101 Marketing Strategies for Accounting, Law, Consulting, and Professional Services Firms

"Troy Waugh—'the rainmakers' rainmaker'—has provided a well-designed blueprint for selling professional services that skillfully draws upon his more than thirty years in the field. This practical, highly focused guide to the selling process can help our firms achieve sales successes measured not only by effort but also by bottom-line results."
—Howard B. Allenberg, vice chairman and CIO, BDO Seidman, LLP

Finally, peerless focus on how to break into all aspects of the selling process and the currents of relationship and buyer development. Learn how to build your personal and firm business more successfully. Covers the process of relationship and buyer development. Provides proven strategies from hundreds of the world's successful firms.

Order your copy today!

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

Selection Guide 3

PART I GETTING READY TO TRAIN

1 Getting Acquainted 15

Cocktail Party 16

Hopping and Scotching 18

The Meeting Zoo 23

Name That Hobby 28

Stellar Event 31

Vocal Wake-Ups 34

Whose Role Is It Anyway? 36

2 Clarifying Expectations 39

Expect Aloft 40

Expectation Dots 42

Group e-Mail 45

Quick Pulse 47

3 Icebreakers & Warm-Ups 51

Change Is the Only Constant 52

I Card You Not 54

Merry Names-Go-Round 56

Rhyme Time 58

4 Climate Setting 61

Amaze Me, Amaze You 62

Show and Tell 64

Shake the Shaker 66

Koosh® Balloon 69

5 Energizers 71

Batter Up! 72

Hoops n’ Balls 74

Middle Initial 76

Pass the Picasso 78

PART II TRAINING TO TRAIN

6 Change Management 83

Change for Change’s Sake 84

Change Produces Chaos 86

Color Your World 88

In the Middle 90

Take Your Pic 93

Maybe Good,Maybe Bad 95

R.I.P. Competitor 97

Theatre Chairs 99

7 Communication 103

It’s How You Show It! 104

Four-Way Communication 107

A Question to Communicate 110

Swamp Land for Sale 115

They Fall from the Sky 119

Think to Communicate 121

8 Conflict Management 125

Thirty Seconds of Fame 126

So That’s Why Our Departments Disagree! 130

What’s Your Style? 136

9 Creative Thinking 139

Creative Thinking Tune-Up 140

Koffee Klatch 144

Just Add a Word 147

Map n’ Roam 149

Relay Race 153

Virtual Board of Directors 157

What’s Up? 161

Wink! Wink! 163

10 Decision Making 165

The Art of Venn 166

Climb the Pyramid 169

Crazy Eights 172

Pitch and Pick 175

Star of Innovation 177

Triple Sort 181

Your Level or Mine? 186

11 Diversity 191

A, B, C’s of Diversity 192

Black and White, or a Rainbow? 194

Cross-Cultural Continuum 197

Diversity Is a Puzzle 202

Metaphor, Symbol, or Analogy? 204

Just Alike Only Different 206

12 Idea Generation 211

Art Around 212

Bad Idea Hall of Fame 216

Idea Conveyor Line 219

Do You See What I See? 221

Furry Careers 225

Ideas by the Million 227

Innovation Connection 229

Multisense Gallery Tour 233

Hear Sounds and Write a Sentence 236

We’ve Got a Name for That! 239

Wheel O’ Fortune 242

You’re Looking at It! 245

13 Interviewing 249

Get a Job 250

It Was an Interview 254

Next Question, Please! 257

14 Leadership 261

Leadership 360 262

A Leading Experiment 267

Zip, Zap, Zup 271

15 Negotiation 273

Hot Projects! 274

Pit, Peel, or Pie? 277

Your Salary or Mine? 280

16 Team Building 285

Boats Afloat 286

Breathlessly Building 291

Egg Machine 295

Masterpiece Theatre 300

Match Me Up 302

Together as One May Not Work 306

PART III POST-TRAINING

17 Evaluation 311

Evaluation Blender 312

Headlines Collage 315

Hello Again Anagrams 317

Holistic and Balanced Debriefing 320

Let’s Have a Ball 323

Rows or Circles 325

Sit, Stand, Roam, Scout 327

To Brief or Not to Brief 330

What Happened Here? 332

18 Implementation 335

Back It Up 336

Systematize, Systematize, Systematize 339

Target Practice 341

Wacky Scenarios 344

About the Editors 347

About the Contributors 349

