The Essential First Step in Sales and Business Development

April 16, 2025
# min read
Doug Brown

In selling services—far more than products—establishing credibility and trust is the essential first step that many salespeople overlook or rush through, ultimately weakening their ability to win new clients. Without this foundation, executives hedge their responses, offering accurate yet surface-level answers that skirt deeper, more critical issues. As a result, game-changing conversations—and the creation of superior solutions that gain buy-in and drive execution—become next to impossible.

Once this foundation is firmly established, I seamlessly transition to intensive active listening and in-depth analysis, fully considering a client's business, industry, and unique challenges. These steps set the stage for collaborative problem-solving, where we craft solutions tailored for execution and impact. This comprehensive approach drives a high rate of new business wins while ensuring my recommendations are practical, actionable, and built to deliver immediate success and lasting impact.

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