[WR #11] The One Biz-Growth Activity I'll NEVER Stop Using
I shared a post on LinkedIn last week about the two high-impact things I simplified when my business almost went under four years ago:
My offerings, and
My business development strategies
My offerings had been scattered for a while.
I'd jump from shiny thing to shiny thing in an attempt to keep growing.
But with every leap in a different direction I'd stunt my ability to scale more and more.
And because I was constantly trying new marketing and sales tactics to go along with all those shiny new offerings, there was no consistency or rhythmic nature to my business.
Maybe this sounds familiar to you too? (If you're anything like me - and every single one of my clients - I'm guessing it does...)
Results simply couldn't come - especially amidst the turmoil of my traumatic divorce.
Simplification became an absolute necessity.
So I narrowed down my offerings to one thing I could deliver in two ways.
And I picked one highly leveraged biz dev activity to do consistently that would let me close the business I needed without missing out on precious time with my young daughter.
Once I committed to that everything changed.
In the comments of that LinkedIn post, people were curious about what the leveraged business development activity was that became the gamechanger for my business.
So I thought it might be useful to share it here with you.
So you can steal it for yourself :)
But first, a tiny bit of context...
When it almost imploded and I realized simplification was the only way my business was going to survive, I leaned hard into a philosophy I'd developed years earlier when I was first starting out.
I call it the 3 C's:
I Care
I’m Curious
And I want to Connect
The leveraged activity that became my business's savior was born from this philosophy.
Once it became clear that my business was going to have to work twice as hard so I could work half as much, I realized that of all the activities I'd adopted over the years - things like:
email marketing
webinar selling
public speaking
podcast guesting
organic social sharing
The one thing that always worked without fail, and was the easiest, fastest shortcut to growth, was this:
Making friends.
(Yes, that's it. And yes, please steal it as a simple, super powerful growth strategy for yourself too.)
With the 3 C's as my guiding philosophy, I doubled down on relationship building as the one thing I focused on to rebuild my business.
Since my offerings were now super simple and highly leveraged, I only really needed a handful of clients to be at capacity and make the revenue necessary to support my life.
Five yes's was waaaay easier to get than the dozens my previous model required.
Which meant that showing up for my network, supporting them, and connecting dots when I could, was going to be the highest value activity I could do to find my five yes's.
Here's what that looked like - and still does - in practical terms.
First, I got very good at figuring out where my people were hanging out.
Whether in person or online, I got really clear on where I'd find the people I wanted to work and spend time with.
For me, clients are always friends.
If someone's not the type of person I'd want to hang out with outside of our client/coach relationship, they're not going to be for me.
I joined networking groups, attended events, and even picked up hobbies to put myself in the rooms (IRL and virtual) where the cool kids I wanted to hang with would be.
Once I knew where to find them, I'd find ways to connect and add value.
If it was in an online forum, I'd answer questions, make connections, and generally offer support.
If it was at an event, I'd make meaningful introductions, provide solicited advice, and be wildly curious about what else they needed to get where they were going next.
Overall the name of the game was always to simply be of service.
I learned many years ago that if I'm a generous, authentic giver, I receive 10x what I put out.
I'll add that a critical distinction to make here is that martyrdom is not service.
I always give from a full cup, and with zero attachment to any outcomes.
My desire to add value comes from a foundational belief in two things:
1) I've got nothing to prove to anyone about how valuable I am, and
2) I'm always provided for no matter what.
I know with absolute certainty that dots don't always connect in a linear way, but eventually they'll always take me somewhere awesome.
And my faith in that truth has allowed me to show up authentically for new friends and prospects, while completely obliterating anything transactional that would be a part of the relationship otherwise.
By showing up for people authentically as a giver and helper, I activated an onslaught of goodwill that continues to pay dividends now, many years later.
And by being wildly curious about what they needed to grow - but without any transactional-feeling attachment to the outcomes - the dots often connected them directly back to me as a source of support they'd want to hire to have in their corner.
I eliminated all the other complex, annoying tactics, and just made friends.
And my business has been thriving with half as much effort required ever since.
I know it seems simplistic as a strategy, and it certainly helps if your offerings are as lean and leveraged as mine are.
But the reality is this - no matter what your business is, if you're a founder, your most valuable business growth activity is always going to be building relationships.
While I help my clients create custom stratgies for growth and scaling that fit them and their values, this is the ONE tactic that I encourage all of them to make top priority.
Because it WORKS.
Leaning into their relationships with my help has let them:
Nearly triple revenue YOY in six months
Increase profit 20% mid-pandemic with zero paid traffic
Book as much revenue in one month as they had the entire prior year
Build a rebrand from zero to $1M in 11 months
Making friends, building relationships, and focusing on connection as a growth tactic seems unscalable.
But when you release the idea that each individual relationship is a transaction on its own, and embrace the possibility that every connection is exponentially valuable in more ways then your logical mind can see - and worth nurturing simply because it feels good...
...then the possibilities become endless.
Find your people.
Make friends.
Serve authentically, without attachment or proving.
And the yes's will come.
Guaranteed.
See you on the other side...
- A
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