How to Generate More Sales: Five Words That Changed My Business
Why creating more useful conversations works better than searching for one perfect sales channel
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How to Generate More Sales: Five Words That Changed My Business
If you’re trying to generate more business, you probably have the same question most business owners, salespeople, consultants, and entrepreneurs have:
Is it networking? Social media? Email? Referrals? Speaking? Advertising? A CRM program? Cold outreach? Content marketing?
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The frustrating answer is that all of them can work… sometimes. And none of them work all the time.
Occasionally you can trace a new opportunity directly back to something you did. Someone heard you speak, read something you wrote, saw a post, received an email, or was referred by a friend. Other times, those activities build on one another until somebody finally calls. And then there are the times when you have absolutely no idea where the opportunity came from or how you could possibly make it happen again.
After years of generating business through all of those channels (and none of them), I’ve found five words that consistently create opportunities:
“Are you open to chat?”
But first, a story.
For a few years I played in a rock band. When our drummer moved out of town, we had a problem. Needless to say, if we wanted to continue playing together, we needed another drummer.
Our bandleader, the lead guitarist and frontman, didn’t know how to find one. After weeks of no rehearsals and no gigs, I asked him what he’ was going to do about it.
“Nothing,” he said. “I don’t know what to do.”
I didn’t either. But I did know that doing nothing probably wasn’t the answer.
I suggested putting notices on the cork boards at the University of Miami and FIU music schools. Then Guitar Center. Maybe the School of Rock. Facebook. Instagram. Anywhere musicians might see a simple message:
DRUMMER WANTED FOR ’60s AND ’70s ROCK BAND.
Our leader wanted assurances that those things would be worth his time. Of course, I had no idea whether they would work or not.
But I did know that if we sat around waiting for someone to knock on the door and ask, “Hey, is anybody in here looking for a drummer?” we’d probably be waiting a long time.
How to Generate More Business by Creating More Conversations
Business development works much the same way.
Generating more business starts with creating more opportunities for useful conversations. That doesn’t mean immediately pitching what you sell. It means finding people you might be able to help, learning what they need, and discovering whether there is value you can create together.
Ask Permission Instead of Making a Pitch
“Are you open to chat?” doesn’t assume I know what a prospect needs. It doesn’t assume they need me on their stage. And it certainly doesn’t assume there’s a deal just itching to be done.
It simply establishes that both of us are willing to spend a little time exploring whether there might be some value we can create together.
If the answer is no, that’s fine; we’ve saved everyone’s time. But if the answer is yes, then we can have a conversation.
Maybe I can help with something they’re already thinking about. Maybe they have something I want. Maybe our conversation uncovers an opportunity neither of us had considered. Maybe they know someone else I should meet. Or maybe I can refer someone who can better meet their needs. Or maybe we just spend 20 pleasant minutes together and nothing happens at all.
The only way to discover if there is something we can do together is to explore. Because while we may know what we know, we also don’t know what we don’t know.
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Why Business Development Is So Difficult to Measure
People talk about success coming from being in the right place at the right time. But to find ourselves there, we must be willing to spend time in the right place at the wrong time, the wrong place at the right time, and even the wrong place at the wrong time.
That’s probably why it’s so difficult to know which business-development activity works best. Each simply creates another opportunity for something to happen.
The blog might work. The podcast might work. The conference might work. The CRM message might work. The person you meet for coffee might introduce you to somebody two years from now.
Or none of them might work.
Until one does.
Why Does “Are You Open to Chat?” Work?
Those five words work because they don’t begin with a sales pitch. They begin with curiosity.
Are you open to chat?
There’s no assumption that the person needs what you sell, no promise that a conversation will turn into business, and no demand that either of you knows where the discussion is going.
There’s simply an invitation to explore whether there is value you can create together.
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Because opportunity may be unpredictable, but there’s one thing I know for certain:
Nobody is going to ever knock on your door and ask if you’re looking for a drummer.
FAQs — Frequently Asked Questions
How can I generate more business?
Create more opportunities for useful conversations with people you may be able to help. Networking, content, referrals, speaking, email, social media, and outbound marketing can all create those opportunities. The important thing is to create enough opportunities for the right conversations to happen.
What is a good way to start a business conversation?
Instead of beginning with a sales pitch, ask permission to explore: “Are you open to chat?” The objective is to learn what the other person needs and discover whether there is value you can create together.
Why is it difficult to know which business-development activity works?
Prospects may encounter you multiple times before taking action. A blog post, referral, speech, email, social post, conference, or conversation may contribute to the eventual opportunity rather than any single activity producing the result by itself.
Why are conversations important in business development?
Conversations reveal needs and opportunities that may not be apparent beforehand. They can lead directly to business, generate referrals and introductions, or uncover ways to create value that neither person had considered before the conversation began.