I was riding on a train and trying to work out the rest of my life. It was a Saturday afternoon and I was surrounded by people looking for a party. I was tired as it had been a long week and it was still going to take some time to sort everything out. How to move from one place to another and then start to build the empire, that I hope my strategic business development is leading you to?
The start of the road to the train ride I’m on began after leaving the police force in London in 1989. It feels like a long time ago, but in terms of life, it was the big new chapter. It marked the start of moving into a business environment and the beginnings of a career in marketing. Twenty two years later, I have a considerable amount of experience and a few stories from along the way.
In that time you develop your networks, your confidence and consequently your ability to get to places, that maybe only a year before you could not get to.
In the course of life you meet people along the way with whom you can create networks of friends, acquaintances and most important people you can do business with. The people you can work with in the early phases are generally well past the position you find yourself. This can lead (and did) to people looking at a watch or clock and waiting for you to leave. The point about that experience is remembering it and to learn from it. Really you should thank the person that put you through the experience. You have to move forward from that point and I would suggest it will keep you on your toes. It makes you realise you are still alive and therefore still need to learn.
Taking the sliding door here, learning is a subject that needs a mention. I went through many years with a negativity to learning and taking on new ideas. I realise through recent experiences, that this is not a wise position to adopt.
Networking.
The real point of what I believe you and I should endeavour to do. The basis of what makes thing’s tick. It is the main practice that will bring the people together, who will make a big difference to you. How do you meet, greet and take on to a useful relationship? How do you make that relationship profitable and durable, ensuring it will grow the strategic business development into real business? A business that will generate the return you need to make the rest of your life work.
When you engage a strategic business development approach to networking you look at the interests and needs of partners and do your level best to get the kit, or services they need. Listen to what people want, go find it and then supply at a profit. Keep it simple stupid would be a fairly good appreciation of what that is about. In a short time a business can be up, running and the train will be on the way. This is the start of a plan and I hope to enlighten further as time goes on.
