Recently, we presented to a group of firm leaders across a range of service areas on how to sell professional services. During the Q & A session, one leader of an engineering firm asked, “This is all great stuff, but how do you get them (my engineers) to sell? I mean, I have tried everything, but they still would rather do just about anything but sell.”

Well, short of walking around with a large stick and a menacing attitude, we suggest you will inspire more of the professionals in your firm to sell by helping them get into the right frame of mind to become a rainmaker. It is not just a question of telling them to go out and sell; you need to take care of the following six areas to get the activity you want.

1. Set Expectations: The Gallup Organization – fond of polling – has asked thousands of people across companies to answer this question, “Do I know what is expected of me at work?” On average, 40% of those polled don't. If you think that's high, you should see how many would-be rainmakers know (or rather, don't know) what's expected of them by their firms regarding business development.

In our experience, not many know what they are supposed to do. Sometimes, they might know their revenue goal, but not what they need to do every day to achieve it. Some know they are "expected to network", "expected to make calls" or "expected to spend 15% of their time on business development", but rarely do they know what they need to do in order to make it all add up to increased new client opportunities.

2. Provide the Necessary Tools and Resources: When it comes to business development, rainmakers need the right resources to be able to find and win new clients. Sometimes they need more time to do it; sometimes they need an expense account. Maybe they know they're supposed to develop business, but nobody's built them a list of appropriate businesses and managers to target.

It is possible they do not have the right marketing or sales collateral materials to help them sell. One rainmaker may need to bring a technical guru along to represent a specific expertise of the firm…but that technical guru can't afford to lose the billable time. Others may need a coach to guide them through those sticky sales situations.

Whatever the need, rainmakers need the right level of resources in order to find and win new clients.

3. Articulate Rewards…and Consequences: It's strange; some service firm leaders rush to add incentive compensation to inspire professionals to sell, while others vehemently resist compensation adjustments. Incentive compensation, built correctly, can significantly influence rainmakers to find more new clients.

Rewards need not be simply additional money. Celebrating those who bring in the new clients as much as those who bill hundreds of hours will go a long way towards letting the entire firm know what you value.

On the other hand, monetary incentives and “atta-boy” encouragement, while necessary, is not sufficient. Even those service firm leaders who do institute incentive compensation plans rarely state (or, if they do state, act on) any negative consequences of not hitting client development goals.
If you provide no incentive compensation, the resulting attitude will be: "Why should I sell? I need to bill anyway."

If there are no consequences for not selling, you most likely will hear: "Well, I guess I'll try, but what's the worst that will happen if I don't succeed? They are not going to do anything about it."

4. Show Them How: Have you ever been on a business development meeting with a newbie running the show, while you just sit back along for the ride? How does the newbie seem? Confident in her abilities? Comfortable that she'll win the new client?

And how does she fare running that first meeting? Does she talk the right amount? Ask the right questions? Follow the well-worn protocols of first-time business discussions? How's her body language…confident and relaxed?

Provide your rainmakers with the needed skills and knowledge in order to find and win clients. With the right skills, they can walk the client through the new business development process with savvy, ease, and confidence. With the right knowledge, they can ask the right questions and craft the right service set for the client.

(Unfortunately, many professionals won't admit any lack of confidence, and so they never deal with their anxieties and move their careers forward.)

5. Assign the Right People: Have you ever seen someone fail in a business development role, when almost anyone (but the hiring manager) could have predicted that this person was not the right fit for the job? Sometimes, there are different business development roles that people have to play: one person is the technical expert, one is the lead developer, and one is the big-time closer. Whatever the case, you need the right people in the right business development roles.

For example, you may have selected someone in your firm who is going to be a great rainmaker: they are ready for strong relationships, ready to bring the solid new clients into the firm. But don't assign them to the cold calling. They simply shouldn't (and often won't) succeed at it…it's not the right fit. Make sure you are asking the right people to do those things at which they have a chance to succeed.

6. Examine their Motivation: Let's say you put in motion the other five activities mentioned here. Expectations are clear. Resources are available. Compensation plans are set. The skills are in place. The right people are in the right jobs. All of this is great, and necessary, but you still need rainmakers with the fire in the belly.

You need to find out if the people you have on board and the ones you hire have the focus and drive to be successful in business development. If they're not motivated to build a practice, there's little a firm can do to light the fire of focus and drive.

If there is no motivation to sell, you end up with a scenario much like this one:
- 9 AM already…time to start working. 5 PM already…time to go home!
- Look at all the money I can make! Too bad I don't care about money.
- They've trained me…they're paying me…they told me what to do. Unfortunately, I just don't want to. It's not for me.

Sometimes you have to accept the fact you do not have people who will go out and make it rain. If you can grow your firm and be successful without everyone selling, then fine. But if not, you are going to have some tough decisions ahead of you about how you are going to grow your firm (with or without those who have no inclination to help).

So the next time someone in your firm asks, "How do we get them to sell?" use the list above to evaluate your current situation and the rainmakers-in-training, and you will be well on your way.