Anyone can become a successful business developer. Even a rainmaker.

I say this without reservation…knowing many will disagree.

Like Mindy did.

She was upfront, telling me the first time we sat down to discuss growing her practice that she just didn’t have the right personality.

“Networking events are worse than a root canal,” she told me. “And when it comes to talking someone into hiring me…I am not a salesperson.”

Mindy had bought into the idea that you’re either a born rainmaker, or you’re not.

I couldn’t blame her. She’d probably heard that for years. And I used to subscribe to this notion; but I no longer believe it is true. 

Across three decades of work with thousands of professional service providers, I’ve met only a handful who seemed to possess some kind of business development super-gene.

You know what I mean — the right personality as Mindy put it. Always in the right place at the right time. Always comfortable. Always knowing exactly what to say. 

By comparison, I’ve met and worked with hundreds who have figured out how to identify the best prospects, connect and build a business.

Few would say they were born with it.

Meanwhile, I’ve known plenty like Mindy — convinced they just don’t have what it takes to guide someone from prospect to client.

I’m not suggesting certain personality traits aren’t assets. They are.

But I’ve seen plenty of confirmed introverts and professionals who don’t have the gift for gab turn into excellent business developers.

Today I believe anyone can be a successful business developer.

The next time you have a chance, listen carefully to a conversation where someone is advocating for something about which they are passionate. 

What you’re going to hear is someone selling.

Whether sharing an idea, advocating for a cause, or debating about sports, passion comes easy in these informal conversations — even for many who would fight me over the idea that they would be caught dead selling anything.

So what’s at play here? Here is a big part of the

A healthy skepticism for what is viewed as the sales process —  coupled with the fact that selling was not the career choice most service providers made — results in a crippling misalignment.

Crippling. But not fatal.

Those who consistently win the clients they covet have found a way to get multiple aspects of their professional life aligned.

Why Do You Do What You Do?

Simon Sinek, the best selling author and leadership consultant, suggests that finding and understanding your personal why — why you do what you do —is where success begins.

There are a number of layers in Sinek’s framework that are worth exploring; but on the question of how to engage and motivate others, Sinek says prospects don’t make a decision based on the ins-and-outs of what you do. Rather on why you do it.

The typical prospect is less motivated by a list of your qualifications than they are in the fact that you demonstrate an understanding of their need. And care about it.

One approach focuses on communicating information about you. The other is driven by a belief that what you offer will help your target.

So this gets us to the question — why do you do what you do?

There are, of course, pragmatic reasons — to make a living, to provide for family, to build something for the future.

But I haven’t met many successful (and happy) professionals who, deep down, are not driven by the belief that they bring something valuable to the table — that the service they provide meets a real need in the marketplace.

Many are as passionate about why they do what they do — wait for it — as they are about their favorite sports franchise!

This belief in the value of what you offer is the key to aligning professional expertise with what it takes to win clients.

Sure…it is possible to sell something absent this belief. But it is much tougher. The dichotomy is destructive. Eventually the misalignment that comes from simply going through the motions begins to take a mental and emotional toll.

For those who continually make it rain over a career, the belief in what they bring to the market is so palpable that spreading the word about their service morphs from “selling” into something more akin to sharing a story.

Ask one of these professionals what they do and how they do it, and the conversation will likely turn into an account of needs met and problems solved.

The best business development isn’t about crafting a slick pitch that closes a deal. Or, as a “sales coach” recently characterized it, “a process that sells your prospect without them even knowing you’re selling them.”

It is about having a conversation that reveals why you do what you do.

A Simple Playbook

Let’s be frank.

” At least part of the discomfort around business development comes from (1) the feeling that the act can seem cold and calculated (manipulative?), designed to sell…whatever it takes; and (2) the fear most of us have known of being rejected.

But we’re not talking about asking someone for a date.

When you’re driven by the belief that your service resolves an issue…solves a problem…delivers real value, the hesitancy begins to diminish. No longer are you trying to compare and convince; you’re inviting potential clients to tap into the solutions you facilitate.

This transforms the business development process from one that feels like you have to put on a selling hat, into a conversation about how to address real challenges.

Clients eventually know if you are passionate about their success, or just looking for the next deal.

This is how you move from vendor to invaluable partner.

And it is the key to feeling good about your whole day. Even the time you designate for business development.

When Mindy Got Things Aligned

A couple of conversations made it clear — Mindy had a deep belief that her experience in corporate law could change the game for tech entrepreneurs.

Questions about corporate structure, personnel challenges, contracts and legal complexities were distractions. For too many, this was debilitating.

So now she knew where to invest in creating conversations..

Mindy realized her passion — indeed, the reason she’d pursued a career in law — was her belief that every entrepreneur needed and deserved access to the basic advice that was foundational to the success of a business.

She began to let this passion drive her.

When met with the question, “what do you do?” she no longer responds with “I’m a lawyer.”

She’ll begin with the problem she solves.

Revisit what drives you. Make this the ethos of your practice. The heart of your pitch.

“You know how complex starting and running a business can be…with regulations, laws impacting you at every turn? I help entrepreneurs navigate what can be costly, even deadly challenges so that they can focus on the work they love.”.

Mindy’s practice has more than doubled. She is well on her way to trusted advisor status with cornerstone level clients.

And she no longer believes she lacks what it takes to do business development.

Let Your Passion Drive You

If business development makes you uncomfortable, join the (very large) club.

This is how business development becomes less about selling and more about conversations with the clients you want to serve. More about building meaningful connections that will last well beyond the initial handshake.

If you’d like to brainstorm about how to get from here to there, shoot me a note. Just say, “Let’s Brainstorm.” The first hour conversation is on me. Happy new year!