Real Relationships Real Revenue - Audio Edition | Invest in Relationships to Build Your Business and Your Career

Mo asks Monty Hamilton: If you could record a video and send it back to your former self, something around business development or growth mindset, what would it say? Monty would tell himself to not settle. Looking back, he can see that he didn't always have the abundance mindset he needed to grow past barriers. He would also say to take more risks and that it's okay to fail. The third thing would be to enjoy the journey more and be less fixated on the end destination. The pandemic has made celebrating the journey more difficult, but also more precious at the same time. You have to be more intentional in creating those moments. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com #MinuteWithMonty on YouTube linkedin.com/in/montyhamilton

Mo asks Monty Hamilton: Tell us a business development story that you are really proud of. Monty's proudest moment occurred three years ago, when they sold a stake in Rural Sourcing to Bain Capital. It took building the right relationships and getting people to believe in the mission, vision, and story of the organization. Monty brought them into the center in Alabama to give them a feel for the culture and the organization beyond the numbers. After visiting the center, Monty and the crew from Bain Capital had their flights delayed, so he had the opportunity of spending five hours in a rental car with them. No matter how well you practice and prepare, there are always going to be curveballs thrown your way. If you can take them in stride and play your hand well, you can come out the other side and you will win more than you lose. The part of the story that Monty was most proud of was his confidence in himself and his ability to be authentic with people that could have been intimidating. Being confident and authentic is what allows you to perform in business development situations, whether that's selling your business or selling the next deal. When you're authentic, the other person knows exactly what they're buying. It's much worse to pretend and end up delivering subpar results. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com #MinuteWithMonty on YouTube linkedin.com/in/montyhamilton

Mo asks Monty Hamilton: What's your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? The blueprint of Monty's business is think big, start small, scale up. Rural Sourcing started out as a 10 person organization and has since scaled up to 1,000 employees, with the future goal of 3,000 employees and 30 centers all over America. It's a growth mindset that can be applied across a 10,000 person organization, but it can also be applied to your personal life. Great intentions can be sabotaged if you try to do too much, too fast. Recognize that, as an individual, you will never be able to do it all. You have personal limitations and must be able to recognize those limitations to unlock your business' potential. You're not going to be perfect on day 1 or day 10,001. The goal is continuous improvement. With that mindset, you can do better, you can get bigger, you can do more. Being willing to reinvest is critical to knowing where you can add value and where someone else can add the value that's missing. To scale up to the next level, you need to understand your strengths and your weaknesses, and to know that you need to ask your peers, colleagues, bosses, and people you can trust to give their honest opinion. People are usually happy to give you feedback, and when you find someone willing to give it to you because they want you to be successful, you may have found a great mentor. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com #MinuteWithMonty on YouTube linkedin.com/in/montyhamilton

Mo asks Monty Hamilton: What is your personal definition of business development? Growth is simply about relationships. Being valuable to someone is intrinsically rewarding. Over the course of Monty's career, the Give To Get mentality became a core part of how he built the business. Fundamentally, it's about whether or not you can create a truly authentic and transparent relationship with someone while helping them. Don't focus on what you're going to get out of a relationship. Instead, focus on being around interesting people that you can also learn from. When you're networking, throw away the title and industry and try to get to know a person's story. In addition to being more effective at developing business, getting to know someone on a personal level is what makes life more enjoyable. Once you land the first meeting, do your research and invest some of your personal time and energy into making their business better, regardless of the end result. If you've got something valuable and you deliver that in a highly personalized and warm way, you've got a chance to meet anyone. Come in with some interesting, customized, tailored questions that show your ability to help and bring perspectives that the client could benefit from. The goal of the first meeting should be to secure the second meeting. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com #MinuteWithMonty on YouTube linkedin.com/in/montyhamilton

Mo asks Monty Hamilton: Take us back to the moment when you realized that growth was great and it was something you wanted to focus on. Monty landed a job at Arthur Anderson Consulting out of business school, where he got his start learning how to program in COBOL. Business process reengineering and strategy became part of his day to day eventually. It was there that Monty met the group of guys that would start Clarkson Consulting with him in North Carolina. Business development came into the picture after Monty realized that if he could sell work where he lived, he wouldn't have to travel far from his new family. His success became a matter of landing new work, so he decided to become good at it. Business all boils down to relationships and solving problems. Monty realized that going into a relationship with the goal of making a sale was counterproductive and so committed to a mindset of helping instead. You've got to spend an adequate amount of time appreciating the problem. If you can help a person identify and paint the picture of how gnarly their problem is, then you're in the right room. Appreciating the problem starts with listening and asking good questions, and then discovering whether the issue is a symptom of the problem or if there's something deeper. What are the upstream and downstream effects of the problem? Who else is impacted by it? What's in it for the person you're talking to if you can help them solve the problem? How will it help their career? Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com #MinuteWithMonty on YouTube linkedin.com/in/montyhamilton

Andrew Robertson, CEO of BBDO Worldwide, shares the key principles of business development success that every subject matter expert can immediately apply to their career. Learn how to ensure every business relationship is a triple win, the one BD strategy that will change the way you think about who to build relationships with, and why discipline is the most important factor in your ultimate success and why it's a skill that everyone can master. Mo asks Andrew Robertson: When did you first realize that business development or relationship development was a good thing? The first time Andrew realized business development was fundamentally about discipline was while working as a barman in Maidenhead where he learned how to connect with people and build rapport very quickly. It was there he met an insurance broker that offered him a job. As a student working in the evenings, Andrew learned that if he made 100 phone calls on Monday night he could line up 10 meetings for the rest of the week, which would usually result in 3 sales. He started experimenting with the approach he was taught and learned two important lessons very quickly. The method he was taught was tried and tested, and if he didn't do the work of making the calls, he didn't get the results he needed. No one else was going to make those calls if he didn't do it. He wasn't in the relationship-building business yet, that came later. Andrew learned the importance of discipline and trusting the process. The idea that people are born with the habits that make them successful is incorrect. Discipline can be learned like any area of expertise. The most important thing is to get a meeting, not to have everything prepared. Don't get ahead of yourself. If you focus on the delivery first, you'll never set the meeting in the first place. You need to pick up the phone and offer them something valuable and interesting as quickly as you can. That's how you earn the time to develop a relationship afterward. Pulling insights from other proposals and using them to intrigue other prospects enough to get a meeting is a good example of an offer that gets people interested. You don't always have to go straight to the ultimate decision maker. Getting a meeting with a mid-level manager can be a great opportunity too. Every meeting is useful in learning more about the company or the industry. Mo asks Andrew Robertson: What is your personal definition of business development? Business development at its best is win/win/win. Your business wins, the client wins, and thirdly, the client is winning so much that they become your best business development ambassador. Raving fans turn into your own personal sales force. Focusing on the win for the client secures the win for the business. If your client wins enough, they become predisposed to become a raving fan, but you still have to ask for it. Do something for them that gets them something of value and gets you even more. Don't assume it will happen automatically. First, recognize that the person you are working with is a person and not just a job title. They have interests and frustrations, and when you understand that there is something you can engage with together. Dinner is a great opportunity to connect with someone outside of the confines and constraints of the work. You can also find a time to accompany them on another aspect of their work and learn more about what they do and what they care about in a way that's not structured like a meeting. The best conversations you can have with a client are the ones where you do 20% of the talking. Figure out questions to act as a stimulus and get them talking. There is value and benefit for people in just having the opportunity to talk. Mo asks Andrew Robertson: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? Writing down the seven relationships that are the most important to growing the business was a technique that changed the way Andrew thought about business development. Andrew has a lot of great relationships with CEOs in various other businesses, but a lot of them didn't start out at the top. Those relationships were nurtured over time with people that moved up in their organizations or moved around in their industry. Think about how you got into your position and where people are right now that you can connect with. When asked to list our most important relationships, we tend to think of our best current relationships by default, but that's the wrong approach. We should think about the relationships that will have the most impact on our business first. The number seven forces you to make choices and really identify those relationships that will move the needle. Your list should contain people you have a relationship with, people you don't know but would like to have a relationship with, and the people you need to have a relationship with who won't necessarily send you business directly but can help you find it elsewhere. You only ha

Mo asks Andrew Robertson: If you could wave a magic wand and record a video around business development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say? There is very little in business that is as satisfying as business and relationship development. Landing a client and then getting them big wins is fulfilling and it's a wonderful thing to be good at. Define victory as a series of steps, instead of an end result. This makes the journey rewarding and not just about the destination. If you can take the first step, which is the hardest, everything else gets easier. Start with the end goal in mind, and then break it down into the fundamental steps you need to make each day to achieve that goal, then celebrate when you take those steps. It doesn't guarantee success, but it makes it much more likely. You can't control whether a client will say yes, but you can control whether or not you ask them in the first place. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com [email protected]

