A Power Skill for BD Success?

For success in both transactional and relational sales, what’s the most crucial “power skill”?

It’s listening intelligence, by the way.

We all know that impatience and assumptions can hinder understanding client needs. And…most of us want to be better listeners.

However, we’re hardwired for distraction.

Our brains naturally process information at 500 words per minute, but we speak (on average) 125-150 words per minute.

So, what’s the solution?

It’s ECHO Listening Intelligence which defines four types of listening preferences: connective, reflective, analytical, and conceptual. Becoming aware of one's own listening style is essential for adapting to others and staying engaged in conversations.

Want to become more effective in your own listening? Contact me at dlandry@authentizity.com to learn more today!

#leadershipinsales #seniorleader #bdtraining #businessdevelopment #technicalsales #doer-seller #seller-doer #authentizity #dawnflandry #bddynamics #winningwithwhiskers

When Is the Best Time for BD Training for Your Team?

In today’s vlog post, I highlight the most optimal timing and importance of business development training.

Business Development Training Planning Discussion

It's never too late to implement a doer/seller technical business development training program. For ultimate success, planning and customization require time. I recommend including it in next year's budget if it's not already in your firm’s current plans.

Succession Planning and BD Dynamics

Don’t forget the importance of succession planning for client relationships and business development, similar to leadership transition planning. One component of Authentizity’s BD Dynamics™ business development training program is aimed at transferring relationships.

Another emphasizes the importance of client retention as a form of business development. It encourages professionals attending business development training now to cultivate and advance client relationships over the next five years.

Business Development Training Insights

BD Dynamics™ is approaching 1,000 participants in the past 10 years, including architects, engineers, and commercial contractors. It has received vast and varied positive feedback from post-training surveys including “how it made the concept less of sales/business development intimidating for attendees.”

Next steps

• Include business development training in their budget for next year.

• Check our Authentizity’s BD Dynamics case study link for more information: https://www.authentizity.com/case-studies.

• Contact me at dlandry@authentizity.com to learn more today!

#leadershipinsales #seniorleader #bdtraining #businessdevelopment #technicalsales #doer-seller #seller-doer #authentizity #dawnflandry #bddynamics #winningwithwhiskers

How to Approach BD as an Investigative Reporter…

When I deliver Authentizity’s BD Dynamics™ business development training, I compare BD to elements of dating — emphasizing the importance of maintaining contact with potential clients and “staying in the deal”.

Recently, it occurred to me that BD is often like being an investigative reporter to thoroughly go deep in all aspects of an account, including identifying not only decision-makers but also key influencers and champions.

Similarly, we can’t assume the outcome and must investigate all sources for all relevant aspects of the account to connect the threads capture the deal.

What about you? How much you consider this analogy in your own approach to business development?

Contact me at dlandry@authentizity.com to share their thoughts or questions today!

#bdasdating #bdasinvestigativereporter #B2B #businessdevelopment #technicalsales #authentizity #dawnflandry #bddynamics #winningwithwhiskers

All Careers Turn Into Sales Jobs… When You Get Senior Enough!

As careers progress, the ability to sell and maintain client relationships becomes crucial. In today’s vlog post, I discuss the importance of developing sales skills and client relationships in the face of technological changes, particularly with the rise of AI.

I also highlight the significance of active listening in leadership and client interactions. It’s crucial to move beyond the stigma of the term “sales” by viewing it as a way to build meaningful client relationships.

Contact me at dlandry@authentizity.com to learn more today!

#leadershipinsales #seniorleader #executiveleadership #listeningintelligence #businessdevelopment #technicalsales #echo #authentizity #dawnflandry #bddynamics #winningwithwhiskers

Strategy, Strategy Everywhere... It's That Time of Year Again!

Strategy drives me. It oozes from my pores.

I intuitively strategize -- from the smallest of activities to the largest of problems, I LOVE identifying the best solution with a step by step plan for success.

