Rainmakers aren't born. They are made!
You’ve probably seen it yourself: every firm has them. The people who seem to bring in business effortlessly. It’s tempting to believe they were simply born that way. We don’t think so, and neither does Jim Donovan.
A few years ago, the long-time Goldman Sachs banker gave a talk at the University of Virginia. He describes how, early in his career, he watched the firm’s rainmakers and worried that their talent was innate. What he discovered instead was that covering clients is a skill. It can be observed, practised and learned.
We discovered the same thing, first in our corporate careers and then as founders. It’s the reason we launched The Sales Academy. We wholeheartedly believe that one of the biggest reasons great start-ups, ventures and companies fail is not the product. It’s that founders are often brilliant subject-matter experts who don’t think about distribution and sales from day one.
Below are the seven lessons from Jim Donovan’s talk that stayed with us, in our own words, and how we apply them in our daily work. You can watch the full talk here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8kqCIxXTEw&t=8s
Learn from the best, and leave your ego at the door. Early in our careers, we sought out the people in our organizations who were brilliant at winning clients. We sat in their meetings and watched how they opened, listened and closed. Our advice: do the same. Humility speeds up learning more than talent does.
In our workshops: you learn from practitioners and from peers who face the same challenges.
Become a strategic advisor, not just a deal-maker. Don’t just try to sell! The most common mistake is to focus only on selling your product, or to finish a mandate and disappear until the next one. Strong sales people stay engaged: they bring ideas, ask questions, challenge their thinking, introduce the right experts and help with problems beyond the original brief. Clients remember who was there in between, and especially in difficult times.
In our workshops: this is the heart of key account thinking, creating value beyond your product or service, and growing relationships.
Ask open-ended questions, and really listen. Over the years, we both learned that empathy isn’t a personality trait; it’s a technique, and anyone can learn it! It starts with open questions. They invite prospects and clients to tell us what truly matters to them. And listening carefully shows that we genuinely care about them and the growth of their business. In our workshops: you practise a consultative questioning framework on your own prospects.
Don’t accept the first “no”. A “no” is frustrating. It makes us question our business model, and sometimes even ourselves. We’ve both heard it many times in in our corporate careers, and even more often as founders and it takes a strong mindset to keep going. But here’s what we’ve learned over all these years: a “no” is often a “not like this” or a “not now”! The best rainmakers come back with a creative alternative instead of walking away.
In our workshops: we look at why buyers say no, and when to persist versus when to move on.
Put the client first, even when it costs you revenue. Everyone claims to do it. But do we really always put the client first? The real test is giving advice that isn’t in our own short-term interest. Nothing builds credibility faster than saying, “I wouldn’t do this deal,” even when closing it would pay off for us.
In our workshops: we connect this to value creation and building lasting trust.
Always bring positive energy. Have you ever worked with someone who drains your energy and constantly shares their own problems? We all have, and we know how quickly it wears us down. This taught us a simple lesson: people want to work with people who lift them up. Energy is contagious, in both directions. So keep your private and business worries out of client conversations. Your clients come to you for solutions, not for your problems!
In our workshops: it’s part of the proactive sales mindset we build on day one.
Learn the language of business Have you ever sat in a meeting and not understood what was really being discussed? We have. And we learned fast! If you don’t understand your clients’ world and vocabulary, you’re out of the conversation. Training courses, reading and plenty of curiosity help demystify it, whether you’re a lawyer, a finance or pharmaceutical specialist, or a founder.
Selling is a skill. Let’s practise it!
Whether you’re a founder, a subject-matter expert, a lawyer or a scientist, the message is the same: the people who win clients aren’t magicians. They’ve mastered these seven habits through deliberate practice, and so can you!
Our two-day workshop on 16–17 January 2027 in Zurich turns these lessons into practice: Live pitches, real cold calls and direct feedback, in a small group. Followed by up to six months of mentoring.
Curious whether it’s right for you? Let’s talk, or reserve your seat.
Mariae Arendayen & Tanja Eigenmann, The Sales Academy
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