Mo asks Andrew Robertson: Tell me a business development story that you're particularly proud of. Andrew tells the story of a client in London that BBDO had been working with for 20 years and how they lost most of that client's work after delivering a terrible piece starring John Cleese. Instead of bailing on the client completely, Andrew and the team decided to stick with the unglamorous work that remained and deliver excellent results for the client, knowing that eventually, the rival company that won their former work would stumble. By sticking with the client, they had the opportunity three years later to offer a new brand campaign, which was informed by the fact that they were still involved in the business and understood their needs. Andrew signed Jamie Oliver, who wasn't quite famous yet, after scouring London on Easter weekend physically to find him, and landed the business again. Andrew learned three key lessons from the experience: be gracious on the way out, treat a rejection as a "not for now," not a never, and the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. Even when you get fired, those relationships are still valuable and worth keeping alive. We show our true selves much more in defeat than in easy victories. How you behave during the bad times says much more about your character than when things are good. People are human, and it's always hard to fire someone you've built a relationship with. Don't make it harder than it needs to be, and keep adding value to the relationship after the fact. How you behave afterward will be remembered. Even if you don't win a project, that's an opportunity to ask for feedback and give the prospect the opportunity to stay in touch. One loss is not the end, it's the beginning of the next potential project. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com [email protected]

Mo asks Andrew Robertson: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? Writing down the seven relationships that are the most important to growing the business was a technique that changed the way Andrew thought about business development. Andrew has a lot of great relationships with CEOs in various other businesses, but a lot of them didn't start out at the top. Those relationships were nurtured over time with people that moved up in their organizations or moved around in their industry. Think about how you got into your position and where people are right now that you can connect with. When asked to list our most important relationships, we tend to think of our best current relationships by default, but that's the wrong approach. We should think about the relationships that will have the most impact on our business first. The number seven forces you to make choices and really identify those relationships that will move the needle. Your list should contain people you have a relationship with, people you don't know but would like to have a relationship with, and the people you need to have a relationship with who won't necessarily send you business directly but can help you find it elsewhere. You only have a limited amount of time, so you need to be clear on your priorities, not just around what you do but who the most important people are. Create a shortlist and give yourself a short timeframe to connect and advance the relationship with those people. If someone is not going to make an impact, it's better to figure that out in three months rather than three years. Be thoughtful. Sit on the other side of the desk and empathize with the person you're trying to build a relationship with. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com [email protected]

Mo asks Andrew Robertson: What is your personal definition of business development? Business development at its best is win/win/win. Your business wins, the client wins, and thirdly, the client is winning so much that they become your best business development ambassador. Raving fans turn into your own personal sales force. Focusing on the win for the client secures the win for the business. If your client wins enough, they become predisposed to become a raving fan, but you still have to ask for it. Do something for them that gets them something of value and gets you even more. Don't assume it will happen automatically. First, recognize that the person you are working with is a person and not just a job title. They have interests and frustrations, and when you understand that there is something you can engage with together. Dinner is a great opportunity to connect with someone outside of the confines and constraints of the work. You can also find a time to accompany them on another aspect of their work and learn more about what they do and what they care about in a way that's not structured like a meeting. The best conversations you can have with a client are the ones where you do 20% of the talking. Figure out questions to act as a stimulus and get them talking. There is value and benefit for people in just having the opportunity to talk. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com [email protected]

Mo asks Andrew Robertson: When did you first realize that business development or relationship development was a good thing? The first time Andrew realized business development was fundamentally about discipline was while working as a barman in Maidenhead where he learned how to connect with people and build rapport very quickly. It was there he met an insurance broker that offered him a job. As a student working in the evenings, Andrew learned that if he made 100 phone calls on Monday night he could line up 10 meetings for the rest of the week, which would usually result in 3 sales. He started experimenting with the approach he was taught and learned two important lessons very quickly. The method he was taught was tried and tested, and if he didn't do the work of making the calls, he didn't get the results he needed. No one else was going to make those calls if he didn't do it. He wasn't in the relationship-building business yet, that came later. Andrew learned the importance of discipline and trusting the process. The idea that people are born with the habits that make them successful is incorrect. Discipline can be learned like any area of expertise. The most important thing is to get a meeting, not to have everything prepared. Don't get ahead of yourself. If you focus on the delivery first, you'll never set the meeting in the first place. You need to pick up the phone and offer them something valuable and interesting as quickly as you can. That's how you earn the time to develop a relationship afterward. Pulling insights from other proposals and using them to intrigue other prospects enough to get a meeting is a good example of an offer that gets people interested. You don't always have to go straight to the ultimate decision maker. Getting a meeting with a mid-level manager can be a great opportunity too. Every meeting is useful in learning more about the company or the industry. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com [email protected]

Dennis Baltz shares the wisdom he's picked up during his 30-year career in helping people solve some of the most challenging risk problems in the world and how being focused on helping people with a purpose has allowed him to work with dozens of Fortune 1000 companies. Learn how to be strategically helpful and how that eliminates the fear from the sales process, the three question framework that is Dennis's guiding principle for working with prospects, and why business development isn't as deep as you think. Mo asks Dennis Baltz: When did you realize that business development is something that would be interesting to you? Dennis's interest in business development goes all the way back to his high school days in 1987, where he was trying to find people to participate in market studies. It was a tough gig and he had to stretch outside his comfort zone to get things done. Knowing that he had something of value to offer to the people gave him the confidence to ask for something they may not be initially open to. Dennis learned to be interested in the person first and think about the value he could provide, instead of assuming the 'no' right away. Dennis has been on all sides of the transaction when it comes to risk during his career, so that gives him some perspective on what potential buyers are looking for. Initial meetings are simply about identifying problems and how you can be helpful. Preparing for the meetings ahead of time is crucial to Dennis's success. Following up usually involves finding resources or people to connect the prospect with that can help solve the problem in the meantime. Introducing techniques from another industry is a great way to appeal to a potential client's desire for both safety and innovation. On the human side of things, Dennis realized that he needed to stay in front of clients at the beginning of the pandemic and that turned into a monthly blog post that he sends to clients and colleagues. Being open and vulnerable, and sharing some of the personal elements of his life, have had a tremendous impact. Mo asks Dennis Baltz: What is your personal definition of business development? Helping people with a purpose. Being strategically helpful is the name of the game. Sales can be fun when you are offering something of value to someone, not just making a sale. Dennis has a stewardship mindset which fits very well into the risk and insurance industry. Helping protect clients from things like cyber risk is both rewarding and extremely valuable to clients. The first step is to understand how people think and what they care about. There are three questions that all prospects think about when they are making a decision about you: "Do I like you?", "Do I trust you?", and "Can you help me?". Those three questions are the guiding principle in all Dennis's business development pursuits. To become likable, look for uncommon commonalities. When out of the office, Dennis puts where he's going on his autoresponder message. The more specific you are, the more opportunities you have to discover those uncommon commonalities. Dennis shares as well as asks for engagement from the people he knows. Every meeting has an agenda and gets a follow up right after. Communicating helpfulness starts with understanding the person's challenges. It's about introducing the prospect to things and people that can help them in a way that's not overwhelming. Starting with small projects where you can build on the relationship and add value can open the doors to bigger engagements. Mo asks Dennis Baltz: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? Dennis loved so much of the GrowBIG Training, but the one that stands out the most is the idea of the Most Important Thing. When working with clients, Dennis uses an MIT one-sheet to communicate all the work streams that they can work on during the engagement as well as including some potentially new approaches they can take advantage of. They are using that very effectively to land new clients because it allows them to understand the exact value WTW brings to the table. This approach creates strategic conversations and helps build the trust that client's have in Dennis and his team's ability to think around corners. Structurally, the slide includes important dates for upcoming content or events, the essential work streams for the client, and disruptive ideas. Pre-MIT, the client updates were boring and uninspiring. Refining it down to the Most Important Things and communicating them in a single place that's easy to understand has made it very valuable. Mo asks Dennis Baltz: Tell me a business development story that you are really proud of. In the insurance and risk industry, the sales cycle is somewhere between three to five years, so it's definitely about playing the long game. Organizations aren't always ready to implement new ideas, but by building the relationship and sharing ideas with prospects you increase your chances of

Mo asks Dennis Baltz: If you could go back in time and record a video around business development to send to your younger self, what would it say? Dennis would say "It's not that deep" Business development can be simple. Trust yourself and start sooner. Dennis spent the first 15 years getting the expertise he thought he needed to be able to sell, but you can start helping people much sooner than that. Business development as a discipline is something that's missing for young people. We need to help organizations teach that business development is not scary. Using the whole brain approach to helping people is key. Connecting with people doesn't have to be hard. Dennis will frequently stop and record a quick video to send to someone just to stay in touch and let them know they were thinking of them. Videos allow you to be authentic, and that can't be replicated with other tools like email. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/dennisbaltz [email protected]

