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Publishing's Impact on SALES
Some recollections from our client thought leaders on how publishing one's ideas can directly impact sales and drive business development:
Maximizing Touch Points
I email prospects
PDFs of my published articles early in the sales process, and I also take
along copies of my articles to face-to-face meetings. I want to be able
to hand a relevant article to a prospect at an appropriate point in the
meeting so they will glance at the article and be impressed. "Wow,
this looks pretty cool" may be all they say or do, then we move on
but that's sufficient.
Touch points for me are very few so I want to maximize them: An initial
phone call, a meeting, sending them some paper or pointing them to my
website, not much more. So an article becomes a touch point, stamping
my firm as not just some run-of-the-mill consultancy out there started
by a guy who just left a big firm but instead impressing a prospect as
a smaller firm that delivers the same if not better quality than a giant
like Mercer or Towers Perrin, which is the way it is. And besides, the
typical consultant at a big firm DOESN'T write and publish articles…
they just send big bills!
Dan Cassidy, Founder & President, Cassidy Retirement Group, www.cassidyretirement.com
Repositioning for
a major league assignment
A partner of a top venture capital firm who knew me from my past experience
as a retained executive search consultant called me up after receiving
an announcement of my book Powerskills, about building profitable relationships.
(www.powerskills.com), and said, "I understand you are now doing
advisory and alignment work with CEOs and executive teams. We could use
your help."
Their portfolio company had just bought a major Internet company in a 22 billion dollar stock deal but the CEO did not yet have a plan to integrate these companies. The announcement of my book and, with it, my new practice repositioned me in his mind to this new line of work I was doing. As a result, I got the introduction to the CEO and got the assignment.
Jim Masciarelli, Founder & CEO, PowerSkills Solutions, www.powerskills.com
Solidifying Prospect Interest
I always load my briefcase with all my published articles before going out on a sales call. I like to have one of everything ready. At the right time in a meeting, I pull out the right article, one that covers the service this prospect is most interested in. It always helps to solidify the prospect's interest.
On one sales call, I took one of my staff along whom I had invited to co-author an article with me but had been showing little interest in doing so as he couldn't see any great value in it. But when we left the meeting, his mind had changed.
"If only we had that article to show him," he gushed. "A reprint would've sold them for sure."
Dave Vogel, Founder & President, Intertech Engineering Associates, www.inea.com
Establishing Credibility
In one contract I landed, I spoke with the prospect on the phone, then e-mailed a copy of my published article on disaster recovery. He read the article and told me, "Your article outlined exactly the things we need to do." Because of the article, he gave me an appointment and the resulting meeting led to the engagement. Having that article available helped the sales process enormously by establishing my credibility and eliminating the need for reference checks.
Vin D'Amico, Founder & President, Damicon, www.damicon.com
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