Rainmaking for Women CPAs
Get out the Umbrellas: Women Are Making Rain!

By Gale Crosley, CPA

Reprinted with permission from the Spring/Summer edition the The Edge published by The American Society of Women Accountants

     Over the past 20 years, the number of women entering the accounting profession has grown to 56 percent. Their entry into the partner and leadership ranks has not mirrored this progress, in part because their rainmaking skills have not evolved as fast. What’s held them back and how can they catch up?

A Personal Story

     I don’t often share the story of how I came to appreciate rainmaking, but I think my experience and reactions will resonate with those of other women. It starts in college where I fell in love … with professional accounting and was delighted to join a Big 8 firm as an auditor following graduation. I worked hard and my work was well received. I had a natural curiosity for the client’s business. This led to questions and discussions with clients. However, if the (always male) senior felt I had too much interaction or communication with my clients, I would be gently reprimanded. I’d receive a figurative slap on the head and would be counseled to get my head back into the general ledger where it belonged.

    But, curious young thing that I was, I found myself wanting to do what the partners were doing. I may not have known the term at the time, but they were making rain, and getting wet looked like fun to me.

    Ironically, however, I was soon successfully lured away from the firm by some persuasive recruiters from IBM. “We think you can sell,” I was told. Failing to make the connection between what those Big 8 partners were doing and sales of computer systems, I indignantly replied, “Moi…a salesperson? I’m a professional!” Beyond what appeared to be an obvious drop in the social pecking order, I simply couldn’t imagine myself selling. My perception of a sales force was of a group of fast-talking, partyloving folk who spend their time convincing people they need products and services they in fact do not need. I, on the other hand, was authentic - the nose-to-the-grindstone auditor and former straight A student my sorority sisters were always trying to lure out of the library and into the bars.

    Long story short – Big Blue took me under its protective training wing and a year later I emerged, a bona fide salesperson. Perhaps more important than the skills I gained was the understanding and respect I cultivated for the art and science of selling. I learned that the sophisticated selling of professional services is all about identifying needs and creatively solving problems.

    I was part of one of IBM’s first classes of women to sell computerized accounting systems. Before that, Big Blue believed women couldn’t, or shouldn’t, sell anything more complicated than a typewriter. Our task was to sell solutions to corporate America’s most demanding C-level clients. An internal culture shift paved the way. IBM expanded its expectations and, armed with training and a sense of our potential, we responded. They built it and we came.

Understanding the Environment

    Despite breakthrough opportunities for me and other women, large scale progress in accounting toward partnership and senior rainmaker status has not been consistent with that of our male counterparts. The hurdles, including many that have faced women for decades, have not yet been cleared. A primary reason for the delay is that women have not been environmentally supported. Unlike my fortunate enclave at IBM, women have not been encouraged to perceive themselves as equally capable of making rain as men. The rub is that as women become managers and partners, they will be expected to make rain, plain and simple. But our skills and experience are not yet there.

     Connecting this disconnect is critical to advancing more women to the partner ranks. Rainmaking and leadership are the two essential skills without which the top jobs simply cannot be obtained.

     In my mind, the most persistent obstacle – the one Big Blue moved most of 30 years ago – is the cultural bias. It is a frame of reference that must be discarded and replaced by an inclusive approach. But the bias is not merely cultural. For many women, it is personal and involves their own notions about who does what in our society. This is further complicated by the hesitation some women feel in approaching men. They’re unsure how the male/female dynamic plays into the activity of selling to usually male buyers. Being the “aggressor,” or “instigator” is still not a comfortable role for many women. I’m often asked, “If I call on a man, will he think I’m asking him out with a non-business agenda?”

     Another significant obstacle is the fact that accounting education does not teach people to sell. Whereas men may be more likely to acquire these skills on the job, women must pursue them more deliberately. Other women are held back by a concern that making rain means never coming in out of the rain. They worry that becoming a rainmaker means they will be away from their homes and families five nights a week.