Mo asks Dennis Baltz: Tell me a business development story that you are really proud of. In the insurance and risk industry, the sales cycle is somewhere between three to five years, so it's definitely about playing the long game. Organizations aren't always ready to implement new ideas, but by building the relationship and sharing ideas with prospects you increase your chances of eventually landing the client. One of the business development stories that Dennis is most proud of is an example of that. He got a team together to introduce an interesting, innovative idea to a company they weren't yet working with and they ended up loving it, but it wasn't a priority at the time. It wasn't until three years later, when the company reached out, ready to go and looking specifically for Dennis to get it done. The client knew they were the right team and they didn't have to compete with anyone for the work because of that initial investment. They managed to thread the needle on a number of regulatory issues and help the client overcome those barriers. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/dennisbaltz [email protected]

Mo asks Dennis Baltz: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? Dennis loved so much of the GrowBIG Training, but the one that stands out the most is the idea of the Most Important Thing. When working with clients, Dennis uses an MIT one-sheet to communicate all the work streams that they can work on during the engagement as well as including some potentially new approaches they can take advantage of. They are using that very effectively to land new clients because it allows them to understand the exact value WTW brings to the table. This approach creates strategic conversations and helps build the trust that client's have in Dennis and his team's ability to think around corners. Structurally, the slide includes important dates for upcoming content or events, the essential work streams for the client, and disruptive ideas. Pre-MIT, the client updates were boring and uninspiring. Refining it down to the Most Important Things and communicating them in a single place that's easy to understand has made it very valuable. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/dennisbaltz [email protected]

Mo asks Dennis Baltz: What is your personal definition of business development? Helping people with a purpose. Being strategically helpful is the name of the game. Sales can be fun when you are offering something of value to someone, not just making a sale. Dennis has a stewardship mindset which fits very well into the risk and insurance industry. Helping protect clients from things like cyber risk is both rewarding and extremely valuable to clients. The first step is to understand how people think and what they care about. There are three questions that all prospects think about when they are making a decision about you: "Do I like you?", "Do I trust you?", and "Can you help me?". Those three questions are the guiding principle in all Dennis's business development pursuits. To become likable, look for uncommon commonalities. When out of the office, Dennis puts where he's going on his autoresponder message. The more specific you are, the more opportunities you have to discover those uncommon commonalities. Dennis shares as well as asks for engagement from the people he knows. Every meeting has an agenda and gets a follow up right after. Communicating helpfulness starts with understanding the person's challenges. It's about introducing the prospect to things and people that can help them in a way that's not overwhelming. Starting with small projects where you can build on the relationship and add value can open the doors to bigger engagements. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/dennisbaltz [email protected]

Mo asks Dennis Baltz: When did you realize that business development is something that would be interesting to you? Dennis's interest in business development goes all the way back to his high school days in 1987, where he was trying to find people to participate in market studies. It was a tough gig and he had to stretch outside his comfort zone to get things done. Knowing that he had something of value to offer to the people gave him the confidence to ask for something they may not be initially open to. Dennis learned to be interested in the person first and think about the value he could provide, instead of assuming the 'no' right away. Dennis has been on all sides of the transaction when it comes to risk during his career, so that gives him some perspective on what potential buyers are looking for. Initial meetings are simply about identifying problems and how you can be helpful. Preparing for the meetings ahead of time is crucial to Dennis's success. Following up usually involves finding resources or people to connect the prospect with that can help solve the problem in the meantime. Introducing techniques from another industry is a great way to appeal to a potential client's desire for both safety and innovation. On the human side of things, Dennis realized that he needed to stay in front of clients at the beginning of the pandemic and that turned into a monthly blog post that he sends to clients and colleagues. Being open and vulnerable, and sharing some of the personal elements of his life, have had a tremendous impact. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/dennisbaltz [email protected]

Chris Graham shares his growth story of both personal and professional development, and how he uses his skills and connections in his private equity firm Crown Capital Investments to impact the communities and families of the businesses they're invested in. Learn how Chris developed the skills needed to create powerful relationships, but also the internal mindset he was missing that prevented him from scaling his impact to what he knew it could be; how to think bigger, quicker, and how to find a mentor and get them invested in your success. Mo asks Chris Graham: When was the moment you realized growth was a good thing? As a lawyer, you're responsible for the whole gamut of the business. The whole process is about connecting and engaging with clients on a deeper level, and Chris realized that he needed a new approach in order to scale. Everybody who is striving to be more has to cut what they are good at, to take a risk at doing something better. Chris had a great relationship with his clients but being limited to a one-to-one impact felt restricting for what he wanted to do so he pivoted from law into private equity. He had to give up what he had been building for 20 years to have an opportunity to make an even greater impact. His experience over the 20 years of growing his law practice gave him a unique perspective into what entrepreneurs can do to grow their business. Taking that experience into the private equity space, along with the confidence of a few key families, helped Chris find success in his new line of work. The transition from one-to-one to one-to-many didn't happen all at once. Chris started things off by taking a lot of the risk on himself. He bet on himself to make it easier for clients to also bet on him too. When he decided to move into private equity, Chris scaled back his law firm to give himself more bandwidth and started blocking off time to focus on the new project. This gave him the room to build the new company. If you don't block time, there will always be something to absorb the time you didn't block for your new venture. You'll never get off the old ladder if you don't block off time for the new ladder. Mo asks Chris Graham: What is your personal definition of growth? Chris has always been driven by learning new things. Since he spends nearly all his time now selling, he focuses on reteaching all the things he has learned over the years. What people really want is for someone to help them identify problems they didn't even know they had and help them solve those problems. As experts, it's very easy to get so focused on what you know that you aren't even aware of the issues that are just outside your expertise. The mindset that Chris carries into a meeting is one of being excited to learn and showing how he can help. By being truly concerned about the other person, it's a lot easier to customize your solution to actually solve their problem. When speaking with potential investors, Chris is looking to learn what their investment goals are to see if they are aligned with them. His company has a well defined mission and invests in very specific types of companies. If the opportunity is not a fit, that's okay. If the goals are aligned but the person may not be ready to go yet, Chris tries to break the information into more bite-sized pieces instead of overwhelming them with everything at once. Dripping out follow-up content has made building trust with investors a success. Mo asks Chris Graham: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? One of Chris's favorite strategies actually came from one of Mo's Grow Big Playbook emails about how long your emails should be. When you're in a moment, it can be hard to step back and see the bigger picture. Try to get a greater perspective and see if what you are considering is being given too much or too little importance. Whenever you're worried about whether something is worth your time, measure it against whether you're future self will be proud of it. Chris starts his day off at 5 AM with some exercise and reading time to get into the right mindset for the work that day. He also has time blocked off everyday that allows him to focus, think, catch up, and tackle problems that arise. Impact isn't always about the time involved, it can also involve leveraging relationships and connection. When determining what to focus on, Chris looks at impact, connection, and how something aligns with his long-term vision. Every mission is a vision of a future that's better than today. Chris's vision is one of restoring community capitalism and rebuilding the communities and families that are impacted by those companies. Find the intersection between something you are really interested in and having a big impact on the world. The problem with big missions is that they take a long time to fulfill, so you better be interested in it. Mo asks Chris Graham: What growth story are you most personally proud of? Making th

Mo asks Chris Graham: If you could record a video around growth skills and send it to your younger self, what would it say? Chris's message would be simple: Think bigger, quicker. Chris had been entrepreneurial his whole career, but he didn't have the vision at the time to be able to make the leap to start his own law firm. Before starting Crown Capital, Chris didn't know exactly what a private equity firm did on a day-to-day basis, but he knew he was interested and there was an opportunity for him there. He reached out to other private equity firms and sold them on the skills and connections he had to get some experience, and doing that eliminated the mystery. Use the value you have and try to get involved. Maybe you'll have a better way to do it, which is what Chris discovered, or you will learn what you need to know to make a decision. Asking somebody to mentor you is a powerful move, people love to mentor when they can and often they can become invested in your success. A great question to ask is, "I need a mentor in this space to make the transition. Are you available?" Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/company/crowncapitalinvestments linkedin.com/in/christophertgraham25 [email protected] crown-inv.com Crown Capital Investments on YouTube - youtube.com/channel/UCLstgUIyDH9bRFTHH0vWAbg

