Business development is hard. I mean seriously, really hard. Whether your organization is a nonprofit or for-profit, generating leads and new business is one of the most challenging things an entrepreneur has to do on a day-to-day basis. In a startup organization, where there is limited manpower and only so many hours in the day, finding time to do business development work is an absolute must. Without new business revenue streams stagnate and will ultimately fade away. That’s why it’s best to use your time efficiently, and there is no greater enemy to business development efficiency than the “meeting guy.”
We all know people who fall into this category. The meeting guy is the prospect or network influencer who loves to sit down and talk about grand opportunities that sound promising, but ultimately yield little to no new business. It’s been my experience that many times, the meeting guy is mostly influenced by the need for people to ask him for something. He’s not motivated by malice, and he may genuinely want to help, but somewhere along the line he either realizes that he can’t help or has made the decision that he doesn’t want to give you his business. He knows he’s wasted your time and to compensate he may start introducing you to other meeting guys hoping that they might give you some business, or at the very least distract you long enough that you don’t notice he is no longer responding to your emails. So, after making a few introductions to three or four other meeting guys, the original guy gives you a pat on the back and before you know it, you’re deeply immersed in a meeting guy culture watching your appointment calendar fill up and your business development pipeline dwindle away.
In areas where economic diversification is wanting, a pervasive meeting guy culture is the mortal enemy people who have it in their power to rebuild and transform our communities. Who am I talking about? Entrepreneurs. People who run startups don’t have the time or resources to spend with meeting guys, and they sure as heck will not be able to build successful companies in a meet and do-nothing culture. I personally believe that our state has huge potential. Where some see West Virginia as having little economic opportunity, I see a huge untapped market where dozens of new business sectors can thrive. We just have to create a culture that discourages the meeting guys and focuses on supporting decisive action, new opportunities, and progress.
