Rainmakers don’t sell products

I was in a portion of a workshop yesterday with Steve Matteson, a consultant from Simpler Consulting when he made an interesting comment about rainmakers … salespeople who sell more, make more, bring in more.


Rainmakers don’t sell the product.

Rainmakers sell what customers get out of buying the product.

I’ve heard it before in different contexts and words, but I like this formulation.

Reality is, most salespeople sell the product. It’s this big. It’s that powerful. It’s got such-and-such features. It’s comes in these three colors.

So what?

Find out what the client needs and wants. Show how your product/service/solution/widget meets them. Count your cash.