Building Houses & Business Development by Austin Willett
As a Managing Consultant, I perform business development activities that help our teams go-to-market. In this role I think about the process of business development like that of building a house. For the purpose of this blog, I will be using the materials, people, and processes that make up a home to describe the art of business development.
Let’s start at the beginning with the foundation. The purpose of a foundation is to hold up the structure above it. Contrary to popular thought, the ground upon which a house is built is actually not completely solid, and is rather ever changing and shifting — very similar to the state of most businesses today. A properly-built foundation increases the amount of manipulation a house structure can take while remaining safe for the people inside it.
In terms of business development, the foundation can be characterized as the relationship with the customer and the sense of trust and credibility that has been established. But how do we accomplish this? We build this relationship by meeting the customer where they are, empathizing with them, finding common ground, and having the knowledge and resources to determine a path to success. It is this foundational relationship that will help you weather the storms with your clients in scenarios where a project might not have gone exactly as it should have, or if intended business results are taking longer than expected.
Next, let’s talk about home buyers. Each home buyer has a set of very specific requirements that they will need checked in order to purchase the home i.e. an updated kitchen and master bath, a yard for the kids and dog, etc.
The same is true with our clients — they have business needs/requirements that we can solve for, and provide the expertise to achieve success. The key here is to be a listener. Understand what is important to the client, what outcomes they are looking to drive, and what the success of working with you will mean to them both personally and professionally. Once you have this data, align your value proposition to make sure that you and your client are driving towards the same goals and outcomes. By aligning with your client, expectations will be set, and there is a clear path forward for change in which you are both mutually invested in the client’s success.
Windows come in many sizes, patterns, and arrangements, but the sole purpose of the window is the same — the window allows for the transparency of light to enter your home, and also for the home owner to be able to view outside elements without letting those elements into the home. Ultimately, windows in a business relationship can be thought of as the practice of honesty.
It is this transparency and honesty that is one of the most crucial elements to business development. Throughout a sales cycle, there are many deadlines and artifacts that need to be hit and delivered upon. When you say you are going to do something in a certain period of time, do it. When you hit a challenge that will hinder your follow through on a commitment, but upfront and honest about. Clients appreciate the human element of honesty and while they may be disappointed, they are human too and will appreciate that you brought the issue out into the open. In order to build a house, there are timelines and dependencies — if certain timelines cannot be hit before a dependency takes place, the whole project is at risk. The same is true of the business development process.
I learned very early on in my career how important a foundational relationship was to the overall success of both the client and my own personal success. The starting point for building a relationship begins well before any contracts or paperwork have been signed. With one of the first clients I ever worked with, the sales process took over 6 months; but it was the extended timeline that allowed me to build a personal relationship with my main point of contact, Jim. Jim was going through a hard time during these 6 months with a family member who had passed, and every time we would talk, I would simply ask him how he was doing, and while we never got into too much detail, he would tell me later how much he appreciated the fact that I would just check on him and ask how he was doing. Through the months I also learned we had a mutual interest in football, and while we didn’t root for the same team, it became a friendly competition of jokes and jabs.
Once we got close to signing contracts, Jim needed me to get to a certain price point that I could not get to, but I came to him in transparency and told him that while I could not get to his price, that I would personally be available to oversee and resolve any issues that would come up, and that in the next piece of work, that I would get as close to his ask as I could. Turns out, Jim accepted the contract terms, and he and I were on mutual ground heading into the project. I came to learn that the success of our project meant a promotion for him, so we resolved to make the project a success. There were rough patches throughout the project, but since Jim and I had built this trust we got through all of them in a calm manner by simply just discussing the issues, facts, and finding a path to resolution. I believe that some of these roadblocks allowed for the relationship to grow stronger as we both overcame hurdles to achieve success.
Finally, let’s talk about the role of a general contractor. The role of the general contractor is to manage the overall process of building a house and work together with the sub-contractors who are subject matter experts in their own domains; whether this be framing, plumbing, interior design, flooring etc. It takes a team with different areas of expertise and skillsets in order to bring the home together.
It is in this light that those who work in business development are similar to the general contractor. While you are owning the overall relationship with the client, it takes an army of skills outside of the ones you possess in order to bring results to the finish line. You must be resourceful and have the ability to work with others in pursuit of a common goal.
Business development is ultimately the art of utilizing human relationships to solve business problems. These relationships must be built and maintained through honest communication, understanding the personal impact of the relationship, and leveraging the people around you to work together as a team for the betterment of the client. If all of these factors can be brought together, client success will follow.
