Crux Rainmaking Intro Redux
As we embark on a brand new year, I thought it might be a good idea to bring us back to the very beginning for a moment. On January 1, 2011, I published my first post on Crux Rainmaking (CR). Since CR is an integrated business development approach, and we are delving into various aspects of it in these Blog posts, it is certainly helpful to refamiliarize ourselves with the overall approach to help keep everything in context.
Please CLICK HERE to be redirected to that first post!
Thanks!
J.B.
Read MoreLow and Slow
I had an interesting chat with someone today. Although discussing a completely independent topic, he used the phrase: “Hot and Fast; Low and Slow.” I guess it is nomenclature used in cooking circles. Not being the cooking type personally, I had never heard this phrase before. But it did get me thinking about how I would characterize Crux Rainmaking. Is Crux Rainmaking more like Hot and Fast? Or Low and Slow?
Hmm. After giving it some thought, Crux Rainmaking is definitely Low and Slow. I always suggest to people that there is absolutely no magic bullet to generating a significant amount of net new business, save for the intervention of luck or fortuity—neither of which are great business models. The approach I have developed with Crux Rainmaking does require time, patience, and long-term commitment to the process of rainmaking. Crux Rainmaking is not a magic bullet to success. It is, however, a way to maximize efficiency, focus your business development efforts, and substantially increase the likelihood of exponentially building your business.
It all starts with Mind [Re] Set. We must reset our minds to be consistent with the fundamental characteristics of “The Rainmaker’s Brain.” Only then can we use Crux Rainmaking’s Strategic Lead Generation (SLG) to the fullest, to generate more and better leads. Once we have those valuable leads, we can work to develop Unique Business Relationships (UBRs) with them, thus increasing the chances of securing new business.
We all will progress with this approach at different rates. We all come to the Crux Rainmaking table from different perspectives, varied existing habits, and diverse past experiences. Keep in mind: that is exactly what makes each of us unique. That uniqueness is a critical component of utilizing Crux Rainmaking and getting the most out of the approach.
What I’ve described above is not Hot and Fast. On the contrary, it is methodical, realistic, and may take some time to realize results based on our unique starting points with this approach. As Crux Rainmakers, we cannot have a Hot and Fast mentality. Instead, we need to progress with confidence that a more focused approach to our business development efforts will yield long-term results, notwithstanding the fact that those results may not materialize immediately. An expectation of immediate results is a sign of naiveté with the business development process.
So, go Low and Slow, and you will not “burn out,” or become disappointed in your results in the short run, or unnecessarily waste your valuable time and resources. Remember: Low and Slow, my friends!
J.B.
Read MoreABM—Huh?
You’ve probably heard about the saying “ABC” (Always Be Closing)(See Glengarry Glenross—one of my favorite movies). If you’ve seen the movie, I bet you can still hear Alec Baldwin admonishing his salesmen!
In the context of Crux Rainmaking, we use the saying “ABM,” which stands for Always Be Meeting.
Strategic Lead Generation (SLG) yields more and better leads for our businesses or organizations. Once we have these leads, we must do our best to meet with these individuals to begin developing Unique Business Relationships (UBRs).
Crux Rainmaking would also have us develop UBRs with our existing clients, customers, or donors (as the case may be) and referral sources. We will need to be meeting with these people as well as we continue to grow UBRs with them.
There are many people with whom we will meet or otherwise communicate. Many meetings are a good thing. It means we are out from behind our desks and in front of the people that really matter—our valued, existing clients, customers, or donors, new leads and referral sources. These people need our attention and there is no way to build UBRs with these people without meeting with them. There are other important aspects of developing UBRs with the people within our contact base, but meeting with them is a big part of getting to a UBR with them.