Mo asks Chris Graham: What growth story are you most personally proud of? Making the pivot from law to private equity is the thing that Chris is the most proud of. The pivot was hard and took a long time but it has allowed him to make more impact than ever before. One of the examples that Chris talks about is a company where Chris implemented his methodology of growth and after 19 months they grew from $2.3 million to $4.9 million in profit. Rather than just generate more sales, Chris helped them become more process efficient. Chris grew up in a trailer park back in the 70's where there was still a sense of community. That experience is why Chris is so dedicated to the mission of rehabilitating those kinds of communities now. It was a long process of learning and growing before Chris was able to connect all the dots. Being raised in a poor community, Chris wasn't exposed to the idea of entrepreneurship and the impact you can have at that level until after he began his career in law. Chris is insatiably curious, which is a trait that has propelled him throughout his career. That curiosity is what allowed Chris to make the jump from each level to the next. After working with families that owned businesses for 17 years, Chris could see things that they couldn't. This was a big motivation for buying the first business. Chris realized that, over the period of growing the law firm from eight lawyers to 22 lawyers over 24 months, he got himself into a position where he couldn't use his strengths. Instead of floundering, Chris made the hard decision to cut back to what was working before, which allowed him to eventually make the transition to bigger and better things. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/company/crowncapitalinvestments linkedin.com/in/christophertgraham25 [email protected] crown-inv.com Crown Capital Investments on YouTube - youtube.com/channel/UCLstgUIyDH9bRFTHH0vWAbg

Mo asks Chris Graham: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? One of Chris's favorite strategies actually came from one of Mo's Grow Big Playbook emails about how long your emails should be. When you're in a moment, it can be hard to step back and see the bigger picture. Try to get a greater perspective and see if what you are considering is being given too much or too little importance. Whenever you're worried about whether something is worth your time, measure it against whether you're future self will be proud of it. Chris starts his day off at 5 AM with some exercise and reading time to get into the right mindset for the work that day. He also has time blocked off everyday that allows him to focus, think, catch up, and tackle problems that arise. Impact isn't always about the time involved, it can also involve leveraging relationships and connection. When determining what to focus on, Chris looks at impact, connection, and how something aligns with his long-term vision. Every mission is a vision of a future that's better than today. Chris's vision is one of restoring community capitalism and rebuilding the communities and families that are impacted by those companies. Find the intersection between something you are really interested in and having a big impact on the world. The problem with big missions is that they take a long time to fulfill, so you better be interested in it. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/company/crowncapitalinvestments linkedin.com/in/christophertgraham25 [email protected] crown-inv.com Crown Capital Investments on YouTube - youtube.com/channel/UCLstgUIyDH9bRFTHH0vWAbg

Mo asks Chris Graham: What is your personal definition of growth? Chris has always been driven by learning new things. Since he spends nearly all his time now selling, he focuses on reteaching all the things he has learned over the years. What people really want is for someone to help them identify problems they didn't even know they had and help them solve those problems. As experts, it's very easy to get so focused on what you know that you aren't even aware of the issues that are just outside your expertise. The mindset that Chris carries into a meeting is one of being excited to learn and showing how he can help. By being truly concerned about the other person, it's a lot easier to customize your solution to actually solve their problem. When speaking with potential investors, Chris is looking to learn what their investment goals are to see if they are aligned with them. His company has a well defined mission and invests in very specific types of companies. If the opportunity is not a fit, that's okay. If the goals are aligned but the person may not be ready to go yet, Chris tries to break the information into more bite-sized pieces instead of overwhelming them with everything at once. Dripping out follow-up content has made building trust with investors a success. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/company/crowncapitalinvestments linkedin.com/in/christophertgraham25 [email protected] crown-inv.com Crown Capital Investments on YouTube - youtube.com/channel/UCLstgUIyDH9bRFTHH0vWAbg

Mo asks Chris Graham: When was the moment you realized growth was a good thing? As a lawyer, you're responsible for the whole gamut of the business. The whole process is about connecting and engaging with clients on a deeper level, and Chris realized that he needed a new approach in order to scale. Everybody who is striving to be more has to cut what they are good at, to take a risk at doing something better. Chris had a great relationship with his clients but being limited to a one-to-one impact felt restricting for what he wanted to do so he pivoted from law into private equity. He had to give up what he had been building for 20 years to have an opportunity to make an even greater impact. His experience over the 20 years of growing his law practice gave him a unique perspective into what entrepreneurs can do to grow their business. Taking that experience into the private equity space, along with the confidence of a few key families, helped Chris find success in his new line of work. The transition from one-to-one to one-to-many didn't happen all at once. Chris started things off by taking a lot of the risk on himself. He bet on himself to make it easier for clients to also bet on him too. When he decided to move into private equity, Chris scaled back his law firm to give himself more bandwidth and started blocking off time to focus on the new project. This gave him the room to build the new company. If you don't block time, there will always be something to absorb the time you didn't block for your new venture. You'll never get off the old ladder if you don't block off time for the new ladder. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/company/crowncapitalinvestments linkedin.com/in/christophertgraham25 [email protected] crown-inv.com Crown Capital Investments on YouTube - youtube.com/channel/UCLstgUIyDH9bRFTHH0vWAbg

Cyril Peupion shares his world-class expertise on managing the way you work and dives into how he thinks about business development, making an impact, and nurturing relationships that can change your life. Find out how to shift your mindset to make getting the most important work done the default instead of the exception, how to prioritize impact in everything you do, and the most important lesson Cyril wished he learned decades ago. Mo asks Cyril Peupion: When was the moment you realized that growth was great? Cyril started his own business with a partner after completing his MBA so he had an interest in business development right from the beginning. With time, he realized how much he had to learn about sales and relationship building. Impact is a keyword in how Cyril views the world. If he had only one principle piece of advice to give to people, it would be to prioritize your calendar according to impact. Cyril tells the story of a client he was working with and the impact on their life the work had. As great as getting to inbox zero and having an organized and neat work environment, being able to sleep at night and actually turn off her mind was completely life-changing. When you have something as powerful and impactful on people's lives, business development becomes easy and natural. Cyril considers his business to be in service to his clients. When you change your way of working it changes your life, which is why Cyril doesn't view his work as business development. Instead, he sees it as bringing his service to the people that need it. When it comes to prioritizing for impact, you have to start with a mind shift. High performers don't look at when things are due, they look at the impact of the things they need to do first. Think quarterly, plan weekly, and act daily. Thinking quarterly is one of the most effective time frames to think about work while incorporating your long-term vision. Planning each week is an important tempo for progressing your top two or three priorities. A crisis will arrive eventually, but you need to run your tasks through the four-word framework of What Impact Long-Term. Mo asks Cyril Peupion: What is your personal definition of business development? Cyril's definition has evolved over the years. What began as selling became serving. Cyril is very clear on who he helps and how he can do it, as well as the people that he's not right for. Cyril's passion for what he does is derived from clarity on who can help. When it comes to first meetings, the goal is not to sell his services but to simply find out if they are a good match and to find the right solution for the prospect, even if that means referring them to someone else. It's vital to surround yourself with the right people and have an environment of accountability while keeping a mentality of continuous learning. Masterminds and accountability partners are crucial for your personal and business growth. Find people who are playing at the same level as you and with the same giving mindset. People typically allow their day to be filled up but all the little things that inevitably come up. One of the first exercises Cyril has leadership teams walk through is creating their ideal week, and then creating a calendar by working backward from the most important things you can do with your time. Mo asks Cyril Peupion: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? The overall mindset of the Snowball Training is what stands out for Cyril. Going from selling to serving and being proud of the value that you are bringing to your clients is pivotal. Cyril also appreciates the concept of nurturing raving fans and uses the strategy to make sure he's always working on the most important relationships associated with his business. There is a strong link between performance and joy. People value what they help to create. Cyril noticed that the clients that contribute to the work in more of a partnership style relationship usually value the work more. Without the mindset shift of going from selling to helping, you will never achieve your true potential in your career. "The secret of living is giving." -Winston Churchill When you understand the giving mindset, it will change the way you look at business and life. When planning your ideal work for business development, relationship building with your raving fans and developing yourself and your team, are the things that will have the most significant long-term impact. How much time each day do you need to protect to get those done each day? The rule is that you can move this meeting time with yourself around, but you can't delete it. Business development is often composed of a lot of little tasks. Cyril uses the Outlook Task tool to categorize emails and tasks he needs to address during the time he's set aside each day to focus on business development. Your calendar should be filled with Meetings With Yourself and you should respect them as much as yo

Mo asks Cyril Peupion: If you could record a video around business development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say? Cyril describes a restaurant in Paris that is the best in the world in delivering a ribeye and has a queue lined up every single day no matter the weather conditions. Cyril would tell himself to become the master of one trade and become extraordinary at one thing. Follow your heart and become the expert in that area. Habits are what build expertise and world-class skills. There is a lot of joy in embracing the boring excellence that makes you great. Cyril does one thing and does it very well. He's more than happy to refer work that's not in his wheelhouse to other experts he knows can take care of it. If you can find something that you are passionate about, that the market will pay a premium rate for, and you are good at, you have found something worth pursuing. Cyril would also recommend never stopping learning. "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." -Gandhi Block time to read every day. Set aside time every quarter to attend new training. Surround yourself with great mentors and a supportive community. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com wslb.com

