A New Mental Model for Business Development

Last week, my business development game was awful. And it weighed on me.

I was full of self-doubt, feeling low, and my monkey brain pelted me with unhealthy banter -You suck at this. That person doesn’t like you. Wow, that lead ghosted you — And I wallowed in this negativity.

Fast forward to Saturday, I’m watching an entertaining albeit low-scoring Champions League final — Real Madrid versus Liverpool. I follow the ball as it moves forward, sideways, backward, and out of bounds. The players patiently maneuver the ball offensively and defensively, waiting for the optimal time to strike.

And then it dawned on me. Soccer is a good analogy for the practice of business development (BD). Kicking the ball is analogous to BD activities such as conversations, emails, follow-ups, meetings, etc. Every kick is an activity.

Sometimes your activities are moving the ball forward, and you are thinking strategically about how to score and close the deal. Often, you are kicking the ball back and forth, not making much progress but maintaining possession. Then you hit a wall, and the only play is to kick the ball back to the goalie and regroup. Or you make a mistake and kick the ball out of bounds or turn it over, which requires a complete reset. But then, occasionally, you have an opportunity to shoot on goal, score, or be ready for a quick rebound. And you celebrate that goal/close because all the work paid off.

The players on the field enjoy this beautiful game, independent of the ball direction. So my learning is to stay active and not lose sight of the mindset that business development is a game that we’ve been playing in different forms since childhood — a game of discipline and constant motion.

I’m feeling good about this mental model, so I thought I’d share it. I hope you find it helpful. And for those in the arena, grinding it out every day, keep on kicking it!