Embed from Getty Images
Business development demands that we need to take a realistic view of the situation at hand, and one of the most important aspects of business, and life in general, is understanding the difference between slot machines and gumball machines. Too often we confuse the two, and then get upset when we don’t receive the responses that we want.
Every child knows that if you put a quarter into a gumball machine and spin the handle, you are supposed to hear the happy clink of a gumball drop down into a channel and then stop with a happy knock on the metal door. This is a system that is designed to be very simple – it’s a very basic exchange – money for candy. We love the consistency and ease of it.
Most adults who have been to Vegas or Atlantic city or any casino really, have played the slots. Drop in a quarter, or a dollar, pull the handle ( in the olden days when they had handles! ) and see the numbers spin around, and feel the excitement of wondering if you were going to hear the bells go off and the ratatat of dozens or hundreds of coins come pouring out of the machine. Or not. Mostly not. But the possibility of a win, made the game fun. That’s the joy, the not knowing if you’re going to win this time.
Too often I’ve seen people think something should be a gumball machine, but it’s really a slot machine.
|
In life, and business in particular, it’s very important to understand these two principles: some things are simple exchanges and are sure winners, others are gambles and you have to know which is which.
Too often I’ve seen people think something should be a gumball machine, but it’s really a slot machine. In particular this is true of business development. Whether that business development is happening at a chamber of commerce meeting, a Rotary Club or the local health club. Generally it takes a lot of effort, time and investment to pull a winning relationship out of any group of people.
I’m lucky, in that I’m a very gregarious person, and I have little fear about talking to people in those networking situations. I’m usually making connections between the people I meet, often because I know that it will come back to me in the form of new friends.
But I know many people who attend one or two mixers or club sessions, they don’t pull any clients or customers right away from their efforts and then they stop going, and claim “it doesn’t work.” Well, that’s kinda like trying to diet for a day and being upset you haven’t lost any weight. It takes effort.
Business development needs to be thought of as a slot machine, not a gumball machine. Actually many things in life need to be thought of like that: Dating, Dieting, Buying Stocks. If you understand the principle of slots vs gumballs, you’ll have a much easier, and more enjoyable, time while engaging business development.
Photo credit: Getty Images