Mo asks Cyril Peupion: Tell me of a business development story that you are very proud of. Years ago, Cyril got in touch with a partner at one of the largest consulting firms in the world. He was invited to present at one of their conferences in Barcelona about the Work Smarter, Live Better strategy and at the end of the presentation, Cyril got a 100% feedback rating from the 100+ people that attended his talk. This was the beginning of a great business relationship that is now eight years strong with Cyril's favorite client. Cyril wasn't a speaker, so the presentation was outside of his comfort zone. He prepared for the speech and took the opportunity very seriously. Cyril values continuous improvement very highly, and that presentation was a validation of that core belief. Every quarter, Cyril chooses a few things to accomplish that push him out of his comfort zone. He wasn't always a skilled speaker, so he worked with a speaking coach to improve his skills. When the pandemic hit, he found an ex-director to help train him and his team to be better on camera. Every quarter choose one thing that will put you out of your comfort zone and will help you move the needle on your goals. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com wslb.com

Mo asks Cyril Peupion: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? The overall mindset of the Snowball Training is what stands out for Cyril. Going from selling to serving and being proud of the value that you are bringing to your clients is pivotal. Cyril also appreciates the concept of nurturing raving fans and uses the strategy to make sure he's always working on the most important relationships associated with his business. There is a strong link between performance and joy. People value what they help to create. Cyril noticed that the clients that contribute to the work in more of a partnership style relationship usually value the work more. Without the mindset shift of going from selling to helping, you will never achieve your true potential in your career. "The secret of living is giving." -Winston Churchill When you understand the giving mindset, it will change the way you look at business and life. When planning your ideal work for business development, relationship building with your raving fans and developing yourself and your team, are the things that will have the most significant long-term impact. How much time each day do you need to protect to get those done each day? The rule is that you can move this meeting time with yourself around, but you can't delete it. Business development is often composed of a lot of little tasks. Cyril uses the Outlook Task tool to categorize emails and tasks he needs to address during the time he's set aside each day to focus on business development. Your calendar should be filled with Meetings With Yourself and you should respect them as much as you do meetings with other people. You say no all the time. When you say yes to something, you are saying no to everything else, whether you are conscious of that or not. When someone asks you to do something, pause and run through the "Hell Ya/No" framework. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com wslb.com

Mo asks Cyril Peupion: What is your personal definition of business development? Cyril's definition has evolved over the years. What began as selling became serving. Cyril is very clear on who he helps and how he can do it, as well as the people that he's not right for. Cyril's passion for what he does is derived from clarity on who can help. When it comes to first meetings, the goal is not to sell his services but to simply find out if they are a good match and to find the right solution for the prospect, even if that means referring them to someone else. It's vital to surround yourself with the right people and have an environment of accountability while keeping a mentality of continuous learning. Masterminds and accountability partners are crucial for your personal and business growth. Find people who are playing at the same level as you and with the same giving mindset. People typically allow their day to be filled up but all the little things that inevitably come up. One of the first exercises Cyril has leadership teams walk through is creating their ideal week, and then creating a calendar by working backward from the most important things you can do with your time. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com wslb.com

Mo asks Cyril Peupion: When was the moment you realized that growth was great? Cyril started his own business with a partner after completing his MBA so he had an interest in business development right from the beginning. With time, he realized how much he had to learn about sales and relationship building. Impact is a keyword in how Cyril views the world. If he had only one principle piece of advice to give to people, it would be to prioritize your calendar according to impact. Cyril tells the story of a client he was working with and the impact on their life the work had. As great as getting to inbox zero and having an organized and neat work environment, being able to sleep at night and actually turn off her mind was completely life-changing. When you have something as powerful and impactful on people's lives, business development becomes easy and natural. Cyril considers his business to be in service to his clients. When you change your way of working it changes your life, which is why Cyril doesn't view his work as business development. Instead, he sees it as bringing his service to the people that need it. When it comes to prioritizing for impact, you have to start with a mind shift. High performers don't look at when things are due, they look at the impact of the things they need to do first. Think quarterly, plan weekly, and act daily. Thinking quarterly is one of the most effective time frames to think about work while incorporating your long-term vision. Planning each week is an important tempo for progressing your top two or three priorities. A crisis will arrive eventually, but you need to run your tasks through the four-word framework of What Impact Long-Term. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com wslb.com

Linda Klein drops the mic with her incredible insights and hard-won wisdom in this episode where she shares her experience working with clients as a lawyer and creating relationships through her passion to help others. Find out how to prepare for a meeting in a way that will make you more confident and comfortable and capable of helping a prospect with their issues, the most important life lesson she learned from her father and how it applies to growing a business, and why you shouldn't ever lose your passion for getting involved and helping other people. Mo asks Linda Klein: When was the moment that you realized that growth was great? Linda separates the ideas of business development and building a relationship. In the beginning of Linda's career as a lawyer, she spent a lot of time learning about her client's business and that relationship building always paid off. It's not about developing the business, it's about developing the relationship. Linda tells the story of how her grandfather started a grocery business in the early days of the Great Depression, how understanding and getting to know the people in the community became a crucial reason for their success, how that also inspired Linda and how she built her career. When meeting new people, Linda is always looking for the things outside the day-to-day business relationship that are important to them. There is always a place where you can connect. It's important to be hireable and to share your expertise, but it's more important to be human first. Start with something relatable instead of leading with your area of expertise and what services you can offer. The number one correlation to likeability is commonality. Always look for the common areas you can connect on. Every conversation and interaction you have will be different, but the person you're speaking with will always give you clues. By offering details and asking for details, you're going to find areas of commonality. It's extremely important for diverse members of your team to feel like they can find areas to connect. Mo asks Linda Klein: What is your personal definition of business development? Adding value to a client's business by solving the problem. Service professionals often only look at a client's issue through the lens of their own expertise, but that's not the way to grow a business. Asking for the sale before solving the problem (or diagnosing the problem) isn't going to work. Linda looks for ways to solve client problems that keep them from growing their own business. Sometimes that means referring the client to someone else when the issue is outside her area of expertise. Linda starts solving the problem before a transaction has occurred. We can sense when someone is trying to sell us before any value has really been added to the relationship and it usually makes us want to run away. Go into the first meeting simply to get to know somebody instead of trying to close the sale. When you help someone achieve their goals, you feel great and you increase the odds of them turning into a paying client. When following up, think about who you could connect the person with and what the person said in the initial meeting that you continue the conversation with. If you have taken your time to get to know the industry your prospect is in, you will know where the pain points are and have opportunities to help. The number one thing you can do to be proactive in building relationships is writing down your top five to ten people that are important to your career and using that to make sure you're constantly being helpful. Mo asks Linda Klein: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? Linda never wants to be unprepared in her work, and the same is true in meeting with a client, which is why Dynamic Meeting Prep is Linda's favorite strategy. A potential client's business always has important area-specific language that they use that you should know. It's amazing how much companies have on their website and what you can learn by doing some research. Those insights are invaluable during a meeting, and preparing for a meeting pays dividends when you land the business because then you have a huge head start. Everybody prepares for delivery meetings but rarely do people prepare for the initial meeting. You can't prepare for the first meeting at a dinner before the meeting day. Research is crucial. Make preparation a priority and get the team strategy outlined ahead of time. Your team needs to show the client that they are seamless, working together and solving the client's problems. Figure out what your goal for the meeting is, what the frame for the meeting is and how to kick it off, what the big questions that might be asked, natural next steps, and potential cliffhangers you can use to get the next meeting. Being direct can be a challenge but being authentic about the fact that you want to simply be helpful is the best approach. Be ready to discuss wha

Mo asks Linda Klein: If you could record a video around business development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say? Business development is about passion. Life is about passion. Don't lose your passion for getting involved. Helping others is the most satisfying thing you can do. In so many ways it's easier to make a dollar than it is to make a difference, but you can do both at the same time. Take the time to get good at what you do first, and then you'll have something valuable to sell. If you're going to say no, say it with kindness. "People will forget what you said and what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou Treat people right. People you interact with today may be future clients and you should treat them with respect and kindness. If you're passionate about what you do, it will come through in your authenticity. Some of your best experiences will come from wasting time. If you rigidly plan, you might say no to something that is an incredible opportunity. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com [email protected] linkedin.com/in/lindakleinlaw

