Today, I wanted to get a little more tactical, especially as I think about the things we're all trying to accomplish—how we're working to advance our careers in business development. I wanted to share something because I keep running into a particular word that drives me crazy when I hear it from clients or prospects who are looking to improve their results.
This idea seems to be hardwired into many of us: the belief that our job is to convince people to change, to buy what we’re offering. Frankly, nothing could be further from the truth.
If you choose to operate your professional career as a never-ending, unresolvable argument about who's right and who's wrong—about which product or service is better—go ahead and keep at it. See how long it takes you to actually collect decisions from people who, quite frankly, are not thrilled to have a stranger telling them they've been making bad choices.
Instead, change your approach. Ask people if you're allowed to have a business conversation with them. Then, ask them what kind of issues they’d like help with. If you need to learn how to introduce these conversations effectively, we’d be happy to help. But the key is to become a diagnostician, not a prescription writer.
Learn how to get people to share information with you so that you can package your solutions, services, or products in a way that focuses on what matters most to them, not just to you. Let go of the need to sell and convince—it’s not healthy, it’s outdated, and people are tired of it.
Instead, become a true diagnostic professional. This approach gives both you and your prospects the best opportunity to create lasting, meaningful change.
So, in effect, I’m repeating something I’ve been telling all of you for years: Stop selling—and watch your business grow.
Thanks for watching, thanks for listening, and have a great week ahead. Take care!