In today’s vlog post, I discuss the importance of reviewing and utilizing strategic plans, particularly in the context of business development and operations. I emphasize the need to analyze leads, win-loss ratios, and gather feedback from both won and lost opportunities to improve future strategies.

I also encourage organizations to seek strategic input from various voices within the company and stressed the importance of proactive rather than reactive business planning.

Here are some next steps to drive your own strategy:

Next steps

• Revisit strategic business development and operations plans for 2025. How’d you do?

• Analyze where their leads are coming from .

• Review their win/loss ratios and strategies.

• Conduct debriefs for both won and lost opportunities.

• Consider diversification of business offerings for the next 3-5 years.

• Identify potential new market sectors that align with their business.

• Gather input from various voices within your organization for strategic planning.

Want me to lend my strategy to you and your organization? Reach out at dlandry@authentizity.com.  

— Dawn F. Landry

#strategy

#hardwiredforstrategy

#problemsolving

#2026businessplanning

#stepbystep

#authentizity

#dawnflandry

#bddynamics

AI’s Impact on Our Business Relationships - How To Set Our Teams Apart!

In today’s vlog post, I identify the impact of AI on business relationships, emphasizing how the development of emotional intelligence, communication, and listening skills will help us and our teams remain relevant in the future workforce.

These soft skills are actually POWER SKILLS to ensure professionals can leverage AI effectively and adapt to changing job markets.

I’ve highlighted a few next steps for your consideration:

• Develop training programs focused on emotional intelligence, communication, and listening skills for emerging leaders and frontline workers.

• Integrate AI literacy and communication skills development into employee training and professional growth plans.

• Prioritize the development of soft skills, such as empathy and adaptability, for your managers with their teams to prepare for the impact of AI on job roles.

• Invest in tools and resources that enhance listening intelligence and team communication.

As a Practitioner of ECHO Listening Intelligence LQ and LIFT™ (Listening Intelligence For Teams) services, I assist individuals and organizations in the identification and coaching of their listening preferences/habits.

Contact me at dlandry@authentizity.com to learn more today!

#listeningintelligence #communication #echo #authentizity #dawnflandry #bddynamics #winningwithwhiskers

Did You Know that Listening Is a Habit that Can Be Changed?

Research shows that companies with highly effective communicators deliver a 47% higher total return to shareholders and are 3.5 times more likely to significantly outperform their industry peers.

For years, many have referred to abilities like communication, leadership, and emotional intelligence as “soft skills,” but that term underestimates their complexity, significance, and financial impact. These power skills are among the most critical assets in any organization.

ECHO Listening Intelligence™ helps us identify our listening preference (connective, reflective, analytical, or conceptual) and change our listening habits to those around us.

As a Practitioner of ECHO Listening Intelligence LQ and LIFT™ (Listening Intelligence For Teams) services, I assist individuals and organizations in the identification and coaching of their listening preferences/habits.

LQ identifies four types of listening preferences including: connective, reflective, analytical, and conceptual.

Why is this important? Because listening is not just a courtesy—it’s a business advantage. So, what’s your listening preference and how might you adapt your habits to those around you?

Contact me at dlandry@authentizity.com to learn more today!

#listeningintelligence #communication #echohashtag #authentizity #dawnflandry #bddynamics #winningwithwhiskers

Discover Your ECHO Listening Intelligence™ Preference!

I’m a firm believer that our personal efforts towards being better in communications is a journey, not a destination.

As a Practitioner of ECHO Listening Intelligence LQ and LIFT™ (Listening Intelligence For Teams) services, I assist individuals and organizations in the identification and coaching of their listening preferences/habits.

LQ identifies four types of listening preferences including: connective, reflective, analytical, and conceptual.

What’s your preference?

Contact me at dlandry@authentizity.com for additional information and to take your assessment today!

#listeningintelligence #communication #echohashtag #authentizity #dawnflandry #bddynamics #winningwithwhiskers

What Is ECHO Listening Intelligence™?

