A Year on – How Has Business Development Changed?
For those of us that use Facebook, one of the fun features is Facebook Memories – those tidbits we posted or reacted to over the years that remind us of moments in time. A year into the pandemic, it is interesting to look back at our reactions to COVID-19 at the early stages. A lot has changed during that time: Zoom is now a household name; there have been fun viral moments like “I am not a cat”; and unfortunately depressing news about death and job losses. In many ways our priorities changed as we watched this unfold on the global stage.
Connecting with people is still at the heart of what we do. We are reminded that people still do business with people that they like. We have learned it matters a little less if you are working away at the kitchen table or in your office. Our need to interact has increased as many are at home. While the settings have changed, one thing remains a constant. It is the individuals that have made the effort to stay in front of clients and their network are excelling.
One of the most significant changes is that we are inviting people into our personal lives in ways we may have shied away from in the past. Virtual meetings place us in each others home, with each others family and pets. This is way beyond having a meal or coffee with a client. By virtually inviting people into our homes we have built deeper connections. In many ways we are seeing people more now than we did before by using our phones less and computers more.
We have discovered ways to use technology to our advantage. Clients that never would have made it to your office for a training session are more than happy to sit on a webinar from the comfort of their home office. This extended reach provides for new opportunities at almost no cost.
Those professionals who’s primary business development tool entertainment, had to pivot. Instead of going to a game, they hosted card games and wine tastings. If you were listening intently, you now have new ways to entertain clients.
Success in the past year was not in thinking about what you were not able to do, but finding opportunities what we can do. Learning more about our clients was just the beginning now we need to consider how that knowledge can be used as an opportunity.
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