Mo asks Linda Klein: Tell us a business development story that you are particularly proud of. Many years ago Linda did a favor for an accountant without sending him a bill. Five years later, the accountant called mainly to thank her and ask if she could help a friend of his. The new client was entering a mature market with lots of competition, but after Linda helped him start and grow his business, within nine months his company was the largest client for Linda's firm. Linda was able to make a difference in two people's lives. For the client, she helped him start a business that changed him and his family's lives, and for the accountant, she impacted him deeply enough for it to come back to her five years later. Linda has developed a business development program by volunteering. Linda doesn't have a lot of free time, but for her, volunteering and being helpful is fun and enjoyable so the business development benefits come naturally. If you're curious and read the news about your clients, you will find opportunities to reach out and be helpful. Being involved in your community gives you scale in meeting new people. Find what you like and get involved in that community. There are an infinite number of opportunities to get involved and meet like-minded people. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com [email protected] linkedin.com/in/lindakleinlaw

Mo asks Linda Klein: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? Linda never wants to be unprepared in her work, and the same is true in meeting with a client, which is why Dynamic Meeting Prep is Linda's favorite strategy. A potential client's business always has important area-specific language that they use that you should know. It's amazing how much companies have on their website and what you can learn by doing some research. Those insights are invaluable during a meeting, and preparing for a meeting pays dividends when you land the business because then you have a huge head start. Everybody prepares for delivery meetings but rarely do people prepare for the initial meeting. You can't prepare for the first meeting at a dinner before the meeting day. Research is crucial. Make preparation a priority and get the team strategy outlined ahead of time. Your team needs to show the client that they are seamless, working together and solving the client's problems. Figure out what your goal for the meeting is, what the frame for the meeting is and how to kick it off, what the big questions that might be asked, natural next steps, and potential cliffhangers you can use to get the next meeting. Being direct can be a challenge but being authentic about the fact that you want to simply be helpful is the best approach. Be ready to discuss what the client wants to discuss. The more prepared you are in advance, the easier it will be to switch gears and the more comfortable you will be. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com [email protected] linkedin.com/in/lindakleinlaw

Mo asks Linda Klein: What is your personal definition of business development? Adding value to a client's business by solving the problem. Service professionals often only look at a client's issue through the lens of their own expertise, but that's not the way to grow a business. Asking for the sale before solving the problem (or diagnosing the problem) isn't going to work. Linda looks for ways to solve client problems that keep them from growing their own business. Sometimes that means referring the client to someone else when the issue is outside her area of expertise. Linda starts solving the problem before a transaction has occurred. We can sense when someone is trying to sell us before any value has really been added to the relationship and it usually makes us want to run away. Go into the first meeting simply to get to know somebody instead of trying to close the sale. When you help someone achieve their goals, you feel great and you increase the odds of them turning into a paying client. When following up, think about who you could connect the person with and what the person said in the initial meeting that you continue the conversation with. If you have taken your time to get to know the industry your prospect is in, you will know where the pain points are and have opportunities to help. The number one thing you can do to be proactive in building relationships is writing down your top five to ten people that are important to your career and using that to make sure you're constantly being helpful. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com [email protected] linkedin.com/in/lindakleinlaw

Mo asks Linda Klein: When was the moment that you realized that growth was great? Linda separates the ideas of business development and building a relationship. In the beginning of Linda's career as a lawyer, she spent a lot of time learning about her client's business and that relationship building always paid off. It's not about developing the business, it's about developing the relationship. Linda tells the story of how her grandfather started a grocery business in the early days of the Great Depression, how understanding and getting to know the people in the community became a crucial reason for their success, how that also inspired Linda and how she built her career. When meeting new people, Linda is always looking for the things outside the day-to-day business relationship that are important to them. There is always a place where you can connect. It's important to be hireable and to share your expertise, but it's more important to be human first. Start with something relatable instead of leading with your area of expertise and what services you can offer. The number one correlation to likeability is commonality. Always look for the common areas you can connect on. Every conversation and interaction you have will be different, but the person you're speaking with will always give you clues. By offering details and asking for details, you're going to find areas of commonality. It's extremely important for diverse members of your team to feel like they can find areas to connect. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com [email protected] linkedin.com/in/lindakleinlaw

Henning Streubel shares his thoughts on developing relationships and how to not only go from prospect to client, but from client to friend. He is the Managing Director and Senior Partner // Managing Director of the West Coast System of Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Learn how insight allows you to create impact and trust, why growth and comfort can't coexist when it comes to doing what's right and creating deep and meaningful relationships in your life, and how to pick yourself back up after the inevitable setbacks of a growth-oriented mindset. Mo asks Henning Streubel: When was the moment that growth and business development was something you wanted to focus on? Henning is intrinsically motivated to help people, but it's less about business development and sales. Whenever he meets someone, he has a tendency to ask deep questions. Early in his career working for a utility client in Germany, he realized that the client's company had many more problems than he initially thought which he discovered by simply having a deep conversation. Because of those conversations, the client was able to take Henning's thoughts and ideas back to her boss and make positive changes. For Henning, relationship development starts with insights, which allows you to create an impact and trust. Many highly analytical people have difficulty talking about anything outside of the project. Henning recommends understanding that everyone is a human being which means they share a common foundation. Being genuine about being curious is key. Don't just use small talk as a way to open a conversation. Follow up on the topics and go deeper. This shows your interest in them as a human being. Establishing a personal relationship makes connecting with them easier outside the context of the work. It creates an entry point that lets you have the impact you want to have. When you open up on your experience, you become more vulnerable and that creates a better foundation for trust. This was something that Henning had to learn and practice. Having a few stories in your back pocket can make it easier. Mo asks Henning Streubel: What is your personal definition of business development? Henning prefers the term relationship development, which he considers the foundation of every successful service provider. Henning learned early in his career not to take things personally. If someone doesn't respond to him, he assumes they must be busy and it's not about the other person not liking him. Many experts hesitate to reach out when they don't get a response right away. It's important to understand what matters to people and to offer them something they are interested in. Understand how their mind works on the professional side and send them information that would appeal to that, but don't be afraid to also reach out on the personal side. The biggest barrier to relationship success is us. Henning has a process for understanding where his relationships are in three categories: professional, personal, and friendship. He is always trying to think about how to develop a relationship to take it to the next level. Simply writing down the top five to ten relationships that are most important for your future self is a powerful tool. Knowing where you want a relationship to go helps you understand how you can be the most helpful. One of Henning's mentors told him early in his career to keep doing the right thing and success will come. Investing in the right relationships will eventually have a commercial benefit. You don't need to have all the answers if you can refer a prospect to someone else who can help. Role model the behavior for your team if you want that behavior to permeate. Make the time to show that you put the mindset into practice and celebrate the effort that people are putting into the work. Celebrating the little things where you went above and beyond what a normal professional relationship would be. That creates momentum and the right spirit to invest in relationships. Mo asks Henning Streubel: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? Henning's favorite idea is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument. It's vital to understand how you, your team, and your prospects think. Henning is an analytical thinker, and understanding this gives him greater insight into how he can communicate with another person who can compliment that with their own thought preferences. Henning took his team through the HBDI process to get a good idea of how his team thinks and where there might be any gaps. This allows the team to cover all the quadrants. Externally, Henning has a few questions that he asks to get an idea of how a person thinks. Within 30 minutes he usually has an idea on the other person's thinking style and can start tailoring his communication to cover the aspects that are most important to them. When it comes to an analytical thinker, Henning would lay out the numbers and the facts. For a procedural thinker, he

Mo asks Henning Streubel: If you could record a video around relationship development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say? Henning would send three points back. The first is that you have to care about the people. You can only develop relationships when you care about the other person and their issues. When you are engaging with them, it's not about just showcasing your expertise and what you know. It's about listening to them and what they want. If you come with a cookie-cutter approach, you won't establish trust. Understanding what the other person needs and bringing a customized approach is the key to trust. This kind of work is a team sport. Think about how you can compliment your own skills and strengths with your team so you can offer a holistic value to your clients. The basis for all those lessons is that you aren't born with these skills and consistently learning them over time is okay. It is vital to respect the individual clients and companies that you work with. Not everything goes to plan. For Henning, he overcomes setbacks very quickly by looking forward rather than backwards. Feel the pain and then move on. Everybody needs to find their own way of processing pain, leverage the learning, and move forward again. It doesn't help us as a society or as leaders to dwell on setbacks for too long. For Henning, that means going for a run or a bike ride. For others, that could be having a conversation with someone they trust. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/henning-streubel-phd on.bcg.com/henning - Use the envelope icon on this page to get in touch with Henning directly

