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Business Development

  • Hunters and Farmers

    Hunters and Farmers

    Sales managers use an interesting description for their salespeople: they are either farmers or hunters. Farmers sell more by cultivating existing relationships, while hunters sell more by developing completely new ones. Most people don't think of themselves as salespeople, but in truth, everyone has at least one thing to sell: [More]

  • Give to Get

    Give to Get

    What goes through your mind when you get an unsolicited call from someone you met at an event several years ago? Typically, they ask you for something: an informational interview, a sales pitch, or perhaps an introduction to a third party. You think: Who is this person? Why are they [More]

  • The Hardest Call

    The Hardest Call

    The essence of just about any job - or any type of business development - is reaching out to connect with other people. Yet one obstacle typically gets in the way: making that very first call. It shouldn't be an obstacle, but it is uncomfortable.  And we tend to avoid [More]

  • Cheap, Smart, and Trusted

    Cheap, Smart, and Trusted

    How do you compete? Why would someone buy your services? While we may not think of ourselves as a product, we compete all of the time: for jobs, for acceptance of our ideas, and for personal approval. Tier one - Price: At the most basic level, you are chosen because [More]

  • When Opportunity is Lost Instead of Weight

    When Opportunity is Lost Instead of Weight

    Have you ever been given one of those cube-shaped paper pads, with corporate advertising on the side? They are very convenient, and a clever way to get your name in front of your market. Not too long ago, I was at a trade show where Weight Watchers had a booth. [More]

  • Elevator Pitch – Going Up

    Elevator Pitch – Going Up

    You're in the elevator, or waiting in line at the coffee shop, and someone says to you "Aren't we going to meet in just a few minutes? Tell me about yourself..." While you may not be ready to meet the person right then and there, the opportunity to make a [More]

  • From Shanghai to Washington:  the world is flat

    From Shanghai to Washington: the world is flat

    During the summer I spent an intensive 18 days in China. I was struck by so many things: the friendliness of the people I met, their incredible work ethic, and the vibrancy of the many Chinese cultures that I found. And as many other world travelers know, China is a [More]

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