4 business development lies you need to stop believing if you are to quickly grow a partner-sized client portfolio
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4 business development lies you need to stop believing if you are to quickly grow a partner-sized client portfolio

ByHeather Townsend

When I look at the curriculum of ‘high potential’ programmes in many firms, I can get rather hot under the collar. You may wonder why? Well, they seem to have (at worst) forgotten the fact that their future partners need the skills to win work. Either that or the quality of the business development training…

How to make a strong impactful online presence – without spending your whole life online
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How to make a strong impactful online presence – without spending your whole life online

ByHeather Townsend

When people ask me what are the most important chapters in the Go-To Expert, I point them to chapter 3, 4 and 5. I.e. the part of the book where I talk about packaging your brand to make you irresistible to potential clients. Sadly, this part of business development is often missed out by accountants,…

Business Development Clinic: 6 tips to get back in touch with old colleagues
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Business Development Clinic: 6 tips to get back in touch with old colleagues

ByHeather Townsend

Getting back in touch with people and old colleagues is something that many of us find difficult. Regardless of whether your motive is driven by a commercial need or you are just curious, it doesn’t make it any easier to get back in touch. However, for most of us, there is a huge amount of…

Business Development Clinic: How to help others remember your name
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Business Development Clinic: How to help others remember your name

ByHeather Townsend

Whether you are trying to come to the notice of your managing partner, or make a positive impact at a networking event, your first hurdle is to help others remember your name. After all, it’s up to the other person to memorise your name, using whatever technique works for them. I’m not sure about you,…

Business Development Clinic: How to eliminate presentation nerves
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Business Development Clinic: How to eliminate presentation nerves

ByHeather Townsend

One of the best ways of building your profile is to speak at events. These could be internal events or external events. In fact, clients will often require you to present at a pitch for a large piece of work. Which means it is absolutely in your interest to become an effective and confident presenter….

Business Development Clinic: 6 tips to help you become the Go-To-Expert
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Business Development Clinic: 6 tips to help you become the Go-To-Expert

ByHeather Townsend

This article was originally published in ACCA’s in-practice e-zine. Differentiating yourself from your peers is the challenge that every accountant faces. With today’s clients more inclined to look for a better service or deal, the pressure is on for every firm and professional to justify their fee levels and increase the value they bring to…

How can I go from networking to ‘show me the money’?
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How can I go from networking to ‘show me the money’?

ByHeather Townsend

I spend several days most months working with professionals, such as lawyers, accountants and consultants, helping them improve their business networking skills. Very often I am asked by delegates on my workshops, how to go from networking to ‘show me the money’, i.e. how to win business from my networking activities. Firstly, before we even…

The pink car story: The next chapter
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The pink car story: The next chapter

ByHeather Townsend

If you have ever heard me speak about networking or referral generation, then you will have heard me talk about the pink car story. For those of you who haven’t, here is a quick recap of the story. Last year, my family and I went camping down in Devon. This involved a 450 mile journey…

What’s your suffix?
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What’s your suffix?

ByHeather Townsend

Whenever people talk about you they will normally add a tag line to you, for example, these are the suffixes that are typically applied to me: ‘really knows her stuff’ ‘author of ‘the FT Guide to Business Networking’ ‘passionate and enthusiastic’ In the interests of balance, I am aware that occasionally the suffixes which are…

How to ACE your presentation regardless of who is in the audience
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How to ACE your presentation regardless of who is in the audience

ByHeather Townsend

I thought my presentation was going OK, then 1 person killed it at the end. How you can learn from my experience Do some people put you off? Have you ever had to give a presentation and been afraid, or thought that it wasn’t quite hitting the mark? I have found out that it isn’t…

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