Are you a Rainmaker?

"Pessimists complain about the noise when opportunity knocks."
- Chuck Gallozzi

In sales, a "rainmaker" is someone who is able to generate lots of sales really fast, usually because they have a very good network of contacts. In the way I use the term, "Rainmaker" is someone who is the go-to person within a network to find a resource or to get something done. A Rainmaker is someone who makes it rain opportunity for everyone around them.

Are you a Rainmaker? Here are some practices of successful Rainmakers:

1 - Rainmakers love people.

Rainmakers are passionate students of people. They know what questions to ask to determine what makes people special. You can either get to know someone deep, like Harvey Mackay's "66 Questions" (http://www.harveymackay.com/tools/mackay66.cfm ) or start with the "Coach Davender Three":

- What is your highest priority at the moment?
- How do you envision success at achieving this priority?
- What are you looking for to help you move forward towards success with this priority? (contacts, resources, assistance)

2 - Rainmakers are connectors.

Creating value goes beyond providing our products and services in a commercial way. Rainmakers understand that the highest value we can provide someone is connecting them with someone who can help them win at what's important to them. Rainmakers look for patterns in the information they collect, and from those patterns determine who in their networks would benefit from mutually connecting. They master the art of giving good referrals.

3 - Rainmakers make friends first.

Rainmakers are master trust builders, because they know that trust is the ultimate currency. They do what is right for the other person, not just what is profitable financially, acting first and foremost from a place of love. By first ensuring that a connection of personal trust is in place, they create loyalty that lasts a long time.

4 - Rainmakers are open.

Rainmakers keep their eyes open and their ear to the ground, alert to opportunities that can benefit their network. Rainmakers are comfortable in a sea of information, and know how to recognize the nuggets that can be valuable to people around them.

5 - Rainmakers make opportunities

Rainmakers don't wait for things to happen, they make them happen. They understand that to become prosperous, you need to be the one that puts the wheel of prosperity into motion, by giving without expectation of return. It takes faith, in the future, in others, in oneself, to be a successful Rainmaker.

When I first arrived in a new city (Quebec) and a new language (French) back in 2005, with no connections or friends, the first thing I did was to become a Rainmaker. I made connections with many people that I met, finding out about their priorities, their vision of success and what they wanted. As I met more and more people, I started connecting them together, a practice I continue even today. And the effort I've put into this has come back to me many times over, as trust, respect, and opportunities.

How can you start becoming a Rainmaker? Meet someone today for the sheer pleasure of meeting them. Get to know who they are, their needs, desires, their projects and priorities, then help them to win at what's important to them. The more you give, the more you eventually gain!

So, for whom will you make it rain opportunities today?