Real Relationships Real Revenue - Video Edition | Invest in Relationships to Build Your Business and Your Career

Mo asks Tyler Sweatt: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? Too many people focus on just having a meeting and following the script they have in their mind. Dynamic Meeting Prep is one of Tyler's favorite strategies that solves that problem. Using the process, you can solidly prepare for a meeting in under 10 minutes which is a great way to bring many of the other Snowball System strategies. Have a goal in mind, but be flexible on how you get there. The value is not in the plan, it's in the planning. You are creating a plan to operate fluidly depending on the situation. You can completely separate yourself from your competition in the way that you approach meetings. Tyler's second favorite strategy is Asking For The Advance. Moving along opportunities ties into the Dynamic Meeting Prep and makes the buying process much easier. You are 34x more likely to get a yes in person than you are over email. This is why it's so important to get the next step or next meeting nailed down during your current meeting. There are four main reasons you might not win. It's usually either not a strategic fit, a technical fit, a timing fit, or not a relational fit. You should try to eliminate those potential obstacles during the qualifying process. Think about who stands to benefit from the purchase, how to make the purchase as easy as possible, or how you can get the prospect to build the solution with you. Seek early victories. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/tylersweatt secondfront.com

Mo asks Tyler Sweatt: What is your personal definition of business development? Simply put, it's all about value creation. The entire spectrum of taking a prospect from completely cold to raving fan is the process of growth. Content creation is part of the effort, similar to an at-scale give-to-get. When someone hits the pipeline, Tyler focuses on qualifying them immediately and moving quickly on closing the deal. For marketing and lead generation, you need to figure out the three most important metrics you need to cover and orient on those. That will make everything else easier. Referrals are a big indicator of both effectiveness and product-market fit. Try to avoid measuring too many metrics at the same time. You need to think about business development from the customer's buying process and how you can remove as much friction from their buying process as possible. Make it as easy to buy from you as possible. Focus on a positive buying experience and make it easy for the customer. Being customer-centered will be extremely valuable in everything you work on. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/tylersweatt secondfront.com

Mo asks Tyler Sweatt: When did you realize that business development was great? When Tyler transitioned out of the military, he wasn't sure which direction to take his career. He cut his teeth at Deloitte where he learned the two basic functions of a business: value creation and value protection. You have to figure out which one you need to focus on from a career standpoint. Tyler started thinking about how to build relationships and establish trust since that was the fastest way to grow. Tyler found a few partners within the organization that helped him learn the ropes of value creation, and in the process, he got in touch with Toffler Associates. That was where he learned a new approach to consulting that opened up a huge number of opportunities for him. Those experiences became unique information that Tyler could share simply by being exposed to it. There is no better time than now to invest in yourself and your education. Focusing on your technical expertise, getting exposed to how other businesses work, and growth skills. When you're learning, you should always have the last part be a practical implementation. Test your knowledge and put it into practice. Value creation and growth skills are highly transferable. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/tylersweatt secondfront.com