How many meetings have you had today with any of your existing clients, customers, or donors, as the case may be? This week? This month? How about leads you recently met over the past few months—how many meetings have you had with them? Have you met with your very top referral sources in the last six months? The idea is to ABM! Get out to breakfast, lunch, or dinner with your contacts. A quick coffee at Starbucks. A concert. A ballgame. These days you can also “meet” over the Internet with platforms like Sykpe. If your contacts are long distance, utilize such a platform to “meet” periodically (and cheaply) with the members of your valued network.
So, ABM!!!
J.B.
Read MoreA Crux Rainmaking Exercise (Don’t Worry, It Includes Food!)
In this Blog I have just begun to discuss Crux Rainmaking, a single, simple, and effective approach to exponentially increasing new revenue for a business or not-for-profit organization. I’ve introduced the three ideas, or concepts, involved in Crux Rainmaking, namely, Mind [Re] Set, Strategic Lead Generation, and Unique Business Relationships. These items work together to cut through “sales and marketing information overload” and give us a workable approach to growing our business.
But all cannot be lost in theory, for the reality is that an approach is only as good as the results from it. As you start working more and more with Crux Rainmaking, you will find that this is a very effective way to build your business. However, you can learn more about the powerful effect of the three components of Crux Rainmaking from the people around you, namely significant rainmakers you know today or of whom you know.
I’d like to suggest an exercise to further illustrate the powerful effect of Crux Rainmaking. It involves approaching a rainmaker you already know or of whom you know. This person can be in your own organization or another. Perhaps it is someone who is currently retired, a relative, or a friend, who you admire for his or her success in developing a significant amount of business. Identify and choose just one of these individuals.
After you select a rainmaker, reach out to that person and invite him out to break bread, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Everyone has to eat last time I checked, even busy people. If you are dealing with a true rainmaker, that person will find the time to meet with you, since meeting with people is a regular part of his or her regime. Tell the person that you would like to get his thoughts on business development given his success and you’d like to learn from him. You will find that this sort of sincere overture will be respected by the true rainmaker and you will find such a rainmaker very willing to help encourage other budding business developers.
At the breakfast, lunch, or dinner, ask your rainmaker (in addition to any other questions you have), what importance the following things have in connection with what he does every day to build and grow business:
■ Mindset, namely passion for what he does, commitment to the process of building his business, and confidence in his ability to not only get the client, but take care of that client far better than his competitors.
■ Generating excellent leads, efficiently.
■ Building relationships with prospects and existing clients that are beyond great.
What I think you will find is that you will walk away from that meeting with significant insight into (i) how each of the items above are actively at work in the rainmaker on a daily basis, and (ii) how becoming more sensitive to these things will empower you to achieve endless success in whatever you do. Most rainmakers have their own “process” for generating business, and they all work (otherwise they wouldn’t be rainmakers); however, in a vast majority of cases, all such “processes” include at their very core, a foundation based in the three ideas, or concepts, that represent Crux Rainmaking.
If you find this exercise helpful, repeat it with another rainmaker, and others. You will get a different perspective from each which will help you immensely in your own business development endeavors.
Please comment back after you have done this exercise, and share your experience. I know everyone would love to hear about it.
Oh, and also, when you go out with your rainmaker, make sure to pay the bill! Good luck!
J.B.
Read More3 Business Development Challenges Solved!
I am in the process of preparing for a big speaking engagement at the Association of Accounting Marketing’s national conference in June. As I prepare, I have been asking friends, colleagues, and others about some common challenges faced by business developers. There were several themes that arose. Here are three of them and my thoughts on each:
1. Challenge: Balancing time spent on business development and other priorities in one’s life.
Solved: Time is something I hear about regularly, usually along these lines: “There’s not enough time to do my job AND market. I wish there was more time, because of course I would market more!” The bottom line is this: Time is NOT the problem. The problem is any number of things that hold a person back from realizing his or her business development potential. Actually, one of the assumptions of Crux Rainmaking is that time is not an excuse. The best way to deal with time is by resetting your mind to be consistent with the characteristics of the Rainmaker’s Brain. Once the mind is reset, the brain will take on a different perspective on the issue of time and the balancing of time. Then, business developers need to make sure they are spending whatever time they do have efficiently, namely by focusing on the very best types of leads for their business enterprise. Finally, they need to know how to establish the type of relationships with those leads that will maximize the possibility of converting those leads into real business. This is the essence of Crux Rainmaking!
2. Challenge: Next steps in the sales process, after initial contact with a prospect, especially when that prospect is simply not responding or “dragging their feet.”
Solved: Oftentimes, a lot of work is put into establishing the initial connection with a prospect. But if there is not an immediate “yes,” it is not uncommon for some business developers to become terribly inefficient in handling next steps to ultimately achieve success. Crux Rainmaking contends that in many cases, a key reason why the prospect has not responded to additional overtures, or is “dragging their feet,” is that whoever that prospect is doing business with has a more unique relationship with the prospect than you do. Thus, the idea of Crux Rainmaking is to strive to develop a more unique relationship with the prospect than (x) whoever is doing business with the prospect currently, and (y) your other competitors for that business. When you try to develop such a Unique Business Relationship (UBR), you come up with all sorts of great ways to take next steps with a prospect. These next steps are compelling. They touch at the heart of what Crux Rainmaking calls a prospect’s Crux Personality. Bottom line: the best “next steps list” is driven by the overall effort to develop a UBR with a prospect, tapping into that prospect’s Crux Personality.
3. Challenge: Resistance. For example, some individuals may not naturally feel they are sales people, which makes them more resistant to developing business. Some people may not have a keen interest in honing their business development skills. Their lack of interest makes them more resistant to the sales process and, in turn, they don’t achieve the joy and other rewards that come from business development success.
Solved: The resistance issue is a critical one with which to reckon. I think resistant individuals can find business development joy by really looking inside themselves in connection with their own rainmaking potential. This is a major part of Crux Rainmaking. I believe that if people are able to understand more about how they can use their own personal attributes in their marketing lives, they would feel more comfortable getting out there and developing business. They need to reset their minds initially, by determining to be passionate about what they are doing, determining to be committed to the process of marketing, and excising barriers to confidence from their minds. Once that is done, they can move on to generating more and better leads, and then go about developing UBRs with those leads, converting leads into real business. Once “non-sales” professionals understand this process, the idea of generating business becomes more manageable, they will exponentially increase their success, and ultimately the whole process becomes more fun—not to mention that increased business originations typically equate to more dollars in their pockets (or to foster their cause, in the case of charitable fundraisers)—which is a pretty good motivator for future business development efforts!
J.B.
Read MoreThree Questions to Ask Yourself
If you can answer YES to each of the following three questions, then Crux Rainmaking is for you:
No. 1 Are you discontent with where you are right now with your business development efforts?
No. 2 Do you desire a simple and effective approach to generating more business?
No. 3 Would you be interested in a business development approach that would immediately give you an edge over your competitors?
If you answered YES to these questions, then Crux Rainmaking was intended for you. With the three components of Crux Rainmaking, namely, Mind [Re] Set, Strategic Lead Generation, and Unique Business Relationships, you can learn to exponentially increase your business originations.
Crux Rainmaking gets to the “crux of the matter” when it comes to business development. You can use it to truly focus your efforts to build your business. Whether you are a professional service provider (such as an attorney, accountant, broker, banker, etc.), or a sales professional (who solicits orders for products from other businesses, procurement departments, or other potential customers), or a fundraiser (for a charity or other not-for-profit organization), Crux Rainmaking provides a single, simple way to increase the money that flows into your organization.
If you haven’t already, I would invite you to register for my Blog above on this page. My posts will provide depth and perspective on each of the three ideas, or concepts, involved in Crux Rainmaking. You will also find strategies, examples, exercises, and other helpful information to spark your business development creativity.
J.B.
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