Articles - Page 19 of 48

Specialists Do Better Than Generalists. But Deep Generalists Do Even Better.

The new wisdom is: Become a visible expert in a niche. If you do you’ll command high fees and be sought after. You’ll get noticed. You’ll out-compete generalists. All true. But even more true is this: Add some breadth to your depth, and then you’ll really shine. I call it the deep generalist. (Actually, someone […]

Read article

The Importance of Breakthrough Moments in Relationships

Regardless of what stage you’ve reached in a client relationship, you need to look for and seize what I call breakthrough moments. In examining the careers of great professionals, I have found there are always notable moments when they perform in extraordinary ways. The result is a major increase in their stature and in the […]

Read article

Why Having A Great Brand Can Lead You to Fail in Sales

By Andrew Sobel So you have a strong brand. Congratulations. You walk into a prospective client’s office feeling confident and self-assured. You bask in the trust and respect that a good brand confers. But wait—this particular meeting may not be the bowl of cherries you expected. In fact, the executive you’re talking to may have […]

Read article

Five Things You Should never say to a military serviceman or servicewoman

Monday was Memorial Day, which is a day of remembrance for those who have died while serving in the armed forces. It has also become a day to express gratitude to everyone who is serving or has served in the military. I’m personally grateful to my father, my mother, and my father-in-law (all deceased) who […]

Read article

Are you part of your clients’ growth and profits? Or an expense to be managed?

Meet Ellen and Peter. They are both partners with large, well-known public accounting firms. They both went to good schools. They each have years of experience in auditing the financial statements of Fortune-500 companies. Consummate professionals. But that’s where the similarity ends. Ellen is a trusted advisor to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of her […]

Read article

Eight Client Listening Strategies You Can Implement Today

Many executives tell me, “Of course we listen to our clients—we see them every week!” But those day-to-day interactions, while important, do not yield the kinds of in-depth information and feedback you need about your clients’ evolving needs and their perceptions of your relationship. Here are eight ways you can start listening more systematically and […]

Read article

How To Ask Powerful Questions

I was having breakfast one morning with the CEO of a large professional firm. He was stepping down after nearly 10 years in the role. He had a busy morning coming up, and after we had chatted for a while, he flagged the waiter for the check. I then asked him a very simple question: […]

Read article

12 Common Business Development Mistakes You Cannot Afford To Make

The other day a client called me for advice about an important sale he was involved with. His firm was making its final presentation that very week. I did my best, but the problem was that he and his team had made some important mistakes much earlier in the business development process. It was now […]

Read article