Ahmad Munawar - Fix Your Pipeline in 90 days

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You know, one of the biggest questions I get on the show is what exactly goes into a business exit plan and when should I start creating mine? Well, I always tell people that the best time to start was 5 years ago, but the next best time is now because you never know when you might need it. So we put together a free report that describes what an exit plan is and what you should know. You can get it free by texting exit plan with no spaces to 442-22. That's exit plan to 44222. Again, text exit plan to 44222. Welcome to the Exit Coach Radio show, the show for baby boomer business owners who are looking for cutting edge information as they plan their 3 to 10 year business succession and exit. Every week we interview top professional advisors for their best tips, strategies, and precautions so you can be well planned. And now here's your host, the exit coach Bill Black. Hey everyone, thanks so much for joining me today. You know, one of the biggest things I hear about when I talk to other advisers, when I talk to business owners, and I ask them how's the business development coming? What's going on there, they kind of look around, look at the floor, and say, you know, I've been, I've been so busy that I forgot to develop new business, and I'm afraid that my pipeline's going to run out and I'm going to be, I'm going to be scrambling. I'm going to be looking for new business again. So if that's you, if that's someone that you know of, tell them about this interview. Listen up, grab a pen. We're going to be talking with Ahmed Munawar. He's the creator of the 90 day pipeline, a coaching program that helps business to business consultants and service providers fill their pipeline with 5 and 6 figure deals without begging for referrals, wasting time networking, or spending a dime on advertising. So Ahmed, welcome. Thanks so much for joining me today. Good to have you. Excited to be here, Bill. Ahmed, tell us, tell us a little bit more about you and your background. It sounds like a fascinating topic, something our listeners are really going to be interested in. How did you come across these ideas and what have you been doing to, to, to come up with these types of ideas? Yeah, I call myself an accidental marketer. Uh, my, my background is, believe it or not, in accounting. Uh, I went to business school for accounting, worked at a small little firm that you might have heard of called Ernst and Young, and, um, kind of cut my teeth at the big firm, realized accounting wasn't really going to be the career of choice for me. Didn't really know what I wanted to do though, and I ended up joining a small fledgling consulting firm, um, that was tiny. They had one big real client. It was led by a couple of friends of mine. And they had no idea how to run the business. They were subject matter experts. They were the consultants doing the work with clients. They're one client at the time, and they said, Well, hey, you, you know, you come from Ernst and Young and you know you got these fancy suits, went to business school. Why don't you come run the business? And I said, Sure, I don't know anything about building consulting practice, but what could go wrong, right? Why not? And so I did that and that turned that business around, um, turned that into a 7 figure firm won some pretty big blue chip clients in in the industry, um, and over the course of that experience really began to cut my teeth in marketing and business development in a B2B professional services context and began to appreciate the primacy of marketing and business development and that that's really the engine that drives everything else. And that was the impetus for me to start my own practice, which we call boutique growth, and ultimately launch the program called 90 day pipeline that helps any consultant selling B2B or or or service providers selling B2B plug into the systems and the processes that we've tried and tested to work really well. That's awesome, you know, it's ironic because I, accountants that I meet are notoriously bad marketers. They're just, they're not a lot of times, hey, they're, they're all about the numbers. They're not, they're not about um getting out and, you know, things like networking and stuff like that, which I think a lot of, a lot of that's overrated and that's what we're gonna talk a little bit about, you know that, um, uh, getting out and and and networking endlessly. I've been involved in a lot of networking groups and The field is so crowded that you really have to differentiate yourself, and we're going to talk about that as well. So what are some of the biggest mistakes you find that that uh business owners or consultants or people that that need to develop business uh make or are making when you first approach them? you alluded to the big one in in your introduction, right? is that the, the, the vast majority of B2B consultants service providers who don't see themselves as marketers or business development people or sales people, right? They see themselves as subject matter experts, maybe they're experts at leadership development or training or strategy or operations or HR, whatever their particular expertise may be, that's how they see themselves. They don't see themselves as marketers or sales people. And as a result, they don't see it as part of their job to bring in business and to build pipeline and to win deals and so they always think about it when they need to, which is too late, right? They think about it when smart folks like you ask them the question and then they go, oh, I guess, yeah, I guess we better think about that, right? Or they think about it when revenue dries up or they think about it when they lose a whale client, right? Or they think about it when COVID hits and all of a sudden. Um, their, their, their client roster looks pretty thin, right? They think about it when it's too late, but they don't see it as an ongoing part of