Kevin Clem shares his charm and personality while discussing the biggest business development lessons he's learned over the years. Learn about the three ways to build and develop a new relationship, how to impress a prospect by doing your homework, and why it's okay to make the ask. Mo asks Kevin Clem: When was the moment you realized growth is great and you wanted to focus on business development? Kevin has been doing business development for 20 years, but he didn't always call it that. Kevin realized that he had a knack for business development after a repeat client said to him that they keep coming back to work with him, but they never felt sold. Eventually, the CEO offered to make that a formal role. Sales became a natural progression of Kevin's career. Business development is an extension of helping clients solve their problems, and making connections with people allowed Kevin to transition into a more client-focused role. Finding ways to form the connection with a client is crucial. Connections are how relationships grow, and when relationships grow, revenue follows. Some of the connection effort is organic, but there is a lot of research involved. Kevin will always look for a point of connection that goes beyond the business transactional relationship. There is a goldmine of information on LinkedIn that you can bring up when it makes sense. The foundation of all good relationships is connection where you have alignment with someone or can build on their relationship with other people. Peppering in the details as your talking about what they are working on is the key to not coming in too strongly. It's not about manipulating, it's about organically connecting on some shared experience. Business development is like interviewing. It shouldn't feel weird that you are doing a little homework on the other person. Thoughtful follow up questions on the other person's written content is great. Mo asks Kevin Clem: What is your personal definition of business development? Simply put, making connections and solving problems. It's always about how you can solve a problem, whether or not there is a direct transaction involved. When you solve someone's problem, either directly or through your network, they will probably come to you first to solve a similar problem in the future. Kevin is always listening for an issue that his organization may be able to help with, but he's also looking for third party connections and resources that may help as well. There is always some aspect of a prospect's experience that you can use as a hook to follow up. One of the best pieces of advice that Kevin received was to either make an introduction, bring an insight, or give an invitation to something else. Don't assume that a conversation that doesn't result in a closed deal is a loss. Business development is about playing the game, and if you can help a person solve their problem, they will probably come to you in the future. A successful meeting is when you add value, and a really successful meeting is when you book another meeting. Mo asks Kevin Clem: What's your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or the Snowball System? Kevin discovered the Snowball System from the podcast after being referred to it by the CEO of HBR Consulting. The Most Important Things is one of the key principles that Kevin has embraced. He and his team have made the idea of the top three things as a guiding framework for how they operate. Raving fans and assessing the level of the relationship with each client is another big strategy. There is power in language. Just by entering the GrowBIG world and embracing the terminology, Kevin and his team have changed the way they think about business development and growth. Take a page out of your creative marketing playbook and come out with a theme for your internal program to get your team to buy in. Kevin's team has tried a number of different incentives to get the team excited. They found that recognition and reward among high achievers is a good base to start with, combined with accountability. Create and celebrate short-term wins to spotlight things that are going well and to build momentum. Celebrating the small wins is an important piece of creating progress. Doing what you can do today is what leads to the championship. Mo asks Kevin Clem: Tell us a business development story that you are really proud of. Kevin tells the story of a completely cold lead that turned into a full-fledged prospect after five years of near silence. By helping the prospect without asking for anything in return at the beginning, Kevin kicked off a relationship where when the timing was right, the client asked for him to sell him on working with him. Of the four parts of the relationship building process, the listen and learn stage is one of the most important. Kevin brought his prospect into a round table conversation that showed how HBR has worked with other clients in the past, and that created the curiosity that led to the sale. When you build enough curiosity and do the process the right way, the client is pulling you towards taking the next step instead of you pushing them. The best result you can get in professional services is a warm referral. If your client is willing to do that, that shows a huge amount of trust. Mo asks Kevin Clem: If you could record a business development focused video and send it back to your past self, what would it be? One of the biggest lessons that Kevin has learned in his career is that people want to connect and it's okay to make the big ask. If you've built the relationship, it's okay to ask about working together. In many cases, your clients are looking for people that can help solve their problems. They might say no, and that's okay, but if they say yes, you have an opportunity to work with someone sooner than you would otherwise. How you ask matters. Make it clear that working together is a way for the other person to win. Selling is an act of service. Some of the greatest leaders in the history of humanity were servant leaders. Know your prospect's goals, and make your ask by referencing what they are trying to achieve. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/kevinclem kclem@hbrconsulting.com hbrconsulting.com hbrconsulting.com/events "Most Wackiest Kind of a Year" video – tinyurl.com/ClemWacky

Mo asks Kevin Clem: If you could record a business development focused video and send it back to your past self, what would it be? One of the biggest lessons that Kevin has learned in his career is that people want to connect and it's okay to make the big ask. If you've built the relationship, it's okay to ask about working together. In many cases, your clients are looking for people that can help solve their problems. They might say no, and that's okay, but if they say yes, you have an opportunity to work with someone sooner than you would otherwise. How you ask matters. Make it clear that working together is a way for the other person to win. Selling is an act of service. Some of the greatest leaders in the history of humanity were servant leaders. Know your prospect's goals, and make your ask by referencing what they are trying to achieve. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/kevinclem kclem@hbrconsulting.com hbrconsulting.com hbrconsulting.com/events "Most Wackiest Kind of a Year" video – tinyurl.com/ClemWacky

