On Being Busy.

“How have you been?”… “Busy..”

What does this extremely common phenomena have to do with business development?

Pause and think about the perceptions a person - whoever that might be - would form when they hear this.

“Why are they so busy? Is it because they’re so great they have booked themselves to capacity for the month? Or are they disorganised, or doing every/any piece of work that comes their way? Does that mean they’re going to be too busy for that high-value piece of work I’m about to hire someone for… ?

Did they even want to catch up for coffee today, or am I just adding to their business?

Do I want a “busy” advisor to squeeze me in, or do I want one who has the capacity to do good work? The capacity to learn and be creative? The capacity to mentor? The capacity to put time and resources into understanding your business and ensuring client service is above average.

Do I feel positive about having a catch up or a bit guilty taking them away from busy work to have coffee?”

What could you be missing out on because you’re “busy”?

What’s the Alternative?

Don’t be busy. Be available and interested in the person your speaking with.

Even if you feel you are busy - that’s your problem, not one you want to project onto your client and referrer relationships. Consider the difference the following comment would have on your conversation:

“How have you been?” “Great - loving some of the client work I’ve been doing lately - a few really interesting matters have just wound up.” or “Great - I’ve actually just begun a collaborative piece looking at [insert] issue in X industry…”

Bonus points: Tell your PA you’re not busy too… AND Make sure you change your voice mail.

Consider - “You’ve reached Annabell Example @ ABC Lawyers. Annabell is busy right now, but will return your call when possible”
vs “You’ve reached Annabell Example @ ABC Lawyers. Sorry to have missed your call, please leave a message and a convenient time for me to return your call”.