Never lose an opportunity you have built

Have you ever attended a business networking function, and then a week later you look at the business cards you received and wonder “Who are these people?”

Or had a prospect meeting, gotten busy and 2 days later you sat down to write the proposal, but can’t recall the details of the conversation? The fix is simple: do it that day, or at the very latest the next morning. If you don’t grab the opportunity there and then you may indeed find that your initial time and effort was completely wasted.

Picture this: great meeting, people really enthusiastic. Then another meeting or a late dinner right afterwards. A week later you glance back at your diary, or even worse, the prospect emails you, asking for the proposal and your mind is blank.

You struggle to remember their pain points, or get it mixed up with other conversations from that day. You look at your week–old notes but they’re incomplete. Chance of winning the client? Close to zero.

So, going forward, make it a habit to debrief yourself immediately after every meeting. Write the proposal the same or next day. How to best manage this? When you book the time for the meeting. Book time in your diary for the work you must do.