The Business Development Story That Changed Everything for Andrew Cogar

Mo asks Andrew Cogar: Tell us a business development story that you are particularly proud of.

There was one project that stands out for Andrew, where he and the founder of his firm, Jim Strickland, had the chance to not only create an awesome property but also restore and support the local ecology as well.
During the meeting, Jim and the client discovered they shared a mutual friendship and instead of talking about the project they started geeking out on chicken coops. That kind of interest was exactly what the client was looking for, a firm that was completely authentic to themselves.
Andrew set the table for that approach that allowed Jim to be Jim to the fullest.
It’s all about being true to yourself, listening, and then connecting.
The way that you win work is to actually start doing the work. The right thing to do is to start adding value.
When you do those things, you aren’t competing anymore. This gets the client excited about the person who is facilitating their vision. It takes them from a leap of faith to “When can we start?”