How to Build a Consistent Pipeline: Our 30-Day Relationship Building Experiment

Hayley Baxter: We've interviewed some incredible founders on this podcast and every episode ends with that What One Thing, the single leader that changed their business. But we realised something. We talk about the ideas, but we never actually implement them. That's right. We've been talking the talk, but we've not been walking the walk. This week's What One Thing is a little bit different. Hayley and myself are going to start implementing the What One Things. And we'd love you to come along on this journey with us. So listening today for us setting our targets on what one thing will follow. Before we dive into which one thing we've picked Hayley, I'm really interested about the business friction that's led you to pick this what one thing. So one of my goals over the last year or so has been to try and really grow my business. I don't want to take over the world. But I do want to be a little bit bigger than we are and reach more business owners and help giving them the real financial support that I think small business owners deserve to have. The challenge with that is keeping a continually growing pipeline of leads. So we have taken on new business. We do get leads in, however, it's very sporadic. What I would like to move more towards is a more consistent lead generation process within our business. Something I've actually come to realise literally over the last two weeks is that other than going to networking and doing follow-ups, I actually don't really do any real lead generation. I'll be clasped as that. So this one thing, although it's not directly lead generation, it absolutely fits into that realm of lead generation and growing the business. for me, the friction is... Pipeline consistency. We have really great relationships with our existing customers. Once we meet and talk to people and they meet Ronan and Carl and myself, they realize that we are different, that we are genuinely trying to bring value. However, most of our clients do come through relationships, referrals, introductions, people I already know, but it's very much random at the moment. We've not got a consistent way of reaching out. And if I'm honest with you, and this is probably something that not many people know. I'm a really extroverted introvert. So although I seem big and energetic and excited, I also don't like to get out and meet new people. So I need a bit of a push. And that's one of the things to be fair that you've been fantastic in being helpful, Hayley, because you are always driven and get out there. And you know, that's the reason we've got this podcast. And that's the reason that we go to business expos and we do that kind of work. So my business friction is being too introverted. and not really getting out there and looking to build relationships with people. Would you like to introduce the What One Thing that we've picked for this inaugural first What One Thing trial? So we are going to be committing to building better relationships. So one of our guests said the biggest lever in their business wasn't marketing or advertising, it was relationships. And of course that guest was Alistair and it really hit me because that's where I look where my best clients came from and also where my longest happiest relationships with clients have come from. So that's why I'm excited. Why are you excited to go ahead with this one, Hayley? Because I think that it's very cliche, but it's very true. And I think it's often overlooked. And I think literally we were just before we came onto this recording, we were talking about networking. and how often sometimes people just go to networking to sell. Whereas we very much approach it from a relationship building point of view. And when I look at my business, I would say 90 % has come from relationship building and doing all of those things. But then to sit here as a business owner and say, well, I don't really have a proper structure or process around how I do that. I'm not really intentional with it. I just go to events, meet people and have a nice time. maybe follow up and have a coffee. And that's great because I think I know, you know, I've got this network of fantastic people that I know and many of those people are called friends, which is all great. But actually, wouldn't it be wonderful if following Al's dog advice, you could actually hone those relationships more and be more intentional with them. So my pledge for the next 30 days. I'm going to deliberately invest in relationships every week. That means every week, five meaningful outreach messages, a coffee or a zoom conversation, and one introduction between two people. One follow up with somebody I already know. The only rules that I'm going to set for myself, no selling. about strengthening relationships, getting to know people. And how are we going to keep ourselves accountable to that? Because that's the challenge. Sitting here and saying all this is all good and well, but we both know the moment we sit down to do that first memorable outreach message, something urgent will happen, we'll wobble and we'll just be like, we're not doing it. How do we keep ourselves accountable to it? Okay. First, what am I keeping you accountable for, Hayley? Are you on the same KPIs that I am? The same, yeah. Okay. Okay. Five meaningful outreach messages. We've both got each other on WhatsApp. Let's have a daily WhatsApp and confirm that we've sent the messages with screenshot proof. One coffee or zoom conversation. Again, let's WhatsApp daily. Let's make sure this happening. I think one of the trickiest is going to be an introduction between two people. That's going to be the hardest for me because that's not one of my strong points, but I was actually just saying that the other day, wasn't I? I want to take and prove. Yeah. So we're going to get that and a follow up with somebody I already know. Let's set a scorecard and let's just hold each other accountable. I think week one, it's going to be very easy. I think it's going to get harder and harder as the enthusiasm drops, but let's, let's make this work and let's see whether we could change our business within 30 days. What will be your biggest challenge, Hayley? My biggest challenge is definitely going to be the introduction between two people, because I seem to just have a roadblock with that. I don't think my brain. I think I feel over conscious that I'm trying to put to force it. So I think I overthink it rather than it being a bit more natural. Whereas I think that's something that you're really good at because you're really always like, oh, it's just like a natural thing for you, I think. Well, I know, it might not be, you might consciously do it, but it feels more natural. What's going to be your last term? I think you're correct. I'm a problem solver and so I'm always looking at how Lego blocks can fit together. And I think that's how I speak to people as well. And I think, God, you might really be handy to get to know so-and-so. And sometimes that works fantastically. And sometimes I think it probably peters out. The biggest challenge for me is definitely going to be driving time. It's going to be. consistently having a cadence to reach out. And I'm in a great mood now, super kind of extrovert Phil, feeling on top of the world. There's going to be a morning when I'm full introvert Phil, and I just want to sit back, turn the lights off and drink my coffee. That's where it's going to be. So I think those WhatsApp messages will be vital to me. What would success look like to you, Hayley? So for me, success is going to be 80 % deliverability. So you set in success as failure Hayley, is that what you're telling me? Probably. You're successful. To nearly get it done. I just made myself too well. No, no. Okay, so what this looks like, come on. So well, you know, the ultimate success could be that at the end of it, you can, we can sit here in the X, say we record at the end and one, we've done it. And we don't say we because the best success is that we both do it and we both get something out of it. It would also be that I've enjoyed it. And actually I feel like I've created a habit of it because the truth is this isn't really just about 30 days, is it? It's about becoming the business that we want to be, which is always going to have this side to it. Alistair's one thing about relationships and them being really fundamental to his business and to business in general. And that being the one thing. That's going to be an ongoing thing forever for as long as you're in business for. So I think it's about creating a habit that we can then carry forward as well. And then the third success I would say is ultimately that it does lead to a client coming on board. think success for me, one completion of the challenge that we've set with, you know, with coffees, et cetera. I think for me, probably not a client. I think that I've built two or three relationships, probably two. If I'm honest with the amount of time that we've got for this with people that I think, you know what, I could look to refer them in future or I didn't know they did that, or I've learned something new. That's a real compadre. And whether that helps me in my business or helps them in their business, or we can mutually help each other. Just to have really deep dived a little bit, got to know somebody a bit better and built relationships and then completely like yourself, I think to then say, you know what, I need to keep this going. That would be the real success would be to save from the end of this. This has been really useful. I wish I'd done it before. This has been a great what one thing. It's a lever that's going to push my business and I'm going to keep going with it.