Mo asks Henning Streubel: Tell us a business development story that you are particularly proud of. Henning's story begins with a rough start where a client CEO read an unflattering internal email about himself that he was never meant to see. Henning went to apologize in person and ended up having a great conversation that turned into an offer to have a second lunch in the future. During the second conversation the client began to open up about the challenges he had been experiencing, and Henning realized that he had gained this CEOs trust. Henning engaged some of his colleagues to help with the challenges the CEO was facing and this created the basis for a larger transformative project with the company. Today, Henning and the CEO are good friends. Henning is most proud about being able to overcome his discomfort with the initial situation and doing the right thing. Growth and comfort can't coexist. The skills needed to develop a relationship aren't innate. You can start right away to develop your skills, and it is possible to add value to someone else's career even when they have more years of experience than you. Henning is always thinking about how to take his professional relationships into a more personal realm because that's where he can deliver the most value. The challenge is in connecting with people with different personalities and experiences and then helping his team do the same thing. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/henning-streubel-phd on.bcg.com/henning - Use the envelope icon on this page to get in touch with Henning directly

Mo asks Henning Streubel: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or Snowball System? Henning's favorite idea is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument. It's vital to understand how you, your team, and your prospects think. Henning is an analytical thinker, and understanding this gives him greater insight into how he can communicate with another person who can compliment that with their own thought preferences. Henning took his team through the HBDI process to get a good idea of how his team thinks and where there might be any gaps. This allows the team to cover all the quadrants. Externally, Henning has a few questions that he asks to get an idea of how a person thinks. Within 30 minutes he usually has an idea on the other person's thinking style and can start tailoring his communication to cover the aspects that are most important to them. When it comes to an analytical thinker, Henning would lay out the numbers and the facts. For a procedural thinker, he would lay out the next steps in the process of working together to give them execution certainty and confidence in Henning's ability to get the job done. For an empathic thinker, he would focus on the tools and skills that the client team can learn by working with them and the change management that will help people be successful. For a strategic thinker, Henning starts with the purpose of the work. He creates a future perspective and vision around how the work will change the company with a transformative impact. The work is done between the first meeting and the last meeting. This is why building it together is so important. Bringing your client into the development of the solution and building their thoughts and concerns into it makes it far more sustainable. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/henning-streubel-phd on.bcg.com/henning - Use the envelope icon on this page to get in touch with Henning directly

Mo asks Henning Streubel: What is your personal definition of business development? Henning prefers the term relationship development, which he considers the foundation of every successful service provider. Henning learned early in his career not to take things personally. If someone doesn't respond to him, he assumes they must be busy and it's not about the other person not liking him. Many experts hesitate to reach out when they don't get a response right away. It's important to understand what matters to people and to offer them something they are interested in. Understand how their mind works on the professional side and send them information that would appeal to that, but don't be afraid to also reach out on the personal side. The biggest barrier to relationship success is us. Henning has a process for understanding where his relationships are in three categories: professional, personal, and friendship. He is always trying to think about how to develop a relationship to take it to the next level. Simply writing down the top five to ten relationships that are most important for your future self is a powerful tool. Knowing where you want a relationship to go helps you understand how you can be the most helpful. One of Henning's mentors told him early in his career to keep doing the right thing and success will come. Investing in the right relationships will eventually have a commercial benefit. You don't need to have all the answers if you can refer a prospect to someone else who can help. Role model the behavior for your team if you want that behavior to permeate. Make the time to show that you put the mindset into practice and celebrate the effort that people are putting into the work. Celebrating the little things where you went above and beyond what a normal professional relationship would be. That creates momentum and the right spirit to invest in relationships. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/henning-streubel-phd on.bcg.com/henning - Use the envelope icon on this page to get in touch with Henning directly

Mo asks Henning Streubel: When was the moment that growth and business development was something you wanted to focus on? Henning is intrinsically motivated to help people, but it's less about business development and sales. Whenever he meets someone, he has a tendency to ask deep questions. Early in his career working for a utility client in Germany, he realized that the client's company had many more problems than he initially thought which he discovered by simply having a deep conversation. Because of those conversations, the client was able to take Henning's thoughts and ideas back to her boss and make positive changes. For Henning, relationship development starts with insights, which allows you to create an impact and trust. Many highly analytical people have difficulty talking about anything outside of the project. Henning recommends understanding that everyone is a human being which means they share a common foundation. Being genuine about being curious is key. Don't just use small talk as a way to open a conversation. Follow up on the topics and go deeper. This shows your interest in them as a human being. Establishing a personal relationship makes connecting with them easier outside the context of the work. It creates an entry point that lets you have the impact you want to have. When you open up on your experience, you become more vulnerable and that creates a better foundation for trust. This was something that Henning had to learn and practice. Having a few stories in your back pocket can make it easier. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/henning-streubel-phd on.bcg.com/henning - Use the envelope icon on this page to get in touch with Henning directly

Mo asks Henning Streubel: When was the moment that growth and business development was something you wanted to focus on? Henning is intrinsically motivated to help people, but it's less about business development and sales. Whenever he meets someone, he has a tendency to ask deep questions. Early in his career working for a utility client in Germany, he realized that the client's company had many more problems than he initially thought which he discovered by simply having a deep conversation. Because of those conversations, the client was able to take Henning's thoughts and ideas back to her boss and make positive changes. For Henning, relationship development starts with insights, which allows you to create an impact and trust. Many highly analytical people have difficulty talking about anything outside of the project. Henning recommends understanding that everyone is a human being which means they share a common foundation. Being genuine about being curious is key. Don't just use small talk as a way to open a conversation. Follow up on the topics and go deeper. This shows your interest in them as a human being. Establishing a personal relationship makes connecting with them easier outside the context of the work. It creates an entry point that lets you have the impact you want to have. When you open up on your experience, you become more vulnerable and that creates a better foundation for trust. This was something that Henning had to learn and practice. Having a few stories in your back pocket can make it easier. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/henning-streubel-phd on.bcg.com/henning - Use the envelope icon on this page to get in touch with Henning directly

Read Davis, the CEO of McGriff, talks about his experience as one of the top business development professionals and how he discovered that momentum takes time and the key to a successful career in sales is playing the long game. Learn about the fateful conversation and advice that changed the trajectory of Read's career, why everything in an organization comes down to the success of the salespeople, and why leaders need to eat last. Mo asks Read Davis: When was the moment you decided to get great at business development? You can learn to compete and life is about competition in Read's mind. There isn't always a winner and loser in every situation, but measuring success is based on the scoreboard you're looking at. As Read moved into his career out of college, his scoreboard changed. One fateful night while working alongside the CFO and the General Manager, they gave him a piece of advice that changed the way he thought about business. If you really want success and to own your career, you have to think about being in the business of the business. For Read, that meant selling and having an impact on the growth of the business. Sales and business development transcend everything. It gives you a skill that can be transferred anywhere and if you can get comfortable being uncomfortable you will always be able to find a job. Being successful in production is a long-game grind. You have to do the time and the work to get the snowball rolling. Relationships are built over time and the most successful salespeople are relationship-oriented. There is a numbers game in every business. Sales and relationships are about solving problems, and the more people you meet and get to know the more opportunities you have to make a sale. You need to invest in the process for it to be able to pay off. Mo asks Read Davis: What is your personal definition of business development? Being a CEO wasn't something that Read ever aspired to. He always enjoyed leadership, sales, and being in the field. When he took on the role, he put a challenge to all the business development professionals in the organization to make payroll. Every salesperson needs to strive to be a leader. They own the revenue and everyone at the organization is relying on them to bring in the business. Leaders eat last. They need to take care of everyone in their world and business development professionals are leaders at heart. Business development and leadership go hand-in-hand. Building a growth-oriented culture means understanding your mission and getting buy-in on the vision from everyone on the team. Having the support of the delivery of the service is crucial to being able to sell successfully. Being empathetic is important as well. There are people from both sides of the business that have a vested interest in your success. The objective is to put the sales and services team in front of the organization instead of behind the leadership. Read is a firm believer that the best solutions and companies are driven from the bottom up. Mo asks Read Davis: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or the Snowball System? Successful sales and business development is psychology, which is why Read's favorite science is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument. It's critical to understand who you are and how you learn, as well as how you react when you get challenged. The most impactful aspect of business development is the sum of all its various parts. Being able to quickly understand who the person is and how they communicate is how you take someone from a cold call to a warm relationship. Read prefers going to the office where someone works to have a meeting with them to get a better idea of how they think. It's possible to observe little details in the environment and how a prospect answers questions that will give you an idea of how they think. Try not to measure success in 30, 60, or 90-day intervals. True success is a long-term project and what you do needs to align with your long-term vision. Revisit activities that aren't performing well and see where the holes are in your process. Without identifying your weaknesses you're going to waste a lot of time. There is always something to get better at. Mo asks Read Davis: Tell me about a business development story that you are really proud of. Read formerly worked for one of the largest brokerage firms in the world, and when he first came to work with McGriff they were often David going up against Goliath. Read recalls several different stories where the relationships they built helped their clients take care of their people. Each experience gave Read additional skills and confidence to take into the next. One, in particular, stands out where Read was handling a casino in Las Vegas. As the real estate guy on the team, Read was meeting with banks and people on the team to help them through the financial crisis. They broke the paradigm by bringing people in from all over to show the client what

