Marketing Profs

It's tempting to think that rainmakers are a special breed.

Many wonder how a rainmaker reels in so much business while others can only shake their heads in amazement. Some people suggest that rainmaking is a genetic predisposition and therefore beyond reach for all but a select few.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Rainmaking is part skill and part mindset. Anyone who is willing to invest the necessary time and energy can become a rainmaker.

Invest beyond table stakes

The rainmaker's first rule is that it's not enough to woo customers with the wine-and-dine approach. Tickets to sporting events, dinners and golf outings can help you develop feel-good personal relationships with customers. But it's foolhardy to expect a steady stream of business as a result.

Think about it. If a customer asked for your advice on how to improve sales, would you suggest taking his prospective customers to lunch? Entertaining customers is easy and fun. But don't expect those opera tickets to make the difference between winning and losing.

Rainmakers do get to know their customers outside the conference room, but they view social activities as table stakes. They know that consistently landing sales takes much more.

Go deep

Rainmakers go beyond the superficial to cultivate a holistic and substantive understanding of the customer's strategic and operational issues. Their mindset is that of a business advisor, not simply a vendor. Rainmakers immerse themselves in the high-priority concerns facing all of the customer's executives.

You have to do more than a cursory review of the annual report and the customer's Web site. Identify the issues beneath the headlines by talking to your customers' suppliers, customers and even their employees.