What can you learn?
Here’s a quote to bring your Q3 2015 to a close:
“Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.”
—Thomas A. Edison
While it may be obvious how to apply this quote to widgets (Post-it® Notes, for example, are the result of a lab experiment gone wrong that turned out exceptionally well for 3M), it applies to business development as well.
Most likely, something you did this year for biz dev didn’t go the way you’d hoped. So here’s the challenge: what can you bring out of that biz dev “mistake” that can be useful? Maybe you have an opportunity to make an ally. Maybe you generated a conversational opener. Whatever is on your “I can’t believe this happened” list, look at it with fresh eyes and see what opportunities may be hidden in the mistake. Asking this question at the close of Q3 may open interesting doors for Q4.
