I've been thinking a lot lately about the notion of client risk when choosing to hire us - us being defined as management consultants, financial advisors, attorneys, architects, etc. - those of us in the professional services. In my last post, I wrote that understanding client risk is one of the keys to winning more [...]

When Tom McMakin and I were doing the research for our recently published book, How Clients Book, I recall something from an interview with Walt Shill.  Walt is the Global Commercial Director for the environmental consulting firm, ERM.  Walt has spent most of his successful career in management consulting....at reputable places like McKinsey, Accenture.... and [...]

Friend and colleagues: My co-author, Tom McMakin, and I are very pleased....and, frankly, a bit surprised.....to announce that our new book, How Clients Buy, will be published in the coming year in both China and Taiwan.  In the past two weeks, our U.S. publisher, John Wiley & Sons, has signed licensing agreements for the book [...]

Hi, friends.  A quick post to share some exciting news regarding Tom McMakin's and my book, How Clients Buy. We have broken into the Top 10 on Amazon in the consulting & professional services category. The book is targeted at a very tight niche and is spreading word of mouth like an Indie film.  Thank [...]

Hi, friends.  This past week I had a great discussion with financial advisor, Mike McCormick, on his Preserving Wealth podcast.  During our 30 minute discussion related to How Clients Buy, we discussed the biggest obstacles that trip up aspiring professionals in their journey of becoming a successful rainmaker for their firms.  I'm a big fan [...]

Hi, friends.  This summer I had a lively discussion with Wharton Business School professors Barbara Kahn and Americus Reed that originally aired live on July 11, 2018 on Sirius XM Channel 132, Business Radio Powered by The Wharton School.  The full 30 minute conversation is now available online at:  https://shows.pippa.io/wbr-guest/doug-fletcher We discussed how selling our expert services [...]

There's an interesting truth in consulting & professional services (aka - expert services) that I think is worth remembering: The Law of Specificity.  Specificity sells.  Generalities don't. I've noticed that many firms market themselves as real-world, problem solvers.  Management consultants are particularly guilty of this. They provide solutions to complex business problems.  This sounds like [...]

I spoke with Barry Moltz on AM 560 in Chicago recently about our new book, How Clients Buy.  Specifically, we talked about 'why clients buy from us'. It's a short listen, maybe 5 minutes.  I hope you enjoy it!  https://howclientsbuy.net/business-insanity-talk-radio

A big thanks to Mike McCormick of McCormick Financial Advisors in Bozeman, Montana for inviting me to discuss the client's buying journey at his 2018 CPA Symposium.  The event was well attended by many of Montana's brightest CPAs, and included a number of highly entertaining and interesting speakers from the fields of private equity, law [...]

Thanks to The Beacon Group for inviting me to Portland, ME for a presentation on the client's buying decision journey and a How Clients Buy book signing.  Beacon is a growth strategy consulting firm serving an impressive list of clients in the Healthcare, Technology, Industrial and Defense industries.  Not only are they wicked smart, they [...]