Mo asks Kevin Clem: Tell us a business development story that you are really proud of. Kevin tells the story of a completely cold lead that turned into a full-fledged prospect after five years of near silence. By helping the prospect without asking for anything in return at the beginning, Kevin kicked off a relationship where when the timing was right, the client asked for him to sell him on working with him. Of the four parts of the relationship building process, the listen and learn stage is one of the most important. Kevin brought his prospect into a round table conversation that showed how HBR has worked with other clients in the past, and that created the curiosity that led to the sale. When you build enough curiosity and do the process the right way, the client is pulling you towards taking the next step instead of you pushing them. The best result you can get in professional services is a warm referral. If your client is willing to do that, that shows a huge amount of trust. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/kevinclem kclem@hbrconsulting.com hbrconsulting.com hbrconsulting.com/events

Mo asks Kevin Clem: What's your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or the Snowball System? Kevin discovered the Snowball System from the podcast after being referred to it by the CEO of HBR Consulting. The Most Important Things is one of the key principles that Kevin has embraced. He and his team have made the idea of the top three things as a guiding framework for how they operate. Raving fans and assessing the level of the relationship with each client is another big strategy. There is power in language. Just by entering the GrowBIG world and embracing the terminology, Kevin and his team have changed the way they think about business development and growth. Take a page out of your creative marketing playbook and come out with a theme for your internal program to get your team to buy in. Kevin's team has tried a number of different incentives to get the team excited. They found that recognition and reward among high achievers is a good base to start with, combined with accountability. Create and celebrate short-term wins to spotlight things that are going well and to build momentum. Celebrating the small wins is an important piece of creating progress. Doing what you can do today is what leads to the championship. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/kevinclem kclem@hbrconsulting.com hbrconsulting.com

Mo asks Kevin Clem: What is your personal definition of business development? Simply put, making connections and solving problems. It's always about how you can solve a problem, whether or not there is a direct transaction involved. When you solve someone's problem, either directly or through your network, they will probably come to you first to solve a similar problem in the future. Kevin is always listening for an issue that his organization may be able to help with, but he's also looking for third party connections and resources that may help as well. There is always some aspect of a prospect's experience that you can use as a hook to follow up. One of the best pieces of advice that Kevin received was to either make an introduction, bring an insight, or give an invitation to something else. Don't assume that a conversation that doesn't result in a closed deal is a loss. Business development is about playing the game, and if you can help a person solve their problem, they will probably come to you in the future. A successful meeting is when you add value, and a really successful meeting is when you book another meeting. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/kevinclem kclem@hbrconsulting.com hbrconsulting.com

Mo asks Kevin Clem: When was the moment you realized growth is great and you wanted to focus on business development? Kevin has been doing business development for 20 years, but he didn't always call it that. Kevin realized that he had a knack for business development after a repeat client said to him that they keep coming back to work with him, but they never felt sold. Eventually, the CEO offered to make that a formal role. Sales became a natural progression of Kevin's career. Business development is an extension of helping clients solve their problems, and making connections with people allowed Kevin to transition into a more client-focused role. Finding ways to form the connection with a client is crucial. Connections are how relationships grow, and when relationships grow, revenue follows. Some of the connection effort is organic, but there is a lot of research involved. Kevin will always look for a point of connection that goes beyond the business transactional relationship. There is a goldmine of information on LinkedIn that you can bring up when it makes sense. The foundation of all good relationships is connection where you have alignment with someone or can build on their relationship with other people. Peppering in the details as your talking about what they are working on is the key to not coming in too strongly. It's not about manipulating, it's about organically connecting on some shared experience. Business development is like interviewing. It shouldn't feel weird that you are doing a little homework on the other person. Thoughtful follow up questions on the other person's written content is great. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/kevinclem kclem@hbrconsulting.com hbrconsulting.com

