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Sales Speak: Five Ways to Start a Business Development Streak
I am part of a group of professionals interested in learning python, the coding language often associated with data science and machine learning. We work through a free Codecademy program during weekly conference calls held on Fridays at 7:15 am ET (you are welcome to join). Recently, I noticed that the system awarded all of the participants a badge for starting a streak. Since business development is often comprised of a series of incremental efforts that generate momentum, I immediately embraced the idea of connecting daily streaks to obtain results. I even coded the next day just to see if I would get another badge, which I did. Here are five ways to start your own streak.
Learn Something New
Rapid skill development is a key element of standing out in the current market. Take advantage of this trend by making a list of techniques you would like to learn or skills that you want to acquire. Then, identify a free or very low-cost source from which you can obtain that knowledge, such as YouTube or Codecademy. You may also want to look for peers who might be interested to join you as a means of building accountability into your effort. "Learning something new is not only beneficial for a professional practice, it is essential for survival; with the increased role of computers, in-house staff, and cheaper alternatives for commodity-like tasks, it is critical to always be on the lookout for new ways to bring value to clients," says Philip Comella, a partner with Freeborn & Peters LLP in Chicago.
Most organizations have an array of internal training programs and client-facing webinars where individuals can hone their skills. In addition, ask your colleagues, clients, and prospects what they are learning in an effort to collaboratively track progress. You may, for example, be interested in developing expertise in a growing practice area, but your client may be learning how to play the guitar. Knowing that will almost certainly enhance your relationship and give you the chance to discuss something that connects you beyond work.
Overcome Your Networking Fears
That interaction can be very meaningful, but most professionals struggle with networking effectively. My favorite technique for overcoming the fear of doing so is to start by engaging alumni of my college or law school. To this end, I routinely send LinkedIn invitations to law firm and corporate leaders who attended either university. I also reach out to those connections, new and old, when I am traveling because we have an organic bond and the percentage of individuals who respond positively is very high.
You can replicate that response rate in a more comfortable approach by searching for alumni at your firm, your local bar association, or any other organization in which you are active. Consider initiating the dialogue by asking about their work, role in the bar association, or support of an activity. The objective is to develop a greater level of comfort with this process so apply it broadly to maximize the benefit. "You need to understand that networking becomes easier the more often you do it; you can help yourself to be more comfortable if you approach it as a desire to meet someone new, learn something, or embrace an experience," says Ryan King, the director of communications for Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. in Atlanta.
Acknowledge Likes
If you benefit from any social media tool and share content, it is very likely that at some point, your connections have "liked" your contributions. Despite that acknowledgment, most people take no follow-up action because "likes" are often too common to be noticed.
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