In all the years that I’ve been an agency owner (almost 25) and worked alongside agency owners (15+) there is a common pain point — biz dev. We love getting to the table and talking with a potential client about how we can help them. However, getting to the table feels like a slog.
That’s why, if we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t invest as much time and attention as we should to prospecting. The situation becomes a real Catch-22. Sooner or later, that bites every agency owner in the caboose and the bank account.
In episode #198, I talk with Dan Englander, who was on the show a while back (episode #76) and what I appreciate about Dan is that he’s been a student of this challenge. Not only has he analyzed the reasons why we avoid going after new business, but he has developed a process with tangible steps you can take to break the pattern. He’s the proverbial “man with a plan.”
We dig into what makes a good sales team, the right roles for the right people, and how to get and stay on the right biz dev tasks as owners and principals.
Dan founded Sales Schema in 2014 to help marketing service companies reach new heights by aggressively focusing on new business. Previously, he was the first employee business development lead at IdeaRocket. Before that, he was Account Coordinator at DXagency. He’s the author of Mastering Account Management and The B2B Sales Blueprint. In his spare time, Dan enjoys developing new and exciting aches and pains via Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
What You Will Learn in this Episode:
- How to set up a biz dev team for success
- How to create a 3-person sales pod
- The role of a B2B biz dev strategist in your shop
- Specific tasks that owners and sales leaders should be completing
- How to create a transparent process that leads good-fit clients to a buying decision
- How to find enough confidence in your pipeline to be choosy about clients
- Ways to back up an abundance mindset with solid strategies and tactics
- How to build momentum through your biz dev efforts
- How to avoid perfection paralysis in biz dev
Ways to Contact Dan Englander:
- Website: https://www.salesschema.com/
- Book The B2B Sales Blueprint: https://amzn.to/2Y2oOtS
- Checklist: https://www.salesschema.com/drew