Insights Archives

If we do not understand how and why people buy or have a process to disqualify opportunities early, we tend to rationalize a reason why the person did not buy from us. On a fundamental basis, [...]

In Business Development, it’s easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble. What you do to establish the rules of the relationship up front is critical for setting the tone for the [...]

One lesson a Business Development Professional learns over time is the cost of bad business. Early in our careers, we are so anxious for business that we fail to establish relationship [...]

For any professional development or transformation of behavior to be effective, you have to change thinking. It’s thinking that drives behavior, which drives results. In order to be [...]

It is becoming more evident that to be successful in the current business environment, you have to change the way you engage with your prospects. The Business Development processes and thinking [...]

Use your homework prior to every call to stretch yourself conceptually and mechanically. Find out what you don’t know about your client’s business. How do they really make money? Who are [...]

We have all heard that any strength to an extreme is a weakness, although many of us fail to really understand this principle. Knowing our strengths and seeing them as potential limitations, will [...]

Too many people in the role of Business Development get caught up in the mechanics, the questions, the presentation and the processes. It’s certainly important to know what to do and how to do [...]

The philosophy of risking, failing and learning is one of the most powerful concepts to embrace in furthering yourself personally and professionally. How many times have you decided to change [...]

If you really want to be successful in any role in life, especially the role of Business Development, you have to be prepared to pay full price one time. This is true about any role in your life. [...]

Fear of rejection is one of the biggest inhibitors for people in sales and Business Development roles. This is because these individuals equate their Business Development role performance with [...]

Business Development is a role; it is not a value judgment of you as an individual. One of the challenging psychological principles that individuals in Business Development have to accept is the [...]

In #BusinessDevelopment you must understand how your thinking impacts your role behavior. In your life roles you receive treatment that is consistent with your level of thinking. One of the keys [...]

OK. You just spotted an RFP on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website that is a perfect match for your government contracting business. It’s exactly the kind of work you do and [...]

Stop and take a moment to think about the kinds of questions you ask your Prospects. Is your tendency to ask long, overly focused questions or short, open-ended questions? As a Business [...]

How to overcome the pitfalls of being the incumbent in government contracting. Regardless of current belief, becoming the contractor of choice doesn't happen overnight. Winning the business takes [...]