Answering a knock on the door I saw a young, fairly skinny man standing on my doorstep. Dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and steel-toed work boots, and wearing a pleasant, confident (but not arrogant) smile, he launched into his opening lines. “My company does interlock paving and repairs. I am going door-to-door in the neighbourhood and noticed that your interlock paving could use some work.” I couldn’t argue with him. It was on my list of things to do, to rejuvenate my house’s curb appeal. He politely critiqued my driveway and patio: “We will get rid of the weeds growing between the stones, re-lay stones that have shifted, raise the base of stones that have sunk, and then re-sand everything. I also noticed some of the stones on the steps need re-laying.”
I said I would be interested in a quote. I offered to give him my email to send one to me. He said, “No, I can give you a quote right now.” He calculated out loud, “ You will need x number of bags of sand, x number bags of scree. I see you have extra stones, so we should be okay there. It will take my team a day to do the work. I can do it for x amount.”
After checking out his company online, I engaged his services. Not just because of the reviews on his website, or his obvious knowledge of interlock paving. I gave him my business because I admired and respected his business development drive. I liked that he was literally going door-to-door, to get business for his company. He didn’t have a slick routine. He wasn’t trying to scam me. He just gave me an honest appraisal of the state of the interlock paving, identifying what my problem was, what he could do to fix it, when he could do the work, and how much it would cost.
Not many educators enjoy selling or developing business. And even fewer are actually good at it. Many shudder at the idea of attaching a monetary value to their education services, let alone actively pursuing business opportunities. Yet, the determination and drive demonstrated by my local interlock paving professional should serve as a powerful example for anyone in higher education.
Business development requires relentless effort, tenacity and hard work. It demands that we proactively seek out potential customers rather than waiting for them to come to us, taking on the risk of rejection as we do so. We must invest time in understanding their needs, be candid about our capabilities, and continuously push ourselves to make meaningful connections. We have to have drive.
The prowess of my interlock paving expert highlights a crucial lesson for business development professionals in education organizations: it’s time to embrace a systematic, proactive approach. We need to channel that same hunger, willingness to take risks, and strategic persistence. Whether figuratively or literally, knock on doors, we need to put ourselves out there, and connect with potential customers. It’s time to transform how we approach business development in education. And we can look to local companies for inspiration.