Did you know that miscommunication costs large organizations up to $62.4 million annually? Poor listening also contributes to 70% of small business issues. And it’s been proven that 17.5 hours per workweek are lost due to clarifying misunderstandings.

Listening Intelligence or LQ™ will be even more vital to the future of business with more advanced use of technology including AI.

For those reasons and more, Authentizity now offers ECHO Listening Intelligence individual and LIFT™ (Listening Intelligence For Teams) services. https://www.echolistening.com/

Stay tuned for coming social media and vlog posts to learn more. As always, please reach out to me at dlandry@authentizity.com for additional information and to take your assessment today!

#listeningintelligence #communication #echohashtag #authentizity #dawnflandry #bddynamics #winningwithwhiskers

Today’s Book Inspiration #14 - I love Jacinda Ardern’s story, so I was massively excited to read her new book, “A Different Kind of Power”.

It did not disappoint!

The book highlights Ardern's journey from a rural background to becoming New Zealand's youngest (at the age of 37) and third female Prime Minister. She openly shares her personal challenges, including balancing family life and political responsibilities, and emphasizes her message of authentic leadership.

In today’s vlog post, I showcase her story and parallel my own experiences with imposter syndrome.

Hope you enjoy! As always, never hesitate to reach out to me if I may be a resource to you in any manner at dlandry@authentizity.com.

You take good care and I'll see you soon!

Dawn

#jacindaardern

#newzealand

#adifferentkindofpower

#imposter

#imposterexperience

#imposterthoughts

#leadership

#authentizity

#dawnflandry

#bddynamics

What would one day of no emails do to your productivity?

When push comes to shove, can you be ok with a whole day of live, human conversations? 

In today’s vlog post, I discuss how a Microsoft Outlook outage could potentially improve productivity by encouraging more human communication and efficiency.

What?!? How’s that possible?!?

Hang in there with me as I provide a recent example where email exchanges with one of my clients could have been resolved quicker through a simple 2-minute phone communication.

How about you? How long can you survive without email at work?

I challenge you to consider your communications means and methods to add value to your direct communications and truly connect with the relationship that matter.

Contact me if you want to learn more…

#survivingwithoutemail #pickupthephone #stopemailing #BDcoach #BDconsultant #winningwithwhiskers #authentizity #dawnflandry #BDDynamics

Today’s Book Inspiration #13 - In his book, “A Ride of a Lifetime”, author Bob Iger shares his experience growing as a leader as he climbed the career ladder — joining ABC Wide World of Sports in the 70s through Disney’s acquisition of ABC decades later.

In this Vlog post, I share some of my favorites of his insights.

Hope you enjoy! As always, never hesitate to reach out to me if I may be a resource to you in any manner at dlandry@authentizity.com.

You take good care and I'll see you soon!

Dawn

#bobiger

#robertiger

#rideofalifetime

#leadership

#authentizity

#dawnflandry

#bddynamics

How do you like to be sold to?

If we take a step back and get reflective, then we may realize that how we sell is the way we like to be sold to and vice verse.

In today’s vlog post, I share a recent negative experience with a sales interaction that went poorly due to lack of proper follow-up and changing terms at the last minute.

For me, it’s massively important that terms and conditions be included in written communication to ensure that the salesperson can meet expectations.

How about you? Can you think of a terrible sales interaction that has occurred? Where was it that it went south? How might that salesperson salvaged the deal?

Now, how do you apply these knowledge to your own business development style?

Contact me if you want to learn more…

#terribleBDexperience #badsalespeople #walkthedeal #BDcoach #BDconsultant #winningwithwhiskers #authentizity #dawnflandry #BDDynamics

What’s the #1 roadblock to doing BD?

It’s the balance of project execution to client outreach, cultivation, and advancement.

In today’s vlog post, I address the challenges faced by technical doer/sellers in balancing work delivery and client acquisition, highlighting time management as the primary obstacle in business development.

I emphasize the importance of client retention while pursuing new opportunities and share my own struggles with BD when I get busy. (I’m a doer/seller too!)

How about you? It’s ok. It happens to us all.

