?? The hills are alive...

Remember that old fable: Be careful what you wish for. It might just come true.

And isn't it ironic... don't you think? A little too ironic... and, yeah, I really do think...

Oh no, wait, that's another song. Where are you going with this, Dave?

Got that brew?

Going out and making lots of noise or, if we're playing buzzword bingo, disruption is easy, even if the value proposition isn't entirely polished.

It doesn't matter if it's sales, account, or service management. Someone, somewhere, will probably engage, and if you get the proposition right, it might resonate entirely and cause a wave of interest.

The challenge is the response and what happens next. It's easy to get overwhelmed and wrap yourself in that comfort blanket, defaulting back to being reactive and hiding behind emails. How does that show your value of showing up, being consistent, and being accountable?

The fortune is in the follow-up - Jim Rohn

Some time ago, I read a book by Ryan Serhant. It was a sales book, but I think the principles apply and can be adapted to any customer-facing role. The book had a section on the three F's, which he implements to increase generation, retention and, in Ryan's case, recurring revenue built on a foundation of showing value. The quote was the catalyst for the work. I thought it might be interesting to break these down.

Follow up

This first step is all about that noise. Picking up the phone or going to events, basically, it's looking to expand your network. It's all about building relationships with no hidden agenda. It's not something you can force. It will happen in their time. It's about being proactive. People won't come to you. Isn't it arrogant to assume they would?

Ryan suggests your network is your net worth. True?

Follow through

Step two is all about qualification. Reading people, understanding more, warts and all. They and what they are involved in. It's also about accountability, doing what you promised to build trust and value. From these conversations, you can identify and agree on the frequency of engagement. In old sales talk, it's the three buckets: hot, cold or warm leads. In terms of membership, it's the frequency of engagement-monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or even annually, which is no bad thing.

Follow back

Step three is where it gets interesting and requires commitment. This is all about consistency and staying in touch at the agreed frequency, even if it's a cold lead in sales talk. Things and people change. Unless you keep in touch, how will you know? It's not about being reactive but tangible value by showing up, being consistent, and being accountable. Remember that from earlier?

I am probably telling a lot of you what you already know, but we are on a journey, and I thought some background might be useful.

Making noise is the easy bit. It's all about being proactive—in my head, anyway. I'm not suggesting I get it right every time, but I do at least try to adopt this approach. It seems to be landing and means excitingly there is a lot more to do.

Have a good long weekend, everyone ??