Timing… When is the best time to do Business Development?

I’m often asked this question.

I’m asked… ‘Is it 8am on a Monday’ ‘Is it lunchtime’ ‘how about Friday afternoon’… and so on…

Well I break this down into three parts:

1) WHAT’S YOUR PURPOSE for reaching out? Is it to build rapport? Get a face to face meeting to close the deal?

The purpose may determine the best time for making contact. For example. Friday afternoons in one of my industries was, I felt, great for building relationships, finding out what they were doing for the weekend, getting to know them at a different level.

2) when is THEIR best time? When are they most likely to want to receive your message?

Remember it’s not about you – it’s about them.

So, if you know of the person in question then have a think about when the best time is – for them.

Lets say you’ve never got through to ‘Sarah’ but you are lucky enough to get a gate keeper then embrace that – build fabulous rapport and ask them  ‘when is a time to send /avoid sending Sarah a idea from me’. They will guide you.

3) Choose YOUR BEST TIME!!!  Lets say you don’t know anything about ‘Sarah’, never spoken to her gatekeeper, so basically you know nothing about her – then the best time is your best time.

There is nothing better than signing a great deal and then getting on that phone to every single prospect worth their weight and not stopping until security turns off the lights and take that energy into the office the next day and the next… you can’t fake being congruent about your solution.  Its oozing from every pore.

In summary – timing is important but know what’s more important? Just getting on and doing it!

If you are reading this far my biggest nugget of gold for you is this – just get on with it. Pick the phone up and dial (oh and please, if you can call over email then stretch your comfort zone and do so – be a real live person with texture and personality). So what are you waiting for??

 

You may also like to watch my latest video blog on ‘Business Development: The coffee meeting’ which is an interesting look at how I feel about ‘the coffee meeting’. See video here