Winning the professional services sale : unconventional strategies to reach more clients, land profitable work, and maintain your sanity / Michael W. McLaughlin.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction.-- PART ONE CONNECT .-- CHAPTER 1 Seven Realities of Selling Services.-- CHAPTER 2 Before You Call (or Meet) Any Client.-- CHAPTER 3 Master the Client Interview .-- CHAPTER 4 Uncover the Real Problem.-- PART TWO COLLABORATE.-- CHAPTER 5 When It Pays to Walk Away.-- CHAPTER 6 Five Elements of a Winning Sales Strategy .--CHAPTER 7 Who Cares about This Sale . . . and Why? .-- CHAPTER 8 Shift Happens: Predicting Surprises .-- CHAPTER 9 The Perfect Sales Proposal .-- PART THREE COMMIT 111.-- CHAPTER 10 The Art of the Sales Presentation.-- CHAPTER 11 Seal the Deal: Negotiating to Close the Sale.-- CHAPTER 12 What to Do When You Win . . . and When You Don’t .-- CHAPTER 13 Making the Second Sale and Beyond .-- PART FOUR CHALLENGES.-- CHAPTER 14 The Seven by Seven Seller.-- CHAPTER 15 Putting It All Together.-- Notes Seller’s Resource Guide.-- Index

In recent years, professional services providers have had to rethink their sales methods and adapt to profound changes in the way clients buy services. In response, Winning the Professional Services Sale argues for fundamental changes in the seller's mindset and sales strategies. Rather than pressing the sale, salespeople must help clients buy--the way that works best for each client. This new approach gives buyers what they now want in a services seller: a consultative problem solver, change agent, and solution integrator, all rolled into one. Author Michael McLaughlin presents a strategy for winning new business with a holistic approach to each client relationship. Only by fully understanding a sale from every angle, including its impact on the client's business and career, can salespeople thrive in the new era of the service economy.