How to Acquire Clients

Alan Weiss-author, international consultant, highly sought keynote speaker-is the founder and president of Summit Consulting Group. His clients have included Hewlett-Packard, State Street Corp., Fleet Bank, Coldwell Banker, Merrill Lynch, American Press Institute, Chase, Mercedes-Benz, GE, American Institute of Architects, and Arthur Andersen. He is the author of The Ultimate Consultant (Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2001) and Getting Started in Consulting (John Wiley & Sons, 2000). Weiss resides with his wife Maria in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

"This is the fourth book in Alan Weiss' Ultimate Consultant Series and probably the best in the lot." (APC, 5/02)

• Introduction. C H A P T E R 1 Identifying Targets of Opportunity: You Seldom Awake in the Morning withPeople Waving Money in Your Face. Three Conditions Essential to SuccessfulSelling. Generalizing and Specializing: The Viewfrom Contrarian Land. Customized Assaults: When There Is aSingle Target Too Appealing to Resist. Strategies for Isolating and Hitting NewTargets of Opportunity. From My Time in the Trenches. C H A P T E R 2 How to Prepare for Success inAcquiring New Business: The Allies Didn t Simply Decide to Take a TripAcross the English Channel One Morning. The Frontal Attack. The Flanking Maneuver. Infiltration. When the Buyer Comes to You (Build It,and They Will Come). From My Time in the Trenches. C H A P T E R 3 How to Build Relationships withEconomic Buyers: Most Consultants Don t Stop Selling LongEnough to Really Make a Sale. Behavioral Predispositions: Funny ThingsThat Buyers Do. Controlling the Discussion (Killing MeSoftly with His Song . . .). Emotional Targeting. Drawing a Line in the Sand for UnacceptableBehaviors. From My Time in the Trenches. C H A P T E R 4 Rebutting Objections Once and for All: If You Hear a New Objection, Then You Haven tBeen Listening in the Past. The Four Major Areas of Objections. Rebutting Arguments in the FourBasic Areas. Visualizing the Future. Sample Objections and Rebuttals. From My Time in the Trenches. C H A P T E R 5 Sixteen Great Acquisition Sources: Why Go Around the Block to Get Next Door? The First Four. The Second Four. The Third Four. The Fourth Four. From My Time in the Trenches. C H A P T E R 6 Winning Friends and InfluencingPeople: How to Build Support from Those Who LoatheYour Arrival. Providing Value Early and for Free. Building Momentum Among Key Advisors. Dealing with Committees. Overcoming Threat Factors. From My Time in the Trenches. C H A P T E R 7 Gaining Market Share from Others: Stealing Is Legal in the Sales Business. Harvesting Low Hanging Fruit . Creating High Visibility. Waiting for Someone Else s Bad News. More Techniques to Trespass on OthersProperty. From My Time in the Trenches. C H A P T E R 8 Guaranteeing the Ultimate Business:Repeat Business;How to Think of the Fourth Sale First. What Is the Fourth Sale? The Three Keys to Cementing RelationshipsRather Than Selling Business. Developing Trust Through Pushback. The Present-Value Discount Principle in Action. From My Time in the Trenches. C H A P T E R 9 A Dozen New Sources of Clients: The World Is Changing and So Are Your Prospects. 1. Global Alliances. 2. Remote Learning. 3. Entrepreneurs. 4. Universities and Higher Education. 5. The Professions: Medical, Legal,Accounting. 6. Mature High-Tech. 7. The Retired, the Recreating, the Hobbyist. 8. Behavior Modification. 9. Life Balance. 10. Sales Skills. 11. Cultural Accommodation. 12. Knowledge Assimilation/ManagementApplication. From My Time in the Trenches. C H A P T E R 10 The Process of Selective Acquisition: How to Reject and Abandon Business in Orderto Grow. The Ten Very Good Reasons for RejectingProspective Business. The Five Very Good Reasons for Pullingthe Plug on Existing Business. Managing New Business Potential and Profit. The Mercedes-Benz Syndrome. From My Time in the Trenches: Chapter 10. From My Time in the Trenches: The Book. Index.