The “Caddy Concept”
Yes I like golf but that is not what this blog is about. It is about business development. The hardest thing about business development actually doing it. Don't kid yourself, business development is something that takes years of experience to do well. After you have worked through a number of tough situations, you can handle pretty well anything. No course can teach you that. So where does the caddy fit it? Here's the story.
I was working recently with a group of high potential leaders. These leaders are working on developing their leadership skills both in the market and internally within their organization. We were discussing business development and how difficult it is to develop that skill. I told them that I thought training courses had some value. Courses teach the concepts (target lists, preparing for meetings, getting the next meeting). Concepts are good to get you started but they don't always help you with that tough client meeting.
One of the people in the group said,
I don't need more courses. What I really need is a caddy to help me with business development.
Great concept! Caddies help you to take the tough shots. They help with choosing the right tools (club selection). They provide support and shore up confidence (a necessity in golf sometimes!). They act as a sounding board after your shot (good or bad). They do not swing the club.
To get good at business development, you need a caddy. Caddies do not conduct the meeting for you (unless they are showing you how to do it). A caddy is an experienced person who knows the ropes in business development and can help you:
Plan your client meetings Follow-up effectively Deal with objections and difficult situations Watch you with clients and provide feedback Even open some doors for you
Business development is a hard skill to learn. It takes years. Get yourself a good caddy (or maybe two).