Mo asks Read Davis: If you could record a video about business development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say? We can't see around the curve, but we can think about where we want to go. Read would start investing in himself and his skills much earlier. Don't think that you have to have it all figured out. Don't be afraid to admit what you don't know. One of the biggest assets of Read's leadership team is the environment of challenging each other and asking questions. Don't let pride be your deterrent from being successful. People will try to define you but you have to find success in your own way. You have to figure out what the balance of your life is for yourself. What success is to someone else won't be the same standard for your life. When you're looking for the secret sauce, it takes what it takes and you have to put in the work to make it happen. When setting goals, Read doesn't look at the things he wants to get done now. He tries to keep in mind what he wants to get done when he's 90 and then figures out what he needs to do now to make it happen. Read looks at areas of his life that may have gotten out of balance and then makes those a priority for the year. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/readdavis [email protected] Random but Meaningful Podcast - Convo 06: Dr. Drew Brannon on performance psychology and building a winning CFB National Championship mindset

Mo asks Read Davis: Tell me about a business development story that you are really proud of. Read formerly worked for one of the largest brokerage firms in the world, and when he first came to work with McGriff they were often David going up against Goliath. Read recalls several different stories where the relationships they built helped their clients take care of their people. Each experience gave Read additional skills and confidence to take into the next. One, in particular, stands out where Read was handling a casino in Las Vegas. As the real estate guy on the team, Read was meeting with banks and people on the team to help them through the financial crisis. They broke the paradigm by bringing people in from all over to show the client what they could do. The best part of the sales story is that four years later the casino was sold to Blackstone and the client referred Read and his team as the broker of choice to the new buyer. It's all about the connectivity of the relationships and adding value while playing the long game. The team was what made the difference. By listening intently to what the prospect needed, that got the team motivated to deliver. They recognized that the deal was a major opportunity for the firm and they rose to the challenge. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/readdavis [email protected]

Mo asks Read Davis: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or the Snowball System? Successful sales and business development is psychology, which is why Read's favorite science is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument. It's critical to understand who you are and how you learn, as well as how you react when you get challenged. The most impactful aspect of business development is the sum of all its various parts. Being able to quickly understand who the person is and how they communicate is how you take someone from a cold call to a warm relationship. Read prefers going to the office where someone works to have a meeting with them to get a better idea of how they think. It's possible to observe little details in the environment and how a prospect answers questions that will give you an idea of how they think. Try not to measure success in 30, 60, or 90-day intervals. True success is a long-term project and what you do needs to align with your long-term vision. Revisit activities that aren't performing well and see where the holes are in your process. Without identifying your weaknesses you're going to waste a lot of time. There is always something to get better at. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/readdavis [email protected]

Mo asks Read Davis: What is your personal definition of business development? Being a CEO wasn't something that Read ever aspired to. He always enjoyed leadership, sales, and being in the field. When he took on the role, he put a challenge to all the business development professionals in the organization to make payroll. Every salesperson needs to strive to be a leader. They own the revenue and everyone at the organization is relying on them to bring in the business. Leaders eat last. They need to take care of everyone in their world and business development professionals are leaders at heart. Business development and leadership go hand-in-hand. Building a growth-oriented culture means understanding your mission and getting buy-in on the vision from everyone on the team. Having the support of the delivery of the service is crucial to being able to sell successfully. Being empathetic is important as well. There are people from both sides of the business that have a vested interest in your success. The objective is to put the sales and services team in front of the organization instead of behind the leadership. Read is a firm believer that the best solutions and companies are driven from the bottom up. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/readdavis [email protected]

Mo asks Read Davis: When was the moment you decided to get great at business development? You can learn to compete and life is about competition in Read's mind. There isn't always a winner and loser in every situation, but measuring success is based on the scoreboard you're looking at. As Read moved into his career out of college, his scoreboard changed. One fateful night while working alongside the CFO and the General Manager, they gave him a piece of advice that changed the way he thought about business. If you really want success and to own your career, you have to think about being in the business of the business. For Read, that meant selling and having an impact on the growth of the business. Sales and business development transcend everything. It gives you a skill that can be transferred anywhere and if you can get comfortable being uncomfortable you will always be able to find a job. Being successful in production is a long-game grind. You have to do the time and the work to get the snowball rolling. Relationships are built over time and the most successful salespeople are relationship-oriented. There is a numbers game in every business. Sales and relationships are about solving problems, and the more people you meet and get to know the more opportunities you have to make a sale. You need to invest in the process for it to be able to pay off. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/readdavis [email protected]

James Barclay shares the key content creation strategies that Passel uses to help busy professionals demonstrate the expertise that sets them and their firms apart. Learn about how content creation became the basis for Passel's business model, how to write and create content for your most important relationships in a way that people will love, and why a podcast is the secret business development hack that most professionals aren't using right now. Mo asks James Barclay: When did you realize that business development was great? James' first job out of college was as a conference organizer and that's where he learned the power of selling ideas. Selling conferences in the 1990s changed once the internet became more established and James began using websites to promote them, but they discovered that brochure websites weren't very effective which led to creating content based websites instead. The skills that James and his business partners developed in creating those businesses were a natural fit for content online, but he realized that taking the expertise in his head and sharing it online was actually really difficult. That's where the idea for Passle came from. Showcasing your expertise online as an expert is crucial, especially when people are still not visiting businesses physically as much. Do something rather than nothing, and realize that you won't be great at it straight away. Run an audit of LinkedIn to see who you are connected to. Compare that list to a list of the people that give you money for what you do, and if you're not connected with the people who give you money correct that. Write short, client focused and timely content at least once a month. Your content should be easy to consume and don't outsource it. Someone shouldn't be pretending to be you online. Taking content that is already published is a great place to start. Just add your own perspective or commentary to something that already exists. Picture one of your top ten to twenty clients and write something that you know will resonate with them then publish that on a public space like LinkedIn or your blog. Ask them directly what they would be interested in, and then write content around those answers. At the very least share your company's content and provide some commentary on it. You need to be digitally active. People won't be thinking of you if you're not present in the public square that is social media. Write for one person instead of writing for everyone. Think of the people that pay you money for your expertise and then write content with one of those people in mind. They are the most likely to share your content and refer you to other people when they find it useful. That's how you give your raving fans ammunition. Mo asks James Barclay: Tell me your personal definition of business development. Growth is all about your leading indicators. Your behaviors, values, and what you do every day are what will put you in a position to win. Focusing on the end of the pipeline will make you look desperate. With the right values and habits, you'll come up with the right tactics for the people looking to buy from you. Helping is the key to growth. If every time someone reaches out you help them, at some point they will ask you what you do and be interested in what you sell, which is way more effective than reaching out to them to buy your stuff. When someone asks you what you do, turn it around and ask them about themselves and their challenges while looking for an area that you may be able to help them, either with advice or a connection. Curiosity is an emotion that humans love to experience. By getting the other person to ask what you do twice, it increases the curiosity element. Business development is about providing a solution when the other person needs it, and this takes patience and consistency is providing value. It can be even more powerful to be helpful when the other person is unable to buy your services. One of James' key qualifiers when selling to someone is whether they like him and James likes them as well. It's common for highly analytical people to talk about anything other than their content and expertise. If you find yourself uncomfortable in a sales environment, your clients probably feel the same. Finding the place that you're comfortable with could actually be the sweet spot between you and other analytical prospects. Reach out with useful content between billable projects. Sending an asset or an idea is an effective way to keep the conversation going. Mo asks James Barclay: What is your favorite science, step, or story from the GrowBIG Training or the Snowball System? For James, the number one strategy is the Protemoi List. These are the people in your circle that are your partners, prospects, and the key people that could be your raving fans. Having a focused relationship list is an unbeatable edge. When you invest in a relationship, people will move with you. James has had people buy from his company multiple ti

Mo asks James Barclay: If you could record a video around business development and send it back to your younger self, what would it say? James is naturally impatient, so he would tell his younger self to cultivate patience. You can't sell stuff by shouting at people that they should buy from you. It's not your sales process, it's about their buying process. Think about the actions that you can do consistently that will lay the groundwork for outcomes instead of focusing on the outcomes themselves. Accept the fact that you are often fighting fires and won't always be perfect at your business development habits. Having a team that can support you and keep you on track when you need it is a big asset. Make sure you are surrounded by people you trust. Set some time aside each week to track your most important things and what you got done and what's still on the list. James would always tell his younger self that the best ideas don't come when you're looking at a screen. Your best ideas will come when you're unplugged. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com linkedin.com/in/jamesbarclay1 [email protected] passle.net