Great automation is far more than tech tool gadgetry.

One of my biggest areas of focus right now is automation. 

And I've noticed huge gains in efficiency. 

I talked to experts. 

I tested things on myself. 

Figuring out what works and what doesn't. 

My biggest breakthrough?

Teaching this to others.

It took months to crystalize my thoughts. 

It was challenging. 

I learned so much. And the group I worked with loved the training! We advanced our automation together. 

The biggest learning?

Most people think of automation as tech tools, gadgetry. 

That's a mistake.

It's far broader. 

The four areas of BD automation:

1. Decision Making
You should start with your Business Development Strategy.

Three themes should guide your year. Then you can align quarterly BD priorities. This tells you what to focus on, saying no to other good ideas.

Warning signs: If you're unsure of what to do next, your decision-making isn't automated. And if you're not saying No often, you're not working on the best ideas. Both cause wasted time and prolong results.

Automating decision-making prioritizes everything, making it easy to work on what's next and say No to the rest.
 

2. Technical Tools, Tracking and Accountability

With our strategy in place, we can automate workflows and measure what matters.

Like high-performing athletes, we can be in touch with how we're doing. And use templates and tech to make things easy.

Warning signs: If you're not using templates and tech, things are too hard with too much friction.

Automating how you do the work with templates, tech and tracking lets you measure and create the highest ROI on your time. Results! 

3. Process

With tools in place, we move to automate our movement.

Nothing happens without action at the week and day level. Blocking off the time. Fine tuning the steps. Doing this without fail.

Warning signs: If you're having trouble finding time for BD or not doing it consistently, you need better process automation. The same time invested in small, consistent chunks will 10x the same aggregate investments made sporadically.

Automating your granular weekly and daily processes--in a way that works with doing your work--is a key to success.

4. Your Teams, Partners, and Skills

The people part is my favorite element of automation: learning and alignment.

Learning: always learning as an individual.

Alignment: Doing the same across a team efficiently.

Warning Sign: If you're not optimizing your individual growth or how you work and grow as a team, you'll never create a winning team mentality.

Automating your and your team's coordination and skill-sharing is when things feel right, when you've got a winning team mentality. More high fives and celebrating incremental progress!

I can't say it enough. 

Great automation is far more than tech tool gadgetry.

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