Professional Services Marketing & Selling

There's a myth that you can hire a great salesperson and on day one they'll be able to bring in millions of dollars of revenue. The truth is companies need a process to bring new-hire salespeople up to speed so that they can begin generating revenue. Listen as sales management strategist Lee Salz explains how to get started with an onboarding program and the benefits companies can achieve as a result of having one.

You can have all of the passion and enthusiasm in the world, but unless you really listen to your prospects and clients, selling will be a challenge. Pay attention to verbal and non-verbal cues to make sure you pursue appropriate prospects and that you know definitely what drives those buyers, sales sales strategist Dan Waldschmidt.

A difficult economy can mean the downfall for many businesses. But if your firm enters that atmosphere with a plan and a process, it can not only survive but succeed. Listen as performance management expert Sandy Blaha explains what such a plan looks like and the process she created to help businesses grow no matter what the economic climate.

Publishing a book is a challenging process, but the increased business and opportunities you get as a result are worth the effort. Listen as Stephanie Chandler, author of Booked Up! How to Write, Publish, and Promote a Book to Grow Your Business, discusses how publishing a book generates business revenue and how to get started writing your first book.

The market for automated marketing and sales tools is expanding, and their costs are dropping. It's easier than ever to take advantage of them to generate and nurture leads. And companies that use those tools will have a significant advantage over—and will grow more than—firms that do not. Listen as Mike Schultz, co-author of Rainmaking Conversations, discusses sales and marketing trends firms should be aware of and how to adjust to them and grow revenue in 2012.

Professional services firms face plenty of challenges these days. Unfortunately, however, many are so busy working in their business to work on their business, according to a new survey conducted by Lisa Nirell at EnergizeGrowth. Not only that, but 66% of the people who say that also say they're unwilling to invest in or don't know where to invest to resolve the problem. Listen as Lisa Nirell discusses the top three challenges facing B2B firms and what they should do to address them.

Trade shows today are more than handing out brochures and hoping someone stops by your booth so you can get their email address. If that's your strategy, you're setting yourself up for failure. These days you have to make a concerted effort to connect with people who have a true interest in what you offer. Listen as Todd Schnick, founder of marketing and consulting firm The Intrepid Group, discusses how to improve your trade show strategy and develop quality leads.

When it comes to sales success, attitude is everything. But as you achieve success, you have to be careful not to let arrogance creep in, for it will ultimately be your undoing, says Harvey Mackay, author of The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World and Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive. Listen as Mackay discusses how arrogance can cause salespeople to fail, the need to humanize the sales process, and how social media has become the new mega center for sales.

Before you give a presentation—before you even think about launching PowerPoint—you must know three essential things: audience, result, and message (ARM). Listen as communications coach Tom Kennedy explains those elements, as well as the biggest mistakes people make when giving presentations.

Aaron Shapiro, author of Users Not Customers: Who Really Determines the Success of Your Business, discusses how B2B services firms are growing their business via a user-focused approach in the digital online space.