactical support to Shive-Hattery’s nine offices in the Midwest.
Looking to turn your design team into rainmakers? In PSMJ's recently released free ebook Turning Your Doers into Sellers, we help you navigate through some of the thornier parts of implementing a realistic and successful Seller-Doer program.
For more advice on architecture and engineering firm marketing & business development, following is a list of related blog posts:
How to Generate the Least Amount of Leads
8 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Do A/E Marketing
Why You Should Turn Your Doers into Sellers