The Challenge of Change

    How, then do we begin to sidestep and overcome these obstacles? We do so with an understanding that rainmakers are developed, not born. It’s true that some people are naturally equipped with useful skills, such as being good listeners or creative thinkers. But these and others required can be taught and learned. We also move forward with the comforting recognition that women have natural talents that make them exceptional rainmakers. Consider the following:

• Women are natural problem solvers, accustomed to being thrown into complex scenarios and playing multiple roles.
• Women commonly exhibit empathy and an ability to understand what others are experiencing, the core of successful selling.
• Women are expert communicators.

Best Practices

     Let’s address some practical solutions to these challenges. The breakthrough often involves changing one’s self-perception and rebuffing cultural and personal constraints. For example, I advise women uneasy with taking the lead to crawl before they walk. Call a prospect and suggest visiting the office or perhaps having breakfast if dinner seems too uncomfortable. The more calls one makes, the greater the comfort level. If a male prospect misreads your intentions or invents his own, be prepared to firmly and diplomatically respond. Challenges like these sometimes come with the territory. But the world won’t end – deal with it and press forward.

     I also advise that women new to the rainmaking game initially avoid situations that involve spouses or partners. It’s hard enough to handle one interaction; involving two additional people can be unnecessarily tricky for a novice. However, as your skills increase, including spouses in business-social settings is not only acceptable, but valuable. Many of my best clients through the years became my husband’s business friends – a great advantage!

     Another significant confidence-builder for women is focus. Take the time to develop a gameplan within your firm regarding the book of business you wish to pursue. Become expert in it, then take it out on the road. If your goal is to attract high net-worth individuals, join a country club. If you’re targeting contractors, join the associations they join and learn their issues. Don’t hesitate to make initial meetings research rather than sales calls. Ask questions and learn about the environment these prospects inhabit before any selling occurs.

Create Your Curriculum

     Don’t be constrained by the fact that you didn’t learn to make rain in school. No one else did either. Take the opportunity to develop your own learning plan.

• Pursue training classes like those offered by Troy Waugh’s Rainmaker Academy, Jeff Pawlow’s The Growth Partnership or Crosley+Company’s Relationship Building Skills.
• Make a systematic study of rainmaking by assigning yourself books including: Integrity Selling for the 21st Century by Ron Willingham, Rain Making by Ford Harding, Power up Your Prophets by Troy Waugh and I Hate Selling by Allan Boress.
• Apprentice yourself to a rainmaker you admire in your firm. Accompany him or her on calls and learn about the strategy and the preparation involved. Ideally, select two rainmakers with different styles and approaches to learn from.
• Find a partner who, like you, wants to learn rainmaking. Become each other’s advocate and conscience for accountability. Role play the sales calls and thoughtfully critique one another.

Holding on to Your Life

     As for the concern of many women that becoming a rainmaker will wreak havoc on their home lives, think again. Work smarter, not longer. Find “big bang for the buck” opportunities like focused, oneon- one breakfasts and lunches rather than spending time schmoozing at cocktail parties.

     I have a husband, two teen-agers, a cat, two birds and a fish, and I have made significant rain without ever devoting five nights a week to building business. But don’t get me wrong – you’ll rarely find me having lunch with a girlfriend; I use my daylight sales opportunities to the fullest.

Different Is Good

     Once I realized what a creative, satisfying endeavor selling is, and once I gained the training I needed, my comfort level soared and success followed. Ultimately, I learned that being different, which is still the case for women rainmakers, is a powerful tool in the marketplace.

     Today, I am still thrilled when I see a woman rainmaker operating at the top of her game. It means she’s worked hard against cultural bias, personal constraints and other obstacles to get where she knew she belonged.

     To read more, including articles on the research call and other selling tools, I hope you’ll visit my website, www.crosleycompany.com.

Copyright © 2005 by Crosley + Company

Gale Crosley, CPA, is founder and principal of Crosley + Company, and consults with CPA firms on practice growth issues and opportunities. Her background includes a unique mix of experience with two national CPA firms, and nearly 30 years in business development and senior management, including IBM and several small technology companies. She has been responsible for developing high performance rainmaking organizations, bringing more than 30 offerings to market and closing dozens of multi-million-dollar and smaller opportunities. For more information, visit the website at www.crosleycompany.com or contact her at