their job. They don't see it as what I would argue is their primary responsibility as a business owner to bring a new business, you know, sales is like oxygen. Right, so your number one job as a human before anything else is breathe, man. OK, breathe, breathe oxygen in, right? And, and then breathe out. And if you can't breathe in oxygen, don't talk to me about climbing Everest or running a marathon because you can't breathe. And that's what sales is for a business is if you're not breathing, if you're not bringing in sales, you don't have oxygen to survive, and that's, that's the big mistake that I find that that people make is, especially if they don't self identify as marketers or sales people, they don't see it as part of their job to bring in new business, and that's a big mistake. Very good point. Now I met a consultant, a crusty old guy a long time ago I met, and he said he drew a line down the center of paper and he said there's only two parts to a business getting orders and filling orders, right? So I said, you know, that's, that's simple and to the point, but a lot of people that we talked to forget about that getting orders side of it. They just, and it is. I've read in Inc. magazine, I think it was. One of those periodicals that the head of a business in the business development department should be spending 60% of their time looking for new business. It's, it's, so you know, it's significant and a lot of people again like you said, they get busy, they forget, they or or they they go to a network meeting, a networking meeting. And they just basically barely show up, you know, barely deliver their message and think, Well, I did that, so I'll check that one off my list. So just showing up doesn't get you anywhere and not showing up at all really doesn't get you anywhere. So let's talk about your, your system now. It's a 90 day pipeline system and you say the clients will walk away with a radical focus on who they can deliver the most value to at the highest price. Uh, powerful positioning that puts them head and shoulders above the competition and a step by step marketing plan and, and most of all, I think more confidence in their business. That sounds terrific. Let's, let's break it down. Tell us more about it. Well, it's, it's really simple. Let's use your networking example, but the problem with going to random networking events, you know, and this is when you could right it's not even an option for us anymore, but when you could, the problem with that kind of indiscriminate networking is you walk into a room and you know how many clients are there in that room? that are even a good fit for you. How many of them have the business problem that you solve, right? How many of them are at a time where they're willing to take action on that business problem? You don't have the faintest clue, right? And so it's, it's, you know, indiscriminate networking that very rarely yields results, not because you're not a good networker. You can be the best networker in the world, right? But if the numbers don't add up, there aren't enough people in that room that have the problem that you solve in a good fit to work with you, you're not gonna win many deals. And so our focus with our clients is to go from a place of, you know, kind of passive networking and referrals and word of mouth and maybe somebody finds out what you do and maybe they're a good fit maybe the timing is right, maybe maybe maybe maybe I wouldn't build my business on maybe. To a place of deliberations right? where you make choices, right? And this is the big thing that we focus on is control we want you, your a client of ours, we want you to be in control of your business, in control of your fate, your destiny, in control of your outcomes, not passively letting things happen to you. So control means number one choosing who you can do your best work for at the highest price, right? uh experts. Have varying yields on their expertise and that yield varies by clients, right? There are some clients who will charge more. Who pay more rather, who will value your work more right we're gonna get outsize returns from your work and there's some clients will value it less will pay less and get less returns all things considered, choose the clients who are gonna pay more and value it more and earn a higher return, right? So number one, choosing who you want to work with based on where you will get the highest yield and return on your expertise and then number 2, making it really clear to them why you're the best choice in the marketplace. And this is the piece that people really fall down on is. Uh, you, you'd be shocked, well, you probably wouldn't be shocked at how many business owners we talked to or we ask them a very simple question. Why should your clients choose you? Or even better, why do your clients choose you? And nobody else. Nobody knows, yeah, has a good answer. Right, and you know, no wonder you're not winning any deals because you can't even articulate to me in a few simple words why you're the best choice in the marketplace, not for everybody, because, you know, being the best choice in the marketplace for everybody is a tall task. That's hard to do. You gotta have big budgets and a big brand, but you can be the best choice in the marketplace for the specific type of customer that you want to serve, and that's the second piece that we help with is getting really clear on why you're the best choice for that particular customer. OK, so having having your, I guess we call it an avatar, your perfect your perfect client in mind first of all being intentional about that and then knowing what you're going to say exactly to to define to them why you're the best in the marketplace. OK, we're on track with that. What's what's next? And then consistently showing up in front of them in the right places, right? So I, you know, all things considered I'd rather be at a networking event where I know that the right people are in the room and they're likely to have the problem that I'm facing or that I solve rather, right? And so that's about marketing and and content and thought leadership, right? The, the mark of a thought leader, an expert. This podcast is sponsored by TalkSpace. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and TalkSpace, the leading virtual therapy provider is telling everyone, let's face it, in therapy, by talking or texting with a supportive licensed therapist at TalkSpace, you can face whatever is holding you back, whether it's mental health symptoms, relationship drama, past trauma, that. Habits or another challenge that you need support to work through. It's easy to sign up. Just go to Talkspace.com and you'll be paired with a provider typically within 48 hours. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule. Plus, TalkSpace is in-network with most major insurers, and most insured members. Have a $0 co-pay. Make your mental health a priority and start today. If you're not covered by insurance, get $80 off your first month with TalkSpace when you go to Talkspace.com and enter promo code S space 80. That's SPA CE 80. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to Talkspace.com and enter promo code S80. They publish Right, the market of somebody that knows what they're doing and has a perspective and a take on a problem that the industry is facing is they share that expertise, right? So a lot of people that we talked to, they will tell us, hey, I'm really good when I get in front of a client or a prospect, really good when I get in the room with them, and we have this 1 to 1 conversation. We hear that all the time, right? Problem is, why would they get in the same room as you? Why would they have a conversation with you? You know, we have a mantra that we throw around uh inside our program which sounds like this. Strangers, sort of busy people, executives, don't talk to strangers unless there's a good reason to do so. You know, we really, we really bought into the, the advice of our parents, right? Don't talk to strangers, right? We don't do that. You know, when's the last time you talked to a stranger unless you got a reason to do it. Good, good point. That that's very true. So, and that's marketing in a nutshell, right? And people overlook this. They think marketing is about sending some cold outreach messages or spamming their network or, you know, going to a networking event. That's not marketing. Marketing is giving your market a reason to interact with you. If you don't do that, A, you're not marketing, and B, uh, you're not gonna win very many deals. Very good, very good point. So a lot of, you know, a lot of people, I think go to networking organizations that I belong to and say, you know, there's other professionals that have clients, and you know, all I need to do is impress upon them that I have a service that when their clients need it. They'll think of me. So sometimes it's it's the once removed kind of marketing these days to get in front of the Avatar clients advisors. Do you have any advice for becoming memorable or for for for individuals that are in that situation? It it's the same, it's the same exercise, right? So that's a great strategy makes a lot of sense, right? If the clients that you want to serve, if they already have relationships with other consultants, experts, advisors, practitioners, and they already have a level of trust with them, why not borrow some of that trust and credibility? Absolutely, great strategy, same problem. Why should they refer to you? There's 10 other people like you at that same networking event trying to buy for their client's business. Why should they refer to you? Now there's a bit of a different angle there, right? Because the reason why I would refer to you. Has Little to do with the client and more to do with how I'm going to be perceived by the client. What I mean by that is this if I refer to you. And you helped my client get a great result. I mean, I'm happy for the client, absolutely, but I'm happier for myself because now I'm the hero in the client's eyes. Right, I'm the one that brought you to the table, enabled you to solve the problem my client was facing, and now I have a deeper level of trust and credibility and status in the mind of my client. That's why I refer to you. Right, yeah, absolutely, yeah, and the opposite of that is true too. The the fear that they don't trust you, that they don't think that you're going to solve the problem, and they might end up worse off with their clients than before they referred you, and that's happened, you know, that's happened to me too, where I've referred people in and The person doesn't call the client or they overcharge them or they're just they're rude to them. It's just it can be very embarrassing to be on the wrong end of that. So you really have to build that that trust up to and reputation so that people know that you are the person to help solve the problem so that they'll look good, right? That that's a big part of it. What I'm, what I'm thinking about here is with your With your program, we talk about filling your pipeline not just with, you know, I call clients A, B, and C clients, right? So there's the very best, the middle of the road and the ones that you kind of, you know, wish you wish that maybe they didn't, they weren't your clients anymore, let's say. But what you're talking about is filling your pipeline with a clients, with A-level clients, 5 and 6 figure consulting deals without begging for referrals, really upgrading your marketplace, and I think what we've heard from you so far is that that's because you're deliberate on who you're going after and you're, you're ready and prepared at the time you're in front of those people and then you get The hard part, you know, how do you get in front of those people? Let's talk about that. What do you recommend to your, your clients about how they would find and get in front of those, uh, you know, get side by side with some of those perfect, um, perfect strangers, I guess. Yeah, so