Borrowed Business Development Wisdom From Japan
Over the summer holidays here in Australia I read a business related article that clumped together a number of different Japanese business concepts. I found the article refreshing and interesting, and thought I would share some of these concepts with you for this BD Tips Wednesday post.
Kaizen – Continuous improvement
Most business development plans fail because they aim for transformation instead of progress. In short, central to your business development plan this year should not be the need to get a new CRM, a new pitch deck or a new LinkedIn strategy.
What you do need is Kaizen, to get 1% better:
One better client conversation
One better follow-up habit
One better question in a pitch
Small improvements, done consistently, compound quickly.
Shoshin – Beginner’s mind
One of the biggest risks for experienced professionals is to make assumptions. In business development terms, these include assuming you know:
What the client wants
How they buy
Why they chose you last time
Approach each business development opportunity and conversation with the curiosity of a beginner's mind, not certainty of an old hand.
Ask more. Talk less. Listen harder.
Ikigai – Your reason for being
If your business development activity feels forced, there’s usually a misalignment in what you are trying to achieve and they way you are going about it.
In such a case, ask yourself:
Why this type of work?
Why these clients?
Why you?
When your business development activity aligns with what you’re good at, what you enjoy, what the market values, and what clients genuinely need momentum follows naturally.
Nemawashi – Preparing the ground
New business is very rarely won in the meeting. Its won doing the groundwork done before a proposal or meeting is ever requested.
If you’re going in cold and relying on the pitch alone to win you work, the chances are you’re already too late! The deal has already been done.
Oubaitori – Don’t compare
Stop watching competitors so closely that you lose confidence in your own positioning.
You don’t need to be cheaper.
You don’t need to be louder.
You don’t need to be a copy.
Focus on being distinct.
Takeaway
I don't profess to be an expert in Japanese business concepts - far from it in fact, but business development is about:
deliberate
consistency
with intent
In my view, these Japanese business concepts sum this up perfectly!
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