Book Summary Preview : How to Become A Rainmaker

The Big Idea
Inspired by Native American tradition, the Rainmaker is one who uses his power to bring rain to nourish crops that feed the tribe. In sales, a rainmaker is the revenue-bringer to a company. She brings the very lifeblood of the organization and makes the cash register ring. Here are the rules to being the Rainmaker, the salesperson that gets and keeps customers.

Rainmaker Credo
• Cherish customers at all times.
• Treat customers as you would your best friend.
• Listen to customers to decipher their needs.
• Give the customers what they need.
• Price your product to its dollarized value
• Show customers the dollarized value of what they will get
• Teach customers to want what they need.
• Make your product the way the customer wants it.
• Get your product to the customer when they want it.
• Give your customers a little extra, more than they expect.
• Remind customers of the dollarized value they received.
• Thank each customer sincerely and often.
• Help customers pay you, so they won’t be embarrassed and go elsewhere.
• Ask to do it again.

Always answer the question, “Why should I do business with you?”
The answer has to be tailored to fit your customer’s agenda. You need to make her feel good, or solve the problem for her. Calculate the economic benefit per dollar and show her the consequences of life without your product, in terms of dollars and cents. More often, it is best to graphically show how much the customer will save when she puts your product to good use.

Obey marketing’s first commandment.
Treat customers as you would treat yourself. Don’t overcharge, put them on endless hold, or give them the runaround. Service is the key word. Put yourself in his shoes. Deliver on every promise and add a little bit extra.

The customer doesn’t care about you.
Do not make excuses for not making a delivery. He doesn’t want to hear it. Clarify and summarize what he wants from you and determine how you can help solve the problem.

Always plan every sales call.
Script what you are going to say. Rehearse with a colleague. Anticipate customer objections. Even if it is a fifteen-minute sales call with a decision-maker, that crucial fifteen minutes has to be planned so every minute counts. Practicing and planning for days before the call should be the norm. But allow yourself to be flexible when it comes down to the actual call. If the customer says she will order after just 60 seconds into your hour-long presentation, then stop talking, take the order and leave gracefully. . . . . . . . .

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