I have a client on the west coast who is very fond of saying, “Good things happen when I’m out of the office.” While we giggle when he says it, the fact is, when Ken (the founder) is out calling on clients, attending conferences or networking… good things really do happen. He generally comes back to the office with some sort of agreement or RFP.
Ken is a little old school… he likes and uses face-to-face more than any other tactic (and more than any other principal I know). He’s not much for email or social media… or even phone calls. He believes that for someone to want to do business with you (repeatedly), they have to get to know you… like you… and trust you. And the only way to do that is face-to-face.
Yes, he is out of the office a lot – and sometimes that’s a bottleneck for their other employees who need to run something by him. And yes, he gets behind on things like updating his CRM and office paperwork. And sadly, he is also away from his home and family a good deal. But it’s a price he’s willing to pay because the results are there… his business will double this year over last.
So, as you start putting together your business development plan for 2015, consider ramping up your client and prospect “face time.”
- Network (a lot!)… attend more industry events.
- Get involved with an association (volunteer for a committee).
- Take bagels to a local client or prospect.
- Add in a few “city blitzes” (pick a city, fly in and make as many client/prospect visits as you can in a 2-3 day period).
Whatever it takes… get in front of the people you want to buy from you.
Who knows? When it comes to selling, maybe your new catch phrase for 2015 will also be, “Good things happen when I’m out of the office.”