Creating Rainmakers: The Manager's Guide to Training Professionals to Attract New Clients 1st Edition

Of all the books available on business development in the professions, this is the best of the best. Concise, practical yet never simplistic, Ford Harding hits the strategic issues of business development, then ties the issues to solid implementable actions. As an advisor to CPA and law firms, I consider this book to be the "course textbook" for learning the subject matter quickly. Professionals don't have time for volumes of thick how-to manuals. Give it to them straight and quickly. This book does that. Every page unlocks another important concept in business development. When finished the reader not only knows the subject, but knows what to do next. Instead of throwing the book in a cabinet, it should be kept in a handy place, and as the professional becomes more experienced, it can take him/her to the next level of understanding, and to the highest reaches of successful rainmaking. A must read for any professional who wants to grow their practice.

The book is still the bible for executives interested in developing themselves and entry consultants in the art & science of business development.

I used this book in the planning of a training program for business development activities at the engineering/surveying firm, Psomas and Associates. We needed a training program for every level of staff from principals to marketing support staff. This book was amazing! It made the job sooooooo much easier! The information in this book was nothing short of inspiring and the success we are having in the program is testimony to the quality of the ideas and programs described in the book. I recommend it very, very highly!

As a business developer in the IT services industry, I can recommend this book wholeheartedly. It is by far the best, most coherent book on the subject I've found anywhere. Ford Harding has only managed to do even better than his first book, "Rain Making -- The Professional's Guide to Attracting New Clients" (a book I picked up back in 1996 when I first started out in the discipline, and which I have re-read again since purchasing Harding's lastest work).This book does much to dispell many of the buiness development myths or common fatal mistakes perpetuated by many sales and marketing managers. Most businesses approach account development either by the seat of their pants, if at all, or they place all their eggs in one basket, building heightened, unrealistic expectations from that all-important, one-shot-take-all telemarketing or direct mail campaign. A common mistake I have witnessed firms making is that they don't treat business development and lead generation as an ongoing, continuous system -- a plan, a network, a philosophy. By revealing business development as a system, Ford Harding's "Creating Rainmakers" helps to shine a big light on a big problem in today's world of business marketing, especially in the profesional services disciplines. This book clearly outlines all the many components of a comprehensive, ongoing system for continuous lead generation, beyond mere "networking." The service sector, particularly hi-tech services, continues to thrive and grow as a vital part of our "knowledge economy." And business development, or effective Rainmaking, will only become more critical as we enter the 21st century.

By thinking of Rainmakers as separate from the organization, the firm severely limits its potential and actual benefits from the rainmaker's efforts. This book is valuable for training potential rainmakers, but probably more useful in helping the firm to understand what the rainmaker is doing, why and how they can help. By focusing the energy of the firm on rainmaking, a much more powerful force will be generated to serve existing clients and encourage new business. This book provides a good basis for creating this new synergy for the firm.