Sandy Lutton talks about business development and what she learned landing world-class speakers and executives as clients. Find out why you should be treating prospects as clients right from the get-go, the top four business development strategies she uses every single day, and why taking the fear out of the initial meeting can open the doors to building great relationships. Mo asks Sandy Lutton: When was the moment that you realized that you wanted to focus on business development? At the beginning of Sandy's career she started off in a job at a call center doing customer service and she learned that sales were an integral part of success. She realized that she loved solving people's problems and enjoyed building relationships. This led to diving into the world of sales within the telecom industry and eventually software and consulting. The opportunity to engage deeply with a client and understand what their business needs and goals were only made the work more attractive. A prospect is not just a prospect, they are in the client process, and Sandy acts accordingly. The prospect stage is about building trust and adding value in a way they need at that point in the relationship. Sandy has a passion for helping storytellers get their story out into the world. Sandy is working with a prospect right now by helping get him in touch with writers that can get his story down on paper. Treating a prospect like a client and providing the value they need at the stage they are in is how you build the relationship from the ground up. Start with strategy and making introductions while communicating that process early on and getting their buy in on the process. As a sole proprietor, it's important to know at what point they need you specifically and when you can be the most valuable to them. Mo asks Sandy Lutton: What is your personal definition of business development? We think of business development as a necessary evil way too often, but it's simply human interaction. Think of business development as an opportunity to get to know someone, understand what they need from you, and how you can bring value to them. Sandy is a firm believer in having a reason to pick up the phone and call a prospect. You need to understand what value you can bring to the other person and then deliver on that. Sandy created an informal CFO network for prospects she was working on building relationships with. This kind of value group is a great resource for the prospects and naturally leads to the prospects wanting to do business for you. If you have value to add, that gives you license to reach out. Put yourself in the potential client's shoes. The people they take the time to connect with are the ones that are bringing their uniqueness and value to the relationship. It can be as simple as a book recommendation. Once you start to invest in a relationship, it's much easier to find ways to add value. Sandy and Mo list a ton of different ways you can help a prospect and add value to their life. Everybody makes the assumption that technical expertise is all the same (even if it's not), but they always pay attention to the people that care. Mo asks Sandy Lutton: Tell us your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System. Sandy's favorite science is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Model because it opened her eyes to understanding how her pitch was communicated to other people. The Protemoi List is another strategy that stands out. Knowing who the most important people are in regards to your business and your success, and building a process around it, is a key element to success. Relationships are paramount, and the Protemoi List puts them front and center. Before the Protemoi List, relationships were unstructured. When you have someone on your list, it becomes intentional and mutually beneficial. Sandy's list used to be longer, but over time she narrowed it down as she learned her limitations and the precise value you can bring to the relationship. How many people can you proactively reach out to in a month in a helpful way that you don't get paid for. Ten is a great place to start. Give To Get is another favorite strategy. For Sandy, she lays out the overall plan and the steps where the client can engage her to take the next steps. A great Give To Get instills trust in the vision and endears the prospect into working solely with you. The last step that Sandy appreciates is the idea of a value group. By building a network of CFOs and building those relationships over time, she has created a group of raving fans that turn into valuable business. Mo asks Sandy Lutton: What is a business development story that you are really proud of? One moment in particular stands out from Sandy's career in regards to business development. Part of her role at the Speaker's Bureau was to secure talent, and Sandy was working on securing a famous world leader. The twist in the story was that the first in-person meeting with the CEO didn't go well which made landing this client much harder than they expected. They spent too much time talking about who they represent. The big influencer in the decision was the Chief of Staff, and by uncovering their goals it changed the dynamic of the relationship. In listening to them and finding out what they needed, Sandy was able to put the right team in place to support them. Understanding what they ultimately wanted to achieve was critical in the decision-making Just like the Snowball System teaches, keeping them involved in the process was crucial, and in the end they won the business without giving everything away for free. Many people fold too quickly when it comes to high pressure proposals. Challenge yourself when you feel like you have to go in at your lowest price in order to win the business, because it might not be true. Sandy is most proud of the fact that they landed the client by identifying the right team and making it clear that going to the lowest price wasn't the right move. Resist the urge to discount your service by negotiating too soon. Mo asks Sandy Lutton: If you could record a message around growth and business development and send it to your younger self, what would it say? Early in her career, Sandy was intimidated by business development and felt that she had to win them over while being perfect, but it doesn't have to be an intimidating process. Business development is simply about building relationships. Sandy would want to help her younger self take the fear out of the process. It can be fun and engaging, and you will learn a lot along the way. Practice for perfection, but play for progress. You start to see how brilliant your team is when you plan ahead, and even if you don't win the business, you improve for the next one. When you're in a meeting, look for the little wins and what the next step along the way is. Make sure you tackle all the issues and break things down into small steps. Moving anything forward during a meeting is a win, so keep that in mind. Instead of trying to wow the prospect, just give them what they are looking for. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com sandy@designinginfluencers.com Her Journey Told Podcast