by Basile Lemba (USA)
We have a problem. The IRS reports decades after decades, that ‘Only 6% of the businesses make a 6-figure annually’.
A business has 2 main functions:
- Delivering a product/service
- Acquiring customers
Most businesses do well with #1. #2 is another story.
A survey of businesspeople was done, and they were asked:
Q: Do you drive a car?
A: Most replied: ‘Yes’
Q: How did you learn?
A: 1. I went to a driving school 2. Someone taught me and 3. All of the above.
Q: Do you network or attempt to network?
A: ‘Oh yes of course!’
Q: ‘How did you learn how to network?’
A: 1. ‘Uh, uh… I just walked in the room’ 2. ‘Uh, uh… someone pushed me in the room’.
We would not dare take a car key and hand it to a 16-year-old and tell him ‘Go ahead, drive the car’. However, that is the deal most of us got when it comes to networking!
What does this have to do with the above IRS’ statement? The answer is: ‘EVERYTHING!’
Per our years of research in business development, we have isolated a thing we call ‘The Business Development Sequence’. And it goes:
- NETWORKING
- PROMOTION/MARKETING
- SALES
Source: iCN Issue 35 (Business Coaching: Building your Organisation); pages 48-49
Basile Lemba, Leading Networking Authority
Founder of The Networking Institute
US: 571-263-4190
