How to be a new business catalyst
Small Spark Theory Episode 58: Louisa Clarke & David Kean
In my work with agencies I witness a great deal of discomfort about the new business process. Of course there are brilliant, natural new business professionals out there who thrive on networking and relationship building, but for many, the possibility of rejection looms large and the process of prospecting or, shudder, ‘selling’, feels wholly unnatural.
This realisation was the basis for starting Gunpowder as a consulting business almost a decade ago and latterly, the understanding that taking a marginal gains approach could ease the some of that discomfort, the premise for launching this podcast.
Hot off the press, Catalyst: Using Personal Chemistry to Convert Contacts into Contracts is a wonderful new book by Louisa Clarke and David Kean which gets to the very heart of new business.
Exploring how our human interactions determine how we succeed and jam packed with actionable tips, this must read manual confirms that being a catalyst isn’t just the preserve of the new business professional, but a set of skills that can (and should) be learned by anyone, one marginal gain at a time.
Louisa and David join me in this episode to share their own ‘catalytic’ experiences and pass on their advice. This is an energising listen for anyone who has lost their new biz mojo or simply wants to feel more confident starting, maintaining and growing a professional network.
As always we’ll be giving away of copy of Catalyst, so leave your comments below, on twitter or Instagram and we’ll pick a winner!
Also mentioned in this episode:
How to Win Friends and Influence Profits
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Carnival of Snackery by David Sedaris
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