I'll give you the strategic answer. I'll give you the tactical answer, right? So strategically there's two paths to follow. There's the direct path and there's the indirect path, OK, and, and most consultants ought to be doing both. The direct path is going directly after the end user client that you want to be serving and sparking conversations and building relationships with them, absolutely fundamental and the indirect path is what you and I just talked about. It's looking at who already has the trust. And the audience and the relationships with the clients I want to serve and there we have a whole framework around that it's far broader than you're thinking about it right now. I can promise you that right that's far more powerful than the accountant that refers to the lawyer and vice versa you know if you think about all the different providers, experts, consultants, companies, organizations that your client is working with, it's a long list. And there's a lot of people on that list who you can form win-win relationships with for whom your service is complementary and value adding to theirs. That's a big opportunity. So there's there's strategically there's two paths, the direct and indirect path, um, tactically you wanna find out where these people are, where you can get in front of them, and then give them a reason to engage. So for us in the B2B space, LinkedIn is that place, right? LinkedIn is where if you're selling B2B. I don't know the better way, a faster way to build a list of people that you want to be engaging with and building relationships with progressively and deliberately build relationships with them, get the right content messaging assets in front of them, and spark a conversation. It's another a faster way to do it, and it's worked really well for our clients, but the key is not to just show up, you know, your networking example is, is a, is a great example. Showing up. It's not gonna do anything. It's not gonna win you any deals, right? Showing up is the bare minimum. Once you're there, what are you saying? What are you communicating? You know, we, we call this the exercise of front loading beliefs. Right, a busy executive business owner who needs your help is only gonna talk to you if there's a good reason for them to do so. They need belief. Now you might be able to get them belief after the conversation, sure, but can you get them belief before the conversation if you don't get them belief before the conversation, they won't have the conversation and that's where that marketing content that that leadership, that material that you put out to the marketplace is essential. And getting the belief before the content, do you mean having established a reputation behind the scenes and there are numerous ways to do that. We're doing one of them right now and obviously publishing being being talked about by by others. What are some of the other methods for that? Yeah, I mean there's all kinds of playbooks, right, but I'm, I'm referring to content and thought leadership, uh, in, in a broader sense, right, which most people are not doing. So this is a good example. Like I'm on this podcast with you. I'm talking. I'm not claiming expertise. I'm not, you know, claiming that I'm the best at this, that and the other. I'm demonstrating it. We're having a conversation. You're asking me smart questions. I'm answering those questions and through my answers I'm exuding expertise and confidence in a track record. And people are lighting, and they'll hear it, and they'll want to engage, and they want to learn more, right? Every business owner needs to be doing this in different shapes and forms because if you don't do it, you know, you know that you're an expert. The marketplace doesn't know you're an expert, and they don't know you swap, right? You've gotta prove to them your expertise and if you're not engaging in some kind of exercise where that expertise is being proven and demonstrated. Then Why would they buy? Yeah, these days if you're not doing it, you can bet your competition is there's so many different, different ways to approach marketing. And again, I would implore our listeners. Find out more about this, the 90 day pipeline, find out more about boutique growth and find out more about Ahmed Manawar. How do they, how do they best get in touch with you? What's the best way for them to find out what this is all about and engage with you? Yeah, real simple, head over to 90day pipeline.com. You will learn about our entire methodology and our system there, and if that's of interest to you at all, you can grab a call with our team and we can talk shop. You know, the good thing about first interviews with someone is we learn a lot, make new friends. The bad thing is we barely scratch. Surface on the topic and it's time to go, but I really enjoyed talking with you today and I hope you come back at some point in the future and share more with us because I think this is a topic that a lot of our listeners love to hear about ideas and thoughts. And again, you've given us some really good things to think about today. Thanks so much, Amit. Appreciate it. Entirely my pleasure. Thanks for having me. Thank you for listening to Exit Coach Radio. Hey friend, I know how it feels, waking up exhausted after multiple trips to the bathroom and feeling embarrassed by sudden leaks. I used to be constantly on edge, searching for a restroom whenever I was out. Then I discovered better woman. I was skeptical at first, but two months in. Everything changed. I experienced improved bladder control. No more heart-stopping moments when I laugh or sneeze, less urge to go, deeper and more restful sleep. I finally felt like myself again, confident and in control. Bettero is natural, effective, and trusted by women for over 25 years. Ready to take back your control? Head over to Bebetternow.com to order your supply today. That's Bebetternow.com. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Users directed individual results may vary.