Is It Time to Leave Your BD or Doer/Seller Job?
Did this headline get your attention? Great!
I was deep into a coaching conversation with a client recently when I realized that she was non-enthused when speaking about her company and complacent in her follow through relationship actions. Since this was abnormal to her typical, highly competitive business development style, I became perplexed.
That’s when I asked her, “Do you still love the service that you represent/sell? Do you still believe in the capabilities of your organization to deliver what you’re promising your clients?”
She stopped in her tracks and told me that she hadn’t realized it, but her passion and trust have been waning especially this past year. It wasn’t until we addressed it directly that she was able to put all of the pieces together and acknowledge that her company’s ability to excel at client service was declining like a slip drip.
Rather than engaging in new client development, she has been putting out fires to retain their existing accounts. With that awareness, we brainstormed options for her future.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been able to sell ANYTHING that I don’t have 100% full faith and confidence in. When integrity/quality assurance flags go up and leadership refuses to tackle key challenges, it’s been a good gauge that it was time for me to seek another position.
Fundamentally, I have chosen my client relationships over the organization because for me to be a great brand ambassador, I must drink the Kool-Aid and believe wholeheartedly in what I am selling. Otherwise, it conflicts with my authentic self and then I’m of no use to anyone.
In a 2019 survey, Gallup found that:
71% of B2B customers are ready to take their business elsewhere.
46% strongly believe that their vendor delivers on its promises.
51% feel proud to be their vendor’s customer. *
What’s amazing is that this survey was conducted in the ‘good ole’ days far before the business whiplash and side effects caused by the looming pandemic of 2020/2021. As you might imagine, it is even worse during these present times.
In my reemergence these last two months, my conversations are wide and varied. However, I have seen that there is one common theme at the top of these leaders’ minds: Employee Retention. Across all years of tenure and demographic groups, the best and brightest of our employees are reassessing their options and making decisions with their feet. As they go, so will many of the company’s best clients.
Remember: In a technical service environment, clients don’t buy companies or their brand names, they choose our employees who successfully deliver quality work for them.
So, I’m asking you today: Do you still love the service that you represent/sell? Do you still believe in the capabilities of your organization to deliver what you’re promising your clients?
If not, then perhaps you can use this opportunity to manage up? Address the issues head on with leadership to carry back the message from the market that if they don’t change, then their company is at risk of being obsolete.
Otherwise, you are a much-needed asset in an organization that will appreciate your value and listen to your advice and counsel. An organization which will make you be in love with the service/company again…
Stay tuned; later this summer, we will unveil our new, online Doer/Seller Business Development Course: BD Dynamics, Empowering the Technical-Minded. Subscribe to our mailing list at www.authentizity.com.
*Source: https://www.gallup.com/analytics/225458/b2b-analytics.aspx?utm_source=link_wwwv9&utm_campaign=item_211976&utm_medium=copy
Copyright © 2019 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
