Smartt Business Development
Written by Marc Deveraux on March 17, 2011
Business development starts with the questions we ask and determines the quality of our interactions, the effectiveness of our solutions, the exactness of our evaluation and the breadth of our creativity.
Whether we’re responding to a client’s request or we’re initiating a conversation, we must methodically conduct a thorough value creation diagnosis before offering a value creation prescription.
If we don’t prove a financial impact, we won’t be able to prove value and an opportunity that is worth pursuing and investing our time, people and resources.
Effective communication, thinking and analysis—when applied consistently—can significantly increase value creation and sales success.
A book review: Talent Is Overrated
Written by Marc Deveraux on January 7, 2011
“What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else” By Geoff Colvin, Senior Editor of Fortune magazine
I recently read this book and I was very fascinated by it. The book focuses on world class performers and asks the question: “What makes the best in the world the best at what they do”?
Most of us believe achieving the highest levels of performance is a mix of natural talent and hard work. But this belief is wrong.
Natural talent when combined with hard work will make you better than the average, but this combination will not put you at the top of your profession. A good example is a top amateur athlete who faithfully practices for many years with blood, sweat and tears and may be the very best on their team or in their league; however they will never reach the highest peaks of their chosen sport or go on to win an Olympic Gold Medal, regardless of the amount of hard work, practice or time they put in.
On the other hand, we have all witnessed the superstars who rocket to the very top in a very short time, and play as if they were born with some sort of super -human mutant ability. They break every record and win every championship. These are the super elite, those who set the bar high for their fellow competitors. How these superstars accomplish this is what the book examines.
Researchers have concluded that an individual’s natural gifts do not a superstar make. Could it be the willingness to work harder than everybody else?
No, it’s not that!
Maybe it is just being more mentally tough (an intensified fortitude) than the average competitor?
Nope. It’s not that either.
Researchers have converged on an answer. It’s something they call “deliberate practice.” Read more…
