5 a Day: Eat Your Business Vegetables
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Once, several years ago, I attended a seminar on business development
This particular seminar was mandated by an organization I was involved in, and it was quite expensive.
But I have a philosophy about ongoing education. I try to get just one nugget from everything I see, hear, or attend.
And in this case, the nugget has guided my business development ever since.
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Here’s the secret I paid thousands of dollars to learn.
Call 5 people you know each day.
And you’ll get business.
This is so stupidly simple, but it’s also dead-on accurate. Anybody who needs to start or improve their business development function should try it:
- Contact people in your network.
- Have a conversation with them.
- Ask for their business or for referrals.
- Get business.
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I can hear the questions already.
Before you ask them, keep in mind that they might actually be excuses.
Yes, they should be phone calls or in-person conversations.
Yes, you can count texts or emails or DMs if you want, but the results may not be as good.
Yes, you should do 5 a day, not 25 a week, not 100 a month. 5 a day.
Yes, you can talk about non-business stuff.
Yes, you can talk directly about business stuff.
Yes, I mean literally picking up the phone and calling people who you actually know and talking to them about how you can get more business.
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This method works. It just does. So much so that I am willing to say if you don’t get results, it’s because you aren’t doing it consistently.
Which, of course, will be the hardest part.
There’s all sorts of head trash that is probably blocking you from having these conversations. Don’t let that head trash complicate things.
Most success doesn’t come from heroics. It comes from routine activities, consistently applied over time.
Boring? Maybe. But to me, nothing is more beautiful than a boring business that consistently hits its goals.
If you need more business, eat your business fruits and vegetables.
5 a day.
