Let’s work out where you are starting from:
How do you really feel about Business Development?
How do you really feel if we call it what it really is, sales?
Many professionals stay away from any part of business development (sales), finding and growing new clients just based on how they feel. Is this you, or does it sound like someone around you?
Very often this happens as people have a negative emotional association with business development. Call it sales and people tend to have a hugely negative emotional association and want to run in the opposite direction!
I’ve often seen people who have this negative association do everything they possibly can to avoid meeting new clients and growing their business. It might sound strange to you, and you might be reading this shaking your head, but very often this is avoidance is at an unconscious level. Pause for two minutes and answer these questions honestly:
Have you ever delayed picked up the phone to follow up on an introduction?
Did you ever find yourself “too busy” to attend a useful networking event or conference?
Have you ever not mentioned an additional service or product to an existing client (even when deep down you think you should)?
It’s not uncommon for people to do this. It could be you or it could be the team around you. It’s important that we all acknowledge and understand this. It’s critical that you address this and make sure you know how to deal with this in a positive and productive way.
The first thing we need to do is to reframe your views on both “business development” and “sales”. Rather than the outdated view of sales that we all seem to have, how about you think about your activity as helping, serving, and supporting your clients. Pause and think about business, business growth and what you do for your clients. When you act in a professional way, focusing on positive outcomes for your clients and doing the right thing for them, then you are absolutely helping, serving and supporting them.
This shift in how you view your activity can really help you focus on your own approach to business development. When you embrace the approach of helping, serving and supporting your clients you feel more confident and authentic when you are: -Picking up the phone to speak to new clients.
-Asking for referrals.
-Introducing new products, services and solutions to your clients.
-Asking for additional pieces of work.
-Simply asking for a new piece of work, asking a client to go ahead. Everything listed above are the things that I see professionals avoiding on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. A shift in how you view your activity and new focus on appreciating your role in helping, serving and supporting your client makes all of these things far more comfortable. Isn’t it time you changed your view on business development and isn’t it time you and your team focus on business development in a more authentic way?