1: “Customers buy for only two reasons,” Jeffrey Fox writes in How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients.

“To feel good or to solve a problem,” he notes.

“Going out to dinner, buying scuba equipment, or getting a new puppy fall into the ‘feel good’ category,” Jeffrey observes.

Businesses typically purchase to solve a problem.  And the solution can always be expressed … continue reading

1: “Revenue is the aqua viva—the lifeblood—of the organization.  Without it the organization will die,” Jeffrey Fox writes in How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients.

What is a Rainmaker?

Simply put, The Rainmaker is a “person who brings revenue into an organization, be it profit or not-for-profit.  That revenue comes from customers and donors.”

2: Why do we call these people … continue reading

1: Rainmakers know that asking questions is one of the most effective sales tools.

Why?  Because “customers love questions,” Jeffrey Fox writes in How to Become a Rainmaker.

“Customers love to talk,” Jeffrey observes.  “Customers feel more secure with the salesperson who asks questions, listens, and takes notes.” 

Jeffrey’s recommendation?  “To the concerned customer with a need, there is no such thing as a dumb question.  So, dare to … continue reading

1: They call him Columbo.  

After the television character in the 1970s detective show of the same name, Jeffrey Fox writes in How to Become a Rainmaker.

Columbo is the top salesperson at an adhesives company.  He has two degrees in engineering and a postgraduate degree in mechanical engineering.

“He knows how things are made,” Jeffrey notes.  “He can take apart anything and put it back together. He knows … continue reading

1: The bailiffs and other court personnel have a nickname for one particular, successful criminal attorney.

They call her the “Furniture Mover.”

“Before each trial,” Jeffrey Fox writes in How to Become a Rainmaker, “she visits the courtroom and, depending on her strategy, moves her client’s chair closer to or farther from the jury.  She places tables in the sunlight or the shade. She speaks aloud, checking the … continue reading

1: The prospective customer looks up and says, “We are also interviewing ABC company. They are a good company, and their prices are better than yours.”

What exactly is happening here? 

“Tell me why I should buy from you,” is what the prospect is really saying, writes Jeffrey Fox in How to Become a Rainmaker.

Jeffrey explains: “The customer already knows ABC is a good company. The customer already … continue reading

1: “It was a typical diner,” Jeffrey Fox writes in How to Become a Rainmaker.  “There was a counter, booths, and tables.”

The waiters were primarily high schoolers working for the summer. 

“One customer was upset about something,” Jeffrey writes.  “He was angry with one of the young waitresses. He was loud, rude, and nasty.

“Perhaps she had made an error on the bill, or there was not enough … continue reading

1: The prospective client says, “The motor is too loud.”

Or, “I don’t like forest green.”

She is objecting to the noise of our product.  Or, the color.

“Rainmakers welcome customer objections,” Jeffrey Fox writes in How to Become a Rainmaker, “because they know objections are simply the way customers express their desires.”

When we’re told: “Your price is too high,” we know our prospect’s objective is to … continue reading

1:  The Rainmaker knows. 

If we are at a cocktail party with customers, we are not there to party.

If we are playing golf with a client, we are not there to play golf.

“These are business meetings or sales calls or both,” Jeffrey Fox writes in How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients.

“Some salespeople,” Jeffrey observes, “actually care what golf … continue reading

1: In 2014, Veronica Block called Comcast.   She wanted to cancel her internet service. 

“She was immediately transferred to a ‘customer retention’ representative who argued with her for ten minutes about why she wanted to cut off the service,” Fred Kofman writes in The Meaning Revolution: The Power of Transcendent Leadership.

“Every time Veronica asked the representative to simply terminate the service, the rep argued with her,” Fred notes.  … continue reading