How Clients Buy

A Practical Guide to Business Development for Consulting and Professional Services

By: Tom McMakin, Doug Fletcher

Narrated by: Barry Abrams

The real-world guide to selling your services and bringing in business....

How Clients Buy is the much-needed guide to selling your services. If you're one of the millions of people whose skills are the "product," you know that you cannot be successful unless you bring in clients. The problem is, you're trained to do your job-not sell it. No matter how great you may be at your actual role, you likely feel a bit lost, hesitant, or "behind" when it comes to courting clients, an unfamiliar territory where you're never quite sure of the line between under- and over-selling. This book comes to the rescue with real, practical advice for selling what you do. You'll have to unlearn everything you know about sales, but then you'll learn new skills that will help you make connections, develop rapport, create interest, earn trust, and turn prospects into clients.

Business development is critical to your personal success, and your skills in this area will dictate the course of your career. This invaluable guide gives you a set of real-world best practices that can help you become the rainmaker you want to be.

©2018 Thomas McMakin and Wade D. Fletcher, Jr. (P)2019 Gildan Media, LLC

Required Reading

Great stuff. As an attorney this should be required reading in law school. I wish I had read it 30 years ago.

Great Book on professional/expert service sales

Solid book full of great information that is easy to follow and easy to apply.

10x Longer Than it Should Be

I read the other reviews saying the examples and metaphors dragged on, but there were some valuable nuggets of information. I would say this is the least concise book I've ever listened to, I often skipped ahead 30s at a time through long-winded metaphors. Basically, chapters 1-6 should just be 1 chapter. Then, there is some value of the 7 Elements and B2B business types. Also the book is filled with attemps at 1 liner humor and broad generalization of generations as well as equating millennial to young people. I'm not sure if they are eager to write new editions, but the examples will become dated very quickly.

Also, I feel bad for saying this, but the narrator is AWFUL. He often changed voices in a way that felt sarcastic. (The weak content didn't help, but still.)

Highly relevant

If you work in professional services this is a must listen. Wish I read this at the beginning of my career.

Wish for more depth

it was a quick read so I shouldn't be surprised to find that there wasn't much in depth knowledge. Most of the book was stuff I already knew. The topics stayed too superficial.

Practical and Actionable

right book right time for me as I launch my Business Growth Consulting practice area. Biggest takeaway is the need to underwrite the conversation. I have to be clear on that topic. Recommend the read.

Not much meat on the bone

Although there are plenty of words, analogies, stories of consultants the real meat in this book is rather lean and buried in the middle of the book sorrow fed by fat. To be sure there are two or three useful nuggets of insight, but not enough to have made the time spent with this book worth while.

Plain vanilla

Nothing new, very basic and plain. I was expecting more, also the narration was not good

Skip this, save your time

The book is inferior to the Trusted Adviser in every aspect. If there is one consulting book you need, take a listen to the TA.

Inventory of the obvious

I bought this book in earnest because it was focused on professional services. What I found was an inventory of the obvious. Pedestrian and basic, the level of people who “sell” professional services know that you introduce yourself, send follow up in 1- business day, speak to your experience, etc. I would not recommend this to anyone more than 2 years into their professional service career.