Andrew Cogar Offers the Chicken Coop Strategy for Business Development

<p>Andrew Cogar shares the internal and external business development lessons he learned during his career at Historical Concepts and how he knocked Mo off his feet with his approach to building a professional relationship. Find out why the secret to relationships and business development is focusing on the long-term goals and the small-ball tactics, why you have to be true to yourself to be able to connect with someone else in an authentic way, and what it means to be proactive instead of reactive during client meetings.</p> <p> </p> <p>Mo asks Andrew Cogar: When did you realize that business development was really important?</p> <ul> <li>It really clicked when Andrew started thinking about business development not as a means of getting business but as a means for the firm to get the business they need to forge their own path.</li> <li>After one particular project that went exceedingly well, Andrew understood that those kinds of projects could become a habit rather than a lucky break.</li> <li>The GrowBIG System is essentially about doing the right things so that you have control over the kinds of clients you work with. Being proactive gives you so much work that you can pick and choose the projects that you want most.</li> <li>It’s easier to be reactive on the front end because you don’t have to do the introspective work it takes to shape your vision and be proactive on finding the right business. It’s easier in the long term to adopt the right principles to attract the right clientele.</li> <li>Mo and Andrew do a review of their recent experience working together. In terms of business development, Andrew was simply looking to get to know Mo and the family and understand what he was looking for.</li> <li>As an architect, Andrew is hoping to gauge how open someone is to suggestions and that’s an intentional part of the conversation.</li> <li>At the end of the day, who Andrew works for and who he works with, has become more important to him and the firm than what he works on.</li> <li>Do a little research before