Throughout my career it has always been apparent to me that people work with people and not companies. This being so, it is absolutely imperative to build and, moreover, maintain business relationships.
However, when you are also trying to build and/or run a business at the same time, experience has shown that this is not nearly so easy as it sounds, what with so many conflicting demands on your valuable time.
In addition to this it is possible, if you are not careful, to waste a lot of time chasing lost causes and trying to knock what may actually be a square peg into what is often a round hole. To make things worse, even if you are clever enough to find a square hole to knock your square peg into, you can waste a whole lot more time and effort if you are not speaking to the right person at the other end.
Accordingly, not only is it of paramount importance to understand what product or service you are selling and which companies might possibly be interested in buying it, it is also essential to know the person that maintains the portal through which this transaction might actually take place, the gatekeepers as it were. And this is where I come in.
Not only do I endeavour to get under the skin of any given clients business, in order to understand not only its function, purpose and objectives I also, using my extensive knowledge of the construction industry, look to identify potential new clients and also the relevant gatekeepers with and through whom new relationships may be hopefully forged and, thereafter, nurtured.
Around and about this I am also able to offer advice and support on ancillary issues such as website relevance and event organisation and management, not to mention providing executive support to senior business leaders if and where this might be required. Having been not only the MD of a significant consultancy business during my Winchester years and having subsequently run Theshack I have also performed a number of non-executive roles, on both a formal and informal basis.
After spending nearly 30 years working in the same business my experience gained over the subsequent period has shown me that, although each business is individual and unique in its own right, most businesses face exactly the same issues when it comes to maintenance and growth, when viewed through the lens of business development.
It follows, therefore, that valuable lessons learned in one environment can often be applied and successfully implanted elsewhere, subject to the right level of knowledge and understanding of different businesses. This is incumbent in everything I do and also how I go about it. Having said that, I go to great efforts to ensure that confidentiality is also maintained at all times and in all circumstances, as appropriate. I also go to great lengths to ensure that potential conflicts of interest are avoided at all cost.
If you are unsure whether or not I might be able to assist you, please do not hesitate to ask. If the answer happens to be in the negative, for whatever reason, the chances are that I will probably know and be able to put you in touch with somebody else who can.