It takes more than a few good ideas to make coaching account development impactful. Project management, for one, is key. It’s not about the people on our team that do project management—though they are very talented—it’s about the process.
You might remember our last installment of The Connectors, where we interviewed Tadd Tellepsen of Tellepsen Builders. He gave us his take on The Connections Process, and today, we’re sharing with you how Read Ballew utilized the thought process and tactics from our practice.
We tend to see information and insight in big dramatic blocks of what’s going on in the marketplace, when in reality it’s subtle. It’s the same as what we see going on in the world of public-private finance. Everything operates like a flywheel—the environment changes little by little, time after time. Then, all the sudden, you have what I call Milestone Capitulation Events. This is a time in which big progress gets made, but not in a straight line.
Networking doesn’t come easy for most of us. Many are intimidated at the notion of creating valuable conversation with a group full of people they’ve never heard of, and if your goal is to rub elbows with top-of-the-rung executives with busy schedules, you’ve got an added hurdle to cross.
Today on Interviewing Influencers, we talked with Bethany Williams about strategically connecting with C-suite executives.
I’m always reading something. You’ll often find me staring intently at my iPad, soaking up the latest book from my book list or using the latest apps to connect with recent news and industry articles. If you catch me with my iPad powered off, I’ll have my nose buried deep within a trade publication: magazines that are, at times, so bad they won’t charge the readers—just the advertisers.
Many firms think that they connect best with their clients when they think geographically. They focus on having an office in every major city, so they can feel physically close to them and more available to meet needs as they arrive. What they don’t realize is that clients are more interested in someone that understands them and connects on a deeper level than can be limited by quantity of miles.
A Case against Monday Meetings
Monday morning, 9:30 a.m. sharp: your team gathers around and begins dissecting every single one of the potential clients they’re pursuing. For up to three or four hours, you and your team members could be sitting around that same table, checking leads off your list. It quickly becomes exhausting, and before you know it, no one is listening—they’re waiting for their turn to talk, they’re checking emails, checking Twitter—they’re doing anything but listening.
Part of the genius of someone like Steve Jobs is that he saw what was missing and made an educated guess. He sought out different perspectives. What you don’t know can hurt you because someone who is trying to connect with your client may make that educated guess and beat you to the punch.
When you’re in a leadership position, constant learning is crucial. Whether you’re researching trends in the marketplace, or getting a deeper understanding of underlying internal issues, you have to be open-minded and prepared. For another perspective on the importance of learning when in a leadership position, we interviewed Leigh Mires, Chief Learning Officer at Thornton Tomasetti.
You’ve probably read a thing or two about effective presenting, or have some of your own opinions or strategies for effective presenting. In my opinion, all styles of presenting work. I don’t believe in presentation protocol, I believe in you getting up there in front of people and being true to yourself.
