Published: October 22, 2007
Look Beyond the Obvious
By Joel Block
I recently had lunch with a friend who told me about a business opportunity that was put in front of him. He shared the opportunity with several others in his office and within his network community, and he was told by several people that he should pass it up. Granted, at first glance the opportunity didn't look like a good deal, but when you peeled back the layers of the onion, it was clear to me that this was, in fact, a great opportunity.
My friend had been offered an opportunity to take over a territory in the seminar presentation business. He would give continuing education seminars to CPAs and attorneys so these professionals could maintain their professional licenses. The reason why some people had responded negatively to the opportunity initially was because my friend would be the organizer of the seminars rather than the presenter.
People told him that if he couldn't be at the front of the room, it wasn't an opportunity that he should pursue because he wouldn't be building relationships with the people who were in the room or getting credit for his work.
In fact, I believed that the opposite was true, and I told him so. By being the organizer, he would open the meetings and tell stories for five minutes, and he would close the meetings. Everything in between would be provided by speakers whom he would engage to provide the seminar materials.
Why did I think this was a great opportunity? There were two major reasons. First, my friend would be able to call on other CPAs, attorneys and professionals whom he knew to make the presentations to the attendees of the continuing education programs. That, in and of itself, was of great value. He controlled an asset - and the asset was audience. The presenters wanted to be in front of that audience. Second, he was creating third-party credibility for himself by being the organizer and the person bringing the value to the attendees.
It's important to remember that you don't have to be the person at the front of the room. It wouldn't take many of these seminar meetings for my friend to create enormous credibility for himself by bringing in exceptionally qualified people for presentations each month and opening and closing the meetings.
So, as you are working hard every day to build your company, or as you're building your career, look beyond the obvious. If you only look at the first level, you will make a living. It's when you look beyond the first level and you start thinking about the assets are available for you - whether they involve relationship development or the ability to pass referrals and leads to other people - that the benefits will come back to you. In fact, such benefits usually come back to you in a much bigger way than you ever imagined.
About Joel G. Block
Often dubbed a "Growth Architect" by his clients, Joel Block advises companies on explosive growth strategies by driving revenue and sales. Well known in the capital markets, Joel is a successful entrepreneur, speaker and advisor. To bring Joel into your company, please visit www.joelblock.com or www.growth-logic.com.
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