As consultants, project work is usually fun (at least if you have the right clients), but business development can seem like a slog, or even, as I thought of it, a “necessary evil”. But if you’re not having fun with your business development, you won’t have good energy, you won’t get good results, you won’t feel motivated to make it a good habit, and your efforts will deteriorate in a vicious cycle. So I’m told.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. The idea that business development has to suck is a myth.
If you’re not having fun with it, that’s a good sign that you’re not doing it right.
This is why I like to reframe the whole thing in my mind…
- from “marketing” (about how great I am) to “teaching” (my tribe how to solve the problems I help them solve)
- from “networking” (trying to avoid getting stabbed with business cards) to “connecting” (having interesting conversations with interesting people)
- from “selling” (trying to convince people to buy) to “helping” (making it easy for the right people to buy)
Note that none of these shifts in mindset requires amazing sales and marketing skills (nothing against those). Just by being more yourself, you get…
- better energy
- better results
- more fun
And this creates a virtuous cycle.
Are you having fun with your business development efforts? If not, why not?