Why do we always cheer for the underdog? Think about your favorite underdog story. Chances are, you want to see David beat out Goliath.

Well, the same thing that gets you to root for Rudy or the Bad News Bears is the same thing that's killing your firm...

In this episode, John and Mark break down "the underdog effect" and how it can cause you to chase after projects you have only a slim chance to win, wasting valuable time that could be better spent elsewhere.

This episode originated as an article by Mark. Check it out on his website:
https://www.wainwrightinsight.com/the-underdog-effect-is-killing-your-business/

www.breakingbizdev.com

Your revenue projections are your firm's crystal ball.

If your backlog, pipeline, and projections are organized, it can position your firm in a way to do healthy, proactive marketing to win highly profitable work.

In this episode, John and Mark break it all down:

• How marketing can make both a short- and long-term pipeline impact
• How marketing's goal should be different for active, passive, and future buyers
• How niche specialization can lead to higher margins
• How revenue projections can impact recruiting and resource allocation
• The concept of splitting the funnel into vertical segments
• Why you should over-invest in marketing for new or emerging verticals

www.breakingbizdev.com

Midway through your fiscal year, any business is faced with one of three revenue pacing scenarios:

1. You’re exceeding expectations
2. You’re exactly where you thought you’d be
3. You’re not meeting original revenue targets

On this episode, Mark breaks down different ways to set revenue goals (revenue per employee, calculating potential revenue, and using a net multiplier) and how to factor in weight based on deal stage and opportunity age into the equation.

Then, we lay out an example that illustrates when it may be more beneficial to focus on developing your existing pipeline than creating new opportunities.

www.breakingbizdev.com

CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot were designed to sell SaaS products. Not professional services.

And yet you find yourself face-to-face with a tech salesperson who presents a glimmer of hope: with a new CRM system, you'll grow revenue, your team will be rowing in the same direction, and you'll close deals faster.

The reality? You're left with bloated operating expenses and sales pros who don't want (or know how) to use it.

On this episode of Breaking BizDev, Mark explains why CRMs absolutely SUCK at relationship management, and what you can do about it.

www.breakingbizdev.com

Your decisions are influenced by natural psychological forces.

Whether that's deciding on which coffee size to select, or which firm to work with... cognitive bias is at play.

On this episode of Breaking BizDev, John and Mark share 7 cognitive biases that shape new business development, and share how you can use them to help buyers make better, more informed decisions:

1. Anchoring
2. Messenger Effect
3. Loss Aversion
4. Social Proof
5. Decoy effect
6. Pain of paying
7. Optimism Bias

Here are some additional resources mentioned on this episode:

• Daniel Kahneman and his book Thinking, Fast and Slow.
• The team at The Decision Lab and their extensive library of cognitive biases, heuristics, and insights.
• Melina Palmer the host of The Brainy Business podcast and consultancy.
• Katelyn Bourgoin 🧠 author of the Why We Buy newsletter and nearly endless other bits of wisdom.

www.breakingbizdev.com

We're not the only ones who think BizDev needs a smack-down.

For several months now John and Mark have beaten up and broken down various business development topics like prospecting, content marketing, pricing, events, proposals, referrals, and even job descriptions.

A while back, we had this idea to go out and ask some friendly contacts what *they* believe is broken in business development. Their responses spanned nearly the entire marketing <> sales continuum referenced on the show:

🔸 Krystn Macomber on what's broken about the go/no-go process
🔸 Florian M. Heinrichs on what's broken about lead generation, especially on Fridays
🔸 Patrick Johnston on what's broken about the sales/marketing feedback loop
🔸 Joe Pope on what's broken about channel selection and deployment of resources
🔸 Perryn Olson on what's broken about branding and firm websites

www.breakingbizdev.com

How should experts and busy doer-sellers approach prospecting?

On this episode, John and Mark share three specific examples of multi-channel prospecting sequences that your firm can put into practice right away using LinkedIn, email, and the phone:

1. A two-week cohort-based prospecting sequence
2. A 120-day, podcast-led prospecting sequence
3. A post-conference follow-up prospecting sequence

If you found this episode valuable, please subscribe to the show and leave a rating or review on Apple and Spotify.

www.breakingbizdev.com

Whether you believe it or not, lead generation is possible for your firm.

On this episode of Breaking BizDev, John and Mark break down 7 content marketing frameworks that can be used to generate leads in professional services:

1. The Email Newsletter
2. The Podcast Flywheel
3. Original Research
4. Influencer Co-Creation
5. Content Darwinism
6. Demand Capture Funnel
7. Content Recycling

Read more detail in this blog post by John:
www.redcedarmarketing.com/blog/content-marketing-frameworks

www.breakingbizdev.com