Category: Freelancing

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Your Elevator Pitch – By Invitation Only

I had an epiphany this week Thursday. Well, maybe it wasn’t an epiphany as much as it was an important reminder about the art of the elevator pitch. I was on a conference call with my Executive Leadership Team (ELT) discussing business development and the process of closing the sale. Specifically, the conversation became focused on understanding the needs of the prospect before selling our capabilities. I used the metaphor of a Family Physician, a General Practitioner diagnosing a  patient’s malady. The GP begins with questions to understand their patient’s symptoms. In another words, where does it hurt? Diagnosis is a systematic process which results in mutual trust, and the beginning of a relationship. It follows a logical sequence. Consultative selling is very similar.  It follows the same process.  By establishing sincere interest in the client, learning about their pain, we demonstrate our consulting methodology.

My epiphany was that building a relationship is confusing to many.   They become so focused on presenting their value proposition, they fail to connect with the prospect. Some people I know are honest about their lack of appreciation for networking. As a result, they, avoid it, having a more difficult time generating business. This recognition triggered me to address the issue head-on as it is so fundamental, it cannot be ignored.


“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”  Maya Angelou

Networking for business development, qualifying prospective clients, isn’t much different than making friends or courting a prospective mate. Again, some are better at this than others. People who are good at making friends demonstrate a sincere interest in the other person, the target of their interest.  These people ask questions to learn the other’s background and interests to identify common ground. Similarly, my single female friends say that the best prospect is one who shows sincere interest in them. One who asks questions to learn the lady’s background and interests, to identify common ground. Prospecting for business, or networking, works the same way. When your prospect is confident that you understand their needs they will invite you to present your bone fides.  Great!  Now you can deliver your elevator pitch. If there is common ground and a foundation for trust, the ability to consummate the sale is enhanced. The similarities between prospecting for business and dating looms large.

Making friends takes time and patience.  As an Air Force Dependent, I’ve had a lot of experience moving from place to place and making new friends. My best friendships developed over time.  I learned that often the wrong people were the first to reach out to me. It wasn’t because I was a magnet for those folks, but I encountered them with every move.  They were overly aggressive, inappropriate even, which made me uncomfortable.  I learned to be careful with these folks.  During my corporate career, I moved around quite a bit as well.  I experienced the same issues, although I was much better equipped to deal with them as an adult. I am confident that my experience, making friends is fairly commonplace. I am sympathetic to the trepidation of business leaders on the receiving end of one’s business development efforts. And, they should be wary as the stakes are greater.


The advice to my colleagues is to be respectful, to show interest in the prospect, and build a relationship. When your prospect feels there is mutual interest and respect, they will ask to hear what you have to say. In other words, don’t lead the conversation with your elevator pitch ask questions to get to know your prospect. 

Qualifying your prospect is the same process you use to make friends or to find a mate.  Make them feel that you understand their pain and will be a good partner.  Demonstrate your respect for their situation and a sincere interest in helping them improve their performance.  If you are in a more traditional networking situation, spend the bulk of your time listening and asking relevant questions.  You will be rewarded with more business.

Thank you for visiting our blog.

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, Managing Partner

ITB PARTNERS

Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com


Author of:  Fighting Alligators, Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
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Make Networking a Win-Win Proposition

This past week was a good one.  Well, suffering through the remnants of the prior week’s Cold wasn’t fun, nevertheless, it was a busy week with many accomplishments. My time was devoted to coaching and mentoring my clients, recruiting new consultants, and a lot of networking. It was a good mix of productive activity that makes my work interesting and enjoyable.  

My recruiting discussions included people interested in opening new offices for ITB Partners across the country and signing new members for our Atlanta team.  One of those discussions was with a trusted colleague I have known for many years. It was a good opportunity to compare notes on the business environment and to catch up on each other’s progress.  I even made an indirect pitch to sell her on the idea of joining our network.  I am confident that my discussions will lead to follow-on contacts, creating more business opportunities.

I also learned how to create a survey in constant contact, and how to conduct a ZOOM video conference.  I have a keen interest in learning, especially about leadership and the use of technology to improve my productivity.  The value of ZOOM is to make our routine meetings more productive, eliminating drive-time for face-to-face meetings.  The Constant Contact Survey Function will support the work to complete our 2019 Strategic Review.  As we are using Constant Contact for our email marketing outreach it seemed to be unnecessary to pay for another service like Survey Monkey.

The highlight of my week was a luncheon meeting with a friend and one of my colleagues. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce my colleague to my friend, whose company could benefit from his expertise.  After making the introductions, throughout most of the luncheon, I listened to their conversation, taking notes for follow-up introductions and networking.  During that discussion we learned that her company’s updated business strategy is focused on acquiring an operating company.  This gave my colleague an opportunity to talk about his strength in helping companies navigate significant changes, such as a change in ownership.

As she described their acquisition criteria, I made notes listing people she should meet.  Naturally, I thought of people who could be helpful; two investment bankers, and a colleague who just helped her client with an acquisition.  In this case, my colleague ran the due-diligence process for the acquiring company as a consultant.   When the transaction was completed, she become their CFO.  Having had recent M&A experience, especially with a CFO’s perspective, I know she can be very helpful to my friend and her company.  Later that afternoon, I made those connections for my friend via LinkedIn.  As I write this post, they are in the process of scheduling introductory phone calls.

I even thought of another client, who is prepping their business for sale, that may fit their criteria. This client is owned by a Private Equity Group (PEG) that is interested in realizing the increased equity they have created during their holding period.   I mentioned that company in general terms, telling her that I will get back to her with more information. That led to a phone call with the target company’s CFO who promised to connect me with their advisory firm.  We also talked about scheduling a dinner meeting to discuss future opportunities.

