Leap Day, on February 29, has been a day of traditions, folklore and superstitions ever since Leap Years were first introduced by Julius Caesar over 2000 years ago.
So here are a few fascinating facts I have Googled for you: according to an old Irish legend, or possibly history, St Brigid struck a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men – and not just the other way around – every four years. This is believed to have been introduced to balance the traditional roles of men and women in a similar way to how leap day balances the calendar. Tradition dictates that any man who refuses a woman’s proposal on February 29 has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves. The intention is that the woman can wear the gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring. You can read more about leap day traditions here…
Reading this made me think that in many ways asking someone to marry you, whether you are a woman or a man – is similar to selling: in both cases you are mostly out of your comfort zone, you are taking a risk of being rejected and most of all you need to make sure that your proposal is well within context.
I am sure that like me, you have experienced a situation where you met someone, either at a date or indeed a potential customer, and immediately felt that there are strong synergies there. However, in most cases, you did not pop the question straight away but rather waited until you got to know them a bit better, developed a relationship and got some buying signals. In other words, you waited until you had some context first in which to ask them the big question.
So, how do you create this context in which you can ask people to buy from you (or marry you if you insist on keeping the story going)? Well, you have to work at it and build a relationship through creating interest and trust which step by step leads people to develop interest in you and your business. Following the process patiently, considering your products buying cycle, is vital as anyone who tried to propose after a two weeks holiday romance will tell you…
That’s why, and you knew this was coming, having a business development strategy in general and a lead generation plan in particularly is so important: First you create the right process to building the relationship and then you follow it up by applying the right activities. Simples…
Now, I am no marriage councillor but I would like to understand your attitude to business development better so I can offer a better service. Would you mind helping me out by filling out my survey? No selling, just an opportunity for me to understand your attitude to business development in your business. If you like it, why not share it with your network as well?