Have you ever wondered why two people with equal credentials do not have equal success at business development? Why does it seem that some people always land on their feet and can truly sell ice to an Eskimo while others, despite strong technical skills, always seem to catch a bad break and never close the deal? If you look closely at the person who is always successful at developing new business you will find two key qualities: a positive attitude/expectation and persistence.
Let’s start with positive attitudes. Positive attitudes are contagious. People are drawn to high energy, high vibration people. We have all had the experience of talking to someone who is such a drag they actually physically drain us of our energy. Well the converse is also true. Positive expectation or positive attitudes actually raise our physical vibrations therefore attracting others to us. People with a positive attitude often fill other people up with their energy leaving the other person feeling better than when the high-energy person found them. If you are trying to find new clients, it helps if they want to be around you. Rainmakers are conscious of their attitudes and they purposefully choose a positive attitude regardless of external factors.
In addition to positive attitudes being contagious, a positive attitude actually expands the way you view a situation. The person with the positive attitude often sees the glimmer of hope left in a sale that the person with the negative attitude gave up on months ago. This means the positive person will stay engaged when everyone else gives up ultimately leaving the positive person with no competition. A positive attitude is a state of mind that anyone can possess. It is well worth developing and strengthening.
The second key characteristic of all good rainmakers is persistence. It takes time to build relationships. It takes time to get your name out in the public arena. Consequently, it takes time to build a steady and sufficient pipeline of new work. The successful person understands this and continues to do the right things, continues to take the right actions, and relies on their optimism to sustain their efforts until the results physically manifest. I meet many professionals that have fantastic skills but they apply these skills to their business development efforts in a spasmodic way. Well-guess what they tend to get spasmodic results. If you really want to become a rainmaker, you must be persistent. You must continue to work your business development plan in spite of big wins or big losses.
As a former sales person, I learned many years the power of being persistent. My best clients often started as the ones who would not take my meetings. These are the clients that I had to reach through shared connections, education events, and creative determination. I had to reach them by continuing to show up and add value even when I knew the reward for the activity was not going to be immediate. Like a positive attitude, persistence allows you to change the game and see a broader perspective. Successful people overtake the unsuccessful because they continue the quest despite today’s scorecard.
The next time your are tempted to short cut your business development efforts, consider the big picture. Come up with a metric- 3 meetings a week, 10 calls a day, 5 new client lunches a month-anything. Choose a metric and stick with it. Develop a positive attitude and rely on it when you cannot see the obvious results of your efforts. It may take some time to see the results but eventually if you keep your attitude positive and persist in your efforts, YOU will be the person that is selling ice to an Eskimo.
About Jonelle- Jonelle Vold is a business coach that is passionate about your success. A mother of twins, former Assistant Dean at a tier-one law school, attorney, and seasoned sales professional, Jonelle understands the challenges of high-level professionals. Her coaching philosophy is every person has the ability to be a rainmaker by cracking their own personal code and doing business with intention. You can reach Jonelle at jonelle@jonellevold.com, 520-225-9053, or www.jonellevold.com
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