Troy Waugh, CPA, is author of the highly acclaimed book, Power Up Your Profits, and numerous articles published in Accounting Today, The Practical Accountant, and many newsletters. One of the most sought-after speakers on sales and marketing professional services in the country, he is a leading marketing and sales consultant to the accounting industry. Waugh’s experienced team of consultants has helped firms add more than $500 million in new business through its consulting, training, and alliance services. Waugh is the founder of The Rainmaker Academy, the leading sales and marketing training course in the United States and Western Europe. Its graduates have attracted more than $300 million to their firms as a result of this program. In 101 Marketing Strategies for Accounting, Law, Consulting, and Professional Services Firms, Troy Waugh covers the same successful selling process taught at The Rainmaker Academy, the leadership and business development program he founded. Graduates of the Academy have attracted more than $300 million to their firms as a result of Troy’s program.

101 Marketing Strategies for Accounting, Law, Consulting, and Professional Services Firms sets out to build professionals who can sell, rather than sellers who happen to sell law or accounting services. Senior associates and partners of accounting, law, consulting, and other professional business services can find proven strategies and know-how for mastering Waugh’s three levels of selling: the development of the relationship, the buying process of the client, and the selling process of the professional.

Presented in a "blueprint" format, the book presents complete sections on each phase of the selling process, which are organized so readers can judge where they are in the crosscurrents of relationship development and the buying process of the client. Short, pointed articles largely taken from the author’s successful experience with selling situations are presented to help professionals grasp the essence of each topic.

Relationship development and the buying process of the client are paramount to successful selling. 101 Marketing Strategies for Accounting, Law, Consulting, and Professional Services Firms describes why all selling techniques are not effective in every phase of the relationship process. In fact, the same strategies that are effective in the decision phase of a relationship can come across as pushy, arrogant, and self-interested if used in the discovery phase.

The professional who can sell is the master of his or her destiny. The professional who cannot sell will have a hard time moving ahead. With 101 Marketing Strategies for Accounting, Law, Consulting, and Professional Services Firms, all professionals can measure success, not by how much they know about selling but by the results they get through what they do about selling.

Advance praise for 101 Marketing Strategies for Accounting, Law, Consulting, and Professional Services Firms

"Practitioners at all CPA firms who implement these ideas–and the key is always in the implementation–are likely to reap the benefits of sustained success."
–Bradley J. Allen, CPA, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP

"A 'can't-miss' strategy for developing business. Troy Waugh clearly and concisely focuses on the most critical issues while not overburdening the reader. It provides the tools necessary for even the novice to become a marketing star."
–Joe Beachboard, Esq., Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC

"Troy has done it again! Another tremendous book on sales and marketing for professional services firms. It would be virtually impossible to read this book and not experience a jump in your sales and results."
–Allan D. Koltin, CPA, President and CEO, PDI Global, Inc.

"Troy Waugh–'the rainmakers' rainmaker'–has provided a well-designed blueprint for selling professional services that skillfully draws upon his more than thirty years in the field. This practical, highly focused guide to the selling process can help our firms achieve sales successes measured not only by effort but also by bottom-line results."
–Howard B. Allenberg, Vice Chairman and CIO, BDO Seidman, LLP

"[Waugh's] three-level selling process, starting with development of the relationship and moving through the buying process of the client and the selling process of the professional, is right on target with how our firm approaches professional selling and business development."
–Dave Murray, Director of Marketing, Clifton Gunderson, LLP