‘Eating radishes’

That is how, according to Matt Dixon, many ‘doer-sellers’ experience selling their services.

People do not become management consultants, executive coaches, accountants, lawyers, or engineers to sell. However, for those working in professional service firms or independently, selling is an integral part of their role.

At the same time, professional sales processes are changing. More and more professional services are sourced through RFPs, and buying committees are replacing traditional client relationships. This means that doer-sellers need to change their approach to sales in order to stay relevant.

Based on an extensive quantitative study of nearly three thousand partners across industries such as law, accounting, consulting, investment banking, executive search, and public relations, five distinct seller types within professional service industries were identified; however only one of them, the Activator, consistently drives growth.

In the 33rd episode of the Leadership 2.0 podcast, I interviewed Matt Dixon from DCM Insights about ‘The Activator Advantage – What Today’s Rainmakers Do Differently‘.

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