Maximize Your Team's Rainmaking Potential

Source: CoachingConcepts

The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, from an article from CoachingConcepts.

One of the common misconceptions we encounter in our work in the CPA profession is the idea that all partners must be real rainmakers.

Rainmaking takes many forms within firms, including these four roles, presented in order of their rarity within firms:

• The Supporter – Assists with opportunities generated by someone else.
• The Server – Focuses on delivering services and adding value to existing clients.
• The Seller – Qualifies opportunities, builds rapport and trust with prospects and closes new business regularly.
• The Sourcer – Engaged in a variety of personal marketing activities that generate prospect opportunities.

To establish realistic expectations, incent organic growth, and focus your precious rainmaking resources:

• Recognize that each manager and partner may be capable of one or more of these roles, and then develop individualized personal marketing or rainmaking plans for each.
• Realize that some people will be proficient in one or more areas and others will be off the charts in one or more areas.
• Expect partners to be proficient as Supporters and Servers.
• Tie rewards for Servers to net growth within their client base.
• Track both the person who Sourced an opportunity and the person who acted as the Seller.
• Reward your Sellers and Sourcers for new business closed and pay them well above what others who do not sell engagements receive.
• Focus your Sourcers on their special gift of attraction and encourage them to do more sourcing.
• Pay your Sourcers for sourcing new business and expect that your most significant Sourcers will be the highest paid partners in the firm.

For the complete blog entry, read “Rain Comes in Many Forms.”

From CoachingConcepts, the newsletter of Convergence Coaching, LLC Inspired Ideas, Winter 2013, http://www.convergencecoaching.com/coachingconcepts.