Have you ever had someone you don’t know contact you about a project? People think this is good fortune—but it’s not. Work doesn’t just drop into your lap.
Good fortune comes from doing all the little things right.
Successful business development is far more about building your reputation than it is about cold calls or sitting next to the right person on an airplane. The future client I met at a luncheon was interested because we had a trusted connection in common. The lobbyist who called me for a proposal got my name from someone I’d followed up with a couple of times. The association marketer hired me in part because we discovered during our first conversation that I had once worked with her daughter (and she subsequently said nice things about me).
You might have the perfect prospect in front of you, but you’re unlikely to close the deal unless you have a track record of achievement and people willing to vouch for you.
Photo by JD Hancock (Flickr).
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I’ve got a few who’ll vouch for me and a decent track record; I find people/businesses in need of help. That person willing to pay, that’s the fish I’m having trouble getting on the line. But alas they don’t just jump in the boat, start cleaning themselves.
So very true.
My problem has always been my lack of connections; just never had that huge network to tap into, always makes it that much harder to develop referrals – esp. if you’re looking to step up your game. FWIW.
Davina K. Brewer recently posted..Plan. Or Else.
Hi Davina,
A friend of mine taught me that opportunities are everywhere — it’s just a question of knowing how to see them. I suspect your “amplified” network is actually bigger than you think.
We’re all guilty of seeing what’s in front of us and not necessarily thinking about (or asking) who knows who. Not “an ask” for a sale, per se, but rather to make the connection first.
Yes, the “person willing to pay” is the key — but the stronger your network ties and the more “top of mind” you stay, the more likely you are to land the person at the right time. At least that’s a theory I’m counting on to help work drop into my lap.