Overall, last week was a very productive week indeed, especially from a networking perspective.  My orientation is that effective networking meetings begin with an objective and a good strategy.  One must have a win-win mindset with a primary focus on helping the other party in the discussion.  Good net-workers understand that reciprocity is the unspoken rule.  By helping my friend find a viable acquisition target, I am confident that my colleagues and I will benefit from contracts with her company.  Knowing her as I do, I am equally confident that she will provide us with outstanding references leading to additional business.  I would call that a win-win proposition.

Thank you for visiting our blog.

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, Managing Partner

ITB PARTNERS

Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com

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New Year’s Resolutions – Seriously!

It’s that time again. A new year. The hope for new beginnings.  Time to make New Year’s resolutions.  Is this really meant to be a serious activity? I wonder.   Many take it as a joke while others see it as an important opportunity. I suppose it depends on the individual.  The most ubiquitous goals seem to be about our personal health and well-being. Usually, that means losing weight and going to the gym.  As I recall, fitness center memberships always spike at the beginning of the year, then taper off throughout the year.

The genesis of creating New Year’s resolutions goes back, at least 4000 years to the Babylonians.  They celebrated the New Year by pledging loyalty to their King and promises to the gods to repay their debts.  If they faithfully fulfilled their promises, they expected to receive favor from their gods.  The Romans, and Early Christians had similar traditions.  Today, it is largely a secular practice.  Approximately 45% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions, with an 8% success rate.  

Making New Year’s resolutions is easy! I do it every year. Accomplishing my resolutions, however, requires effort.  I was curious to know how others view New Year’s resolutions, so I polled my colleagues on the subject, which I recapped in the following paragraphs.

Don told me, “The only New Year’s resolution that I’ve ever been able to make and keep (so far) I made 35 years ago, and that was not to ever make another New Year’s resolution. All kidding aside though, as each year passes, I find myself reflecting on who I am, what drives me, and how I can grow a stronger servant spirit to those I interact with. Therefore, I’d say that an ongoing resolution is to strive to be a better person, to realize & attempt to improve on the areas I fall short, and to always remain open to opportunities to utilize my life experience to help others whenever and wherever I can.” 

Sue said, “My POV may be a bit different than others as well.  I tend to take a more philosophical approach vs. the bucket list…So, it’s more of an inventory of “what really matters? and structuring strategies to get there” and the tactical issues tend to fall into place.  With so much (and needed) focus on Leadership qualities and when put into practice the potential positive impact on the lives of others, this approach resonates with me.”

Don and Sue believe in big general goals.  Their interest is focused on affecting the lives of others. They understand the need to create specific tactics to achieve those broader themes.

Mark wrote, “Life is an ever-changing beautiful puzzle. The best way to make your wonderful life puzzle is to visualize your wanted future experiences and share them with others so they can participate and improve them with you. Setting temporary resolutions or goals may be the wrong puzzle pieces to build your better life. See bigger than simple puzzle pieces for your life. At work, setting goals for projects is good. But for life, goals are too small and rigid. Be flexible and evolve your life puzzle picture.”

John told me; “January 1 is the milestone to turn over a new leaf, go forward with that idea that’s been stuck in your head for months, lose the bad habits that are keeping you down.  Don’t listen to the naysayers that don’t believe in resolutions. I say even if it fails, at least you’ve given yourself an opportunity to feel optimistic, good about yourself and belief in your future. And from there, on to the next resolution, do your best to make it stick. Write it down, tell someone, make a daily commitment to remind someone what your goals are. Find daily quotes for encouragement, “even if you don’t feel like it, get up, dress up, show up and never give up”

Mark and John are serious about creating bold Resolutions.

Richard is focused on execution. “Format your New Year’s resolution in terms of a SMART goal. Especially the part about measurable and time bound.  Share it with friends who you will want to know how you’re doing.”

Eric has a tightly focused Resolution.  “As I mentioned, my New Year’s resolution is to focus on effective communications.   As the old saying goes, tis better to remain silent and be thought a fool, then to speak and remove all doubt.”

Personally, I like to fast forward 12 months to visualize where I want to be, then determine how to achieve that result.  For example, I want to become a more effective leader.  I plan to achieve this goal by listening more; to be more positive; and be more supportive in my personal relations.

If you aren’t serious about improving your situation, making New Year’s resolutions is pointless. If you are serious, it means replacing unproductive habits with productive habits.  In other words, creating new habits.  If you are reading this post, I am confident you are serious about action to improve your situation.

Thank you for visiting our blog.

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, Managing Partner

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Josh Sweeney Presents to BENG Atlanta Chapter

Business Executives Networking Group


Josh Sweeney Presentation on Culture First Hiring

Josh Sweeney is an entrepreneur, business owner and company culture advocate that enjoys finding new and innovative ways help businesses build amazing company cultures. Outside of his time helping other businesses he serves as a board member for the Entrepreneur Organization’s Atlanta Chapter. Specialties Include: Company Culture, Hiring Process and Automation, Operational Enhancements. Linkedin

Josh Sweeney Presentation on Culture First Hiring

Monthly meetings are structured to help each member get the maximum benefit.

BENG Networking Meetings:

  • Are approximately two hours in length.
  • Are typically held monthly.
  • Range from 10 to 30 attendees, but average is 20.
  • A skill building presentation.
  • Allows each attendee 30 seconds to introduce themselves, talk about their background and expertise, and to present their Target Companies and networking needs.
  • Please bring business cards and your marketing plan if you have one.

Networking meetings provide members with an opportunity to sharpen their networking skills, meet peers from various disciplines and share business opportunities and job leads.

To register or for more information:

R.S.V.P required. For more information about The BENG, go to www.thebeng.org.

Josh Sweeney Presentation on Culture First Hiring