Business Development Consultant Rule
“Do as much as possible, and talk of yourself as little as possible.” – Sallust
You might have a mile-long resume touting all the accomplishments you’ve accumulated in your career. But just as monopolizing a first date conversation by only talking about yourself won’t get you a second date, the same rings true when selling yourself to potential clients.
Your customers want solutions to their problems, plain and simple. The truth is, that many of your competitors may have just as much experience as you do. What make you different is how you approach your client’s problems with effective solutions.
A client of mine was in the last stretch of winning the business of a special services district, but first he needed to make a final presentation to the chief executive and board. We worked on the presentation by starting out with strategies and successes the lawyer and his firm had with similar problems. The firm and lawyers’ backgrounds were integrated into the pitch, not made the highlight. Instead of a 10-minute discussion, the board was fascinated with the options our client presented and asked numerous questions. The contract was approved that evening and asked that the work begin the following day.
