| Does the start of a new year mean you are going to change your business development habits or will there be more ‘rational lies’, asks Lars Tewes, MD of SBR Consulting. |
Selling in the Consulting World –
Setting business development goals for the year ahead |
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| | By Lars Tewes
Despite what the
papers say, many firms
had a very successful
2011. It is fair to say
that a lot of companies
found it a tough and
challenging year but
that does not mean it
was not a rewarding one.
The important
question to ask yourself
as you reflect on the
past year is: do you
know why it turned out
the way it did? I offer
this question with a
word of caution, as it
is easy to give an
instant response,
pointing to
circumstances out of
your control: the
economy, the
legislation, new
technology etc. A better
and more productive
answer comes from
looking in the mirror
and answering the
question based on
factors you could either
‘control’ or at least
‘influence’.
Albert Einstein is
regularly quoted as
saying that “the
definition of insanity
is doing the same thing
over and over again and
expecting different
results”. So are you
continually honing and
improving your business
development strategy?
Will 2012 be
different with regard to
your own and your
company’s revenue
growth? Ultimately, the | |
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| | main areas you can
control and influence
boil down to two things;
your own actions /
behaviours and your
mindset. If you have not
already done so this
year (chances are you
have not made the time
yet), take out your
notebook or electronic
notepad right now. Make
a list of the specific
actions / behaviours
that you did well last
year. Next, write down
those that did not go to
plan. Finally, pick the
key ones you are going
to build on in 2012. Now
take five minutes to
answer the next three
questions:
• What are my three
areas of focus for 2012
around business
development?
• Why have I chosen
them?
• How will I measure
my progress?
Now take a photo of
the sheet and make it
your computer
screensaver. Someone
once said to me that in
life you do not get what
you want, you get what
you picture. It is
important to keep
looking at your
answers.
There are three
things we believe anyone
involved in business
development should
commit to at the
beginning of the year | |
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| | and make a part of
everyday life:
Habit 1 - Track your
activities
You cannot manage
what you cannot measure,
so make it your new
habit to track your
sales behaviours. What
are the four or five
activities that you have
to do in order to win a
sale? It does not matter
if you sell services or
products nor whether
your sale is large or
small; just being able
to look back in three
months, six months or 12
months at what you did
is the best present you
can give yourself. It is
no surprise that high
performers who are
consistent in their
success have put in the
most effort : effort
equals activity.
Habit 2 – Continually
commit to a specific
number of effective
conversations
Choose a number that
works for your business
model and the consulting
position you hold in the
firm. Decide how many
people you are going to
have business
development
conversations with each
week. For some of you it
could be just two, for
others it may be many
more, but it needs to be
more than one. We all
know enough people who
would gain from sharing
our industry knowledge.
Decide to be interested
and curious in what | |
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| | good books, blogs and
podcasts to choose from
(ask colleagues to
recommend some, or feel
free to contact me if
you would like some
suggestions for your
situation). All are
based on the opinions of
individuals or companies
and whether you agree
with their statements or
not isn’t the point. The
actual exercise of
challenging your
perceptions and learning
from people who have
passion for the sales
space is in itself a
hugely worthwhile
experience. This becomes
even more important if
you believe, as many do,
that we are all in sales
whether we like it or
not.
In conclusion, it is
not the circumstances of
life that determine how
successful we are but
how we choose to deal
with them. Think about
the business development
habits you can make your
own, so that when others
describe you they say:
“it is easy for him or
her, they are a natural
at winning business”.
We are all born with the
confidence and ability
to communicate with
others – just look at
how five year olds
naturally negotiate.
Give yourself a chance
to have a great year in
spite of the doom and
gloom merchants. Make
your own success. | |
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| | others are doing since
you have earned that
right through your
knowledge and status as
a consultant. A call or
meeting is not always
about selling; it is
more often about
understanding the other
person’s situation,
where they are in the
buying cycle – if at all
– and helping them now
or in the future. If you
have enough of these
conversations with the
right people, then sales
will inevitably come.
There is no secret to
it, and it works as well
today as it has done for
the past 50 years.
Habit 3 - Become a
student of the selling
profession
We all studied
different subjects at
school and university
and so have at least
some learned knowledge
on which to base our
opinions. When it comes
to the sales profession,
we generally base our
thoughts on a bad
experience we once had
and not on the highly
valuable role that good
sales professionals
play. It is time to
re-adjust the balance in
your sales knowledge.
There are hundreds of | |
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