Contact me for more strategies and tactics for your success!

#balancingworkandBD #BDhurdle #1challengetoBD #BDcoach

#BDconsultant #winningwithwhiskers #authentizity #dawnflandry #BDDynamics

Are messages becoming overwhelming for you? How do you turn them off?

My #1 CliftonStrengths is Input. It’s a fantastic strength in that it’s a collector and acts as a resource.

However, Input’s blindspot is that it can get overly taxed with too much information so that I become distracted from doing what’s important.

In today’s vlog post, I share communication tips about how to handle the bombardment from all of the various forms, formats, and frequencies. (What’s coming next — an AI version of a carrier pigeon?)

How about you? Any other tips or tools that you use to parent yourself? I’d welcome an opportunity to learn from you!

#communicationnuances #informationoverload #InputStrength #CliftonStrengths #Gallupcoach #winningwithwhiskers #authentizity #dawnflandry #BDDynamics

Today’s vlog post is all about managing information overload for to preserve our mental well-being.

In it, I share my recent struggles with consuming too much news, similar to how I experienced the early days of the pandemic. I was reminded that I needed to “parent my phone.”

So, I proactively made the decision to remove the Facebook app from her home screen. Watch to learn what I replaced it with!

As promised, see the link here for the blog post that I reference: https://www.dawnflandry.com/articles/information-overload-my-strengths-as-a-weakness?rq=information%20overload

How about you? Any other tips or tools that you use to parent yourself? I’d welcome an opportunity to learn from you!

#parentyourphone #parentyourself #Facebookdeletion #Biblereplacement #informationoverload #InputStrength #CliftonStrengths #Gallupcoach #winningwithwhiskers #authentizity #dawnflandry #BDDynamics

There’s an entitlement epidemic going around. I am constantly amazed at the conclusion of my training sessions how participants just leave their trash behind for someone else to deal with it. It’s down right gross!

Want a simple way to determine if a prospect (whether it’s a job candidate or a potential consultant/vendor) is a cultural fit before you actually hire them?

Recently, I came across the “Kitchen Test” and it’s brilliant in its simplicity.

As promised, see the link here for the article: https://fortune.com/2025/04/06/job-interview-coffee-cup-test-recruiters-hiring-green-flag-red-flags/?utm_campaign=fortunemagazine&utm_source=linkedin.com&xid=soc_socialflow_linkedin_FORTUNE&utm_medium=social

The higher the rank of professional you are interviewing, the more important the necessity to test this human trait, as it can reveal if a candidate has a servant leader mentality or an entitled attitude.

What about you? How do you assess your candidate’s alignment?

It begets that adage, “Hire slow, fire fast.” If we hire for fit to begin with, we save ourselves and our organizations a lot of headaches in the long run…

#culturalfit #entitlement #programmedforsuccess #thekitchenttest #jobinterview #winningwithwhiskers #authentizity #dawnflandry #BDDynamics

How do your clients perceive you — as a solid, problem finder and solver, or as a negative, naysayer?

Perception is reality and our client experiences are human experiences.

If your brain automatically goes to a “No way; that’s impossible” response and you need to be pushed to challenge yourself to come to a solution, then let me also challenge you today.

I didn’t grow up thinking this way. I had to train my brain to be more open-minded with “Yes! Let’s try that” solutions.

It’s always important to balance that positive attitude with realistic solutions. The answer may not always be Yes, but rather than going to No first, perhaps consider offering a Maybe.

We’ll been seen as a more open, willing resource to those we encounter AND people will want to be around us because we fill their tanks and rarely drain their batteries!

#NObrain #Yesbrain #programmedforsuccess #clientexperience #problemfinder #problemsolver #winningwithwhiskers #authentizity #dawnflandry #BDDynamics

In today’s vlog post, we’re getting candid as I ask you to reflect on two career tips from a former blog post of mine.

Specifically, I emphasize the importance of being intentional by surrounding ourselves with supportive and reputable professionals, regardless of their