Your Desk Is Your Cocaine

In their past lives, some entrepreneurs were programmers.  Some were marketers and others were managers, many of whom walked the halls of their offices with graceful smiles and firm handshakes, thanking their team for a job well done. Regardless of how much time they spent on their feet or at their desks, their professional lives stayed inside the same four walls. (After all, the sales team was out in the field, making sure there was business to take care of.)

So, it’s no surprise that, when these folks hang their own shingle, they feel just as reliant on their desks as they were before.  I’ll be the first to admit that it feels good to get up in the morning and walk to your home office, a fresh cup of coffee in hand, and continue with the innovation there.  Maybe there’s no one to laugh with, no hands to shake, but there might be dog paws next to your chair or a cat to warm your lap.

When Revenue Falls Short

This all sounds nice and cozy until a tiny problem emerges: no revenue.  The social promotions help and all those emails you sent out are great, but most deals don’t happen virtually.  Granted, there are many B2C businesses that thrive exclusively by working online, but there are many more B2Bs that are driven by a vibrant online presence that works in tandem with personal, trusting relationships. It’s hard to develop relationships of that caliber without getting out from behind your desk and spending time with real people.

The Desk Is An Addiction

Your desk can be an addiction, especially if it’s where you spent the last phase of your career.  It feels safe, a known quantity.  Meanwhile, getting out, bird-dogging, and meeting potential clients that fit your sweet spot of customers is hard.  When it requires jumping on an airplane, staying in hotels, and being away from home for a week or more, it gets even harder.

Nobody likes hard.  Sitting at your desk is easy, so shouldn’t you just do that?  Of course not.  

Business The Old-Fashioned Way

Having worked with many entrepreneurs over the years, I can tell you that the single biggest issue they share is revenue.  They can build great products, manage impressive marketing campaigns, and send out flurries of emails, but the fact is that nothing can replace doing business the old-fashioned way: with personal meetings, dinners, golf outings, and other bonding activities that create relationships between people.  Without those relationships, building revenue becomes a challenge.

What Your Customers Really Need

What’s more, I have found that most of the knowledge that benefits my business comes from the field, not from my desk.  If you meet with 15 to 20 legitimate sales targets per week, not only do you move the sales puck down the field, but you also learn what’s keeping customers up at night.  If you listen more than you talk, the dots connecting these conversations will help you ensure alignment between what you’re selling and what your customers need. 

But wait!  You’re the smart guy who had the whole idea for this company. Don’t you need to be sitting at a desk and managing people, including that sales guy you hired to be in the field?

Entrepreneurs Get Up and Get Out

This may make sense in theory, but the reality is different.  If you as the entrepreneur don’t get out and sell your stuff, nobody else on your payroll will be able to either.  You have to lead the way.  I can assure you that showing up at a board meeting and rationalizing failure because the sales guy didn’t do their job will not result in happy investors.  At least, not if I’m on your board.

So, get up and get out.  Entrepreneurs who become addicted to their desks are far more likely to fail than those who learn to spend their time close to buying customers.  The revenue and subsequent knowledge gained will create a successful company.  Worst-case scenario: if it doesn’t, at least you’ll know why.