We business developers can't help ourselves. We take a linear view of success.
Whether from left to right or bottom to top--or both in the case of a graph with x and y axes--we tend to view our paths to success along straight lines.
So be it. I'm not here to advocate for gauzy, transcendental thinking or to suggest that we should take more satisfaction simply from being. That's someone else's blog.
Raise Pyramids . . .
I too will buy in to a linear model of success. Let's view the act and effort of business development as raising a pyramid. The base is all the steps we take to build our practice, platform, and strategy. The pinnacle is signing that new client to an engagement.
Notice something? Our initial BD starting point is wide, the planning field narrows as we near the top, and finally, after much effort and toil, we reach the pinnacle--a singular point of success.
Well, why?
It's natural to begin with an almost overwhelming field of options, pick one, and start moving. And sure, if it doesn't work or we get stuck, we pivot. But as that pyramid narrows, so too do our options when we do seek to pivot.
. . . and Push 'em Over
What if instead of pivoting, we tipped our perspective entirely? What if we could widen the field of successful outcomes as we progress, rather than narrow it?
Good news: That's exactly what happens as we develop our relationship with a prospective client and learn more about their needs, wants, and motivators. The more we learn, the better we can expand the field of successful outcomes. Rather than viewing success as a point, we now see it as a continuum. Land anywhere along that plane, and it's a win.
I owe this thinking to Danielle Weksler, who several years ago coached me through a challenging time managing people. Danielle helped me view performance issues through this lens; I was stuck trying to achieve a particular point, when in truth a range of outcomes could have constituted success. Later I saw that pyramid tipping works for business development, too.
Okay, Now What?
So how do we tip the pyramid? Start by asking questions and interrogating assumptions.
Q: What is success?
A: Signing the engagement letter.
Q: For what?
A: The [fill in the blank] work we first started talking about.
Q: Is that all the client needs?
Q: Is that all I want to do?
Q: Could my colleagues help the client?
Q: Would a referral help the client and make me valuable to the client?
Q: Can I help the client independent of legal work?
Pretty soon, Qs outnumber As, which is a good thing. This means you have many options at your disposal to advance your relationship and be seen as a helper. And your BD efforts--all that action in blue pictured inside the tipped pyramid--only expand on the path to finding answers.
Experience tells us when we build relationships expansively, rather than reductively, we win new opportunities. And this is where pyramid tipping is so helpful.