Comments on: Are Rainmakers Born or Made? http://www.hardingco.com/blog/2009/06/15/are-rainmakers-born-or-made/ Mimi Spangler's Blog on Rainmaking and Business Development Sat, 17 Dec 2011 22:48:43 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Ford Harding http://www.hardingco.com/blog/2009/06/15/are-rainmakers-born-or-made/comment-page-1/#comment-34089 Ford Harding Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:43:50 +0000 http://www.hardingco.com/blog/?p=345#comment-34089 Jamie: I don't agree. Our database of rainmakers includes many uncharismatic people, for example. Bag carrier? Can people like James McKinsey, Roland Berger and David Nadler or Eugene Kohn or Norm Kurtz or Bob Hillier or Joe Flom or Eugene Anderson be classified as bag carriers? Surely not. Ford Harding Jamie:

I don’t agree. Our database of rainmakers includes many uncharismatic people, for example. Bag carrier? Can people like James McKinsey, Roland Berger and David Nadler or Eugene Kohn or Norm Kurtz or Bob Hillier or Joe Flom or Eugene Anderson be classified as bag carriers? Surely not.

Ford Harding

]]> By: Jamie Hancox http://www.hardingco.com/blog/2009/06/15/are-rainmakers-born-or-made/comment-page-1/#comment-34075 Jamie Hancox Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:47:54 +0000 http://www.hardingco.com/blog/?p=345#comment-34075 IMHO the sales cycle (of anything requiring a real sales skill) can be broken up into 3 areas: Discovery, Development and Closure. For a large consulting engagegement the skills (and personality type) needed in all three areas are unique. Discovery requires personality, charisma and persistence (classic rainmaking skills), Development needs more subject matter expertise but still requires the classic salesman's savvy. Closure needs process, credibility and more often than not the salesman turns into a bag carrier. To that end, I would suggest that rainmakers are born, but that they are only any use in about 2/3 of the sales cycle. Everything else can be trained. IMHO the sales cycle (of anything requiring a real sales skill) can be broken up into 3 areas: Discovery, Development and Closure. For a large consulting engagegement the skills (and personality type) needed in all three areas are unique.
Discovery requires personality, charisma and persistence (classic rainmaking skills), Development needs more subject matter expertise but still requires the classic salesman’s savvy. Closure needs process, credibility and more often than not the salesman turns into a bag carrier.
To that end, I would suggest that rainmakers are born, but that they are only any use in about 2/3 of the sales cycle. Everything else can be trained.

]]> By: Ford Harding http://www.hardingco.com/blog/2009/06/15/are-rainmakers-born-or-made/comment-page-1/#comment-34046 Ford Harding Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:53:42 +0000 http://www.hardingco.com/blog/?p=345#comment-34046 Ian Many thanks Ford Harding Ian

Many thanks

Ford Harding

]]> By: Ian Brodie http://www.hardingco.com/blog/2009/06/15/are-rainmakers-born-or-made/comment-page-1/#comment-34042 Ian Brodie Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:52:08 +0000 http://www.hardingco.com/blog/?p=345#comment-34042 Hi Ford, There's a ton of research, principally led by Anders Ericcson at Florida State which points to the fact that in almost every field - athletic, intellectual, interpersonal - "deliberate practice" counts for more than innate talent. There's no evidence to suggest that "rainmaking" shoudl be any different. There's a great summary of the research by Geoff Golvin of Fortune magazine at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391794/index.htm Ian Hi Ford,

There’s a ton of research, principally led by Anders Ericcson at Florida State which points to the fact that in almost every field – athletic, intellectual, interpersonal – “deliberate practice” counts for more than innate talent. There’s no evidence to suggest that “rainmaking” shoudl be any different.

There’s a great summary of the research by Geoff Golvin of Fortune magazine at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391794/index.htm

Ian

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