Going Back In Time, What Linda Klein, Henning Streubel, and Brian Cafferelli Would Say To Their Younger Self

Jul 25, 2022

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Mo asks Linda Klein: If you could record a video around business development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say?

Business development is about passion. Life is about passion. Don’t lose your passion for getting involved. Helping others is the most satisfying thing you can do.
In so many ways it’s easier to make a dollar than it is to make a difference, but you can do both at the same time.
Take the time to get good at what you do first, and then you’ll have something valuable to sell. If you’re going to say no, say it with kindness.
“People will forget what you said and what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou
Treat people right. People you interact with today may be future clients and you should treat them with respect and kindness.
If you’re passionate about what you do, it will come through in your authenticity.
Some of your best experiences will come from wasting time. If you rigidly plan, you might say no to something that is an incredible opportunity.

Mo asks Henning Streubel: If you could record a video around relationship development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say?

Henning would send three points back. The first is that you have to care about the people. You can only develop relationships when you care about the other person and their issues.
When you are engaging with them, it’s not about just showcasing your expertise and what you know. It’s about listening to them and what they want. If you come with a cookie-cutter approach, you won’t establish trust. Understanding what the other person needs and bringing a customized approach is the key to trust.
This kind of work is a team sport. Think about how you can compliment your own skills and strengths with your team so you can offer a holistic value to your clients.
The basis for all those lessons is that you aren’t born with these skills and consistently learning them over time is okay.
It is vital to respect the individual clients and companies that you work with.
Not everything goes to plan. For Henning, he overcomes setbacks very quickly by looking forward rather than backwards. Feel the pain and then move on.
Everybody needs to find their own way of processing pain, leverage the learning, and move forward again. It doesn’t help us as a society or as leaders to dwell on setbacks for too long. For Henning, that means going for a run or a bike ride. For others, that could be having a conversation with someone they trust.

Mo asks Brian Caffarelli: If you could record a video around business development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say?

If you think selling is hard, buying is harder. Brian would want to tell his younger self that if he was more in tune and empathetic to the struggles of the buyer, sales wouldn’t be as hard.
When you feel stuck with sales, realize that the buyer is even more stuck.
To create a great buying experience, deconstruct as many of the little decisions that need to be made before the purchase decision. Get a sense of where you are in the process and the personal motivations of the other person for the stage they are at.
As the guide, it’s your job to help the buyer understand what the next step is and move them forward when they are ready.
Look into the past and see if your organization or you personally did something similar before. You might find challenges that were overcome and lessons that can be applied right now.
In the early stages of the buying journey, the buyer doesn’t necessarily realize the enormity or the complexity of the problem they are trying to solve. When trying to create demand, it’s problem knowledge and not product knowledge that moves the needle.
Empathy is the keyword. Buyers are trying to make a really hard decision and the better you understand the buying challenges the more likely you are to being able to solve their problem.

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