Growth Dynamics Get Down

Symptoms:

Cody knew that the firm he represented was considered the best in class by the other major players in the market. As far as technical competency, customer service and the ability to deliver more than clients expected, Cody's firm always scored extremely high. With that ace to play whenever he needed to, he was sure that this new position as a Business Development Specialist would soon prove to be the road to riches. After his first 90 days Cody and his manager met to review his progress, and the picture was not pretty.

One of the things that in my over 36 years being in the training and consulting business when I'm working with business development professionals, I always want to ask people:

“What's the basis of your success so far in your career?”

In this week's Monday morning manager message, we delved into the art of prospecting and the crucial task of auditioning prospects to determine their suitability for your business. If you haven't had a chance to listen, take a moment to do so for valuable insights. Our discussions with clients regarding Monday morning manager responses sparked intriguing ideas for this article. Let's explore the world of prospecting, a vital aspect of business development that demands attention.

During our high-performance sales program, a common question arises: How long does prospecting take? Experienced sales and business development professionals provide varied answers, ranging from 5 minutes to a full conversation. This perception aligns with numerous articles online emphasizing the time and research involved in effective prospecting. However, what if we challenge the notion that prospecting needs to be complex and time-consuming?

Let's reconsider the time invested in prospecting. Rather than viewing it as an extensive process, what if prospecting could be as brief as 5-10, or maybe 30 seconds of a conversation? This perspective challenges the traditional mindset and prompts us to explore a more streamlined approach to get more done in less time.

Simplifying Your Prospecting Process:

Prospect Where You're Already Doing Business:
Explore untapped opportunities with existing clients.
Overcome self-limiting beliefs and inquire about additional business possibilities.

Symptoms:

Brian just made a proposal to a buyer and received the same response he has heard so many times recently. "Thanks for the proposal. Appreciate you coming in. We'll give it some consideration and let you know."

Happy 2024! This is the first Fast Tip Friday I'm doing for the year, so I hope I can live up to the standard!

Symptoms:

Amanda was working through her list of live opportunities after putting her pipeline through a “kill it or close it” exercise. She set up appointments to move her sales process along with several of the live opportunities. She was steadfast in naming her meetings, sending homework, and even let some her more notorious feet draggers know these were decision meetings. She was ready to do what she had to do to start meeting her sales goals for the quarter.

2024… I can't believe we're already here. We're back, we're ready to work, and we hope you are too! Without further ado, here we go.

Thanks to all of you that watched and read our Fast Tip Friday’s this year, whether you started at the beginning of the year, you jumped in in the middle of the year, or someone shared it with you along the way. Thanks to your willingness to listen to my thoughts and ideas regarding personal and professional growth and development, I appreciate it.

Symptoms:

As she looked at the clock and saw it was already 4:15, all Patty could think about was how the day flew by and how little she actually accomplished. Her planned “office day” ended up being an exercise in wasting time and not controlling her schedule.