How Business Development Is So Rewarding With Andrew Robertson

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Robertson, CEO of BBDO worldwide.

Mo asked Andrew:

“What do you wish you knew earlier in Business Development?

Andrew responded:

“I would start by saying there is very little in business life that is nearly as rewarding and satisfying as developing business. When you really develop it and when you have a client who is genuinely winning, as a result of their experience working with you. It’s such a great feeling. So, the first thing I would say is that it is a wonderful thing to be good at. Almost irrespective of what you do. The second thing though, is the process of doing it, is also, very rewarding when you allow yourself to define victory in a series of steps. Not just by the end result. So breaking down the process of business development into a series of steps that you work your way through, and you give yourself a pat on the back every time you take a positive step towards that end result, means that the journey itself is rewarding and not just the destination. The third thing is, the hardest thing to do is take the first step, so if you can just get over that hump, things will get a lot better. Until you’ve taken that first step, there is no joy. All there is is anxiety about how you haven’t taken the first step. Just get going. Take the first step. Everything from then on will feel better. I worked with a wonderful writer and he had this whole thing where he said that you just have to start writing. You just have to start writing. If not, you’ll come up with every possible reason why you are not going to start writing. “You know I’ll go and get another cup of coffee,” or “I’m going to adjust the writing.” Whatever it is, he said just don’t do that and just start writing. Even if you throw it away five times, you will get there faster than if you wait for all of the conditions to be perfect. I think that that to me is the biggest hurdle for people to overcome whenever they are thinking about business development. Just take the first step, pick up the phone, and go up to that person. Whatever it is, you’ve got to do that. I think my younger self could have benefited from that even earlier than I did and I was 19. I think that would be it.

Dive deeper into the conversation with Andrew Robertson here.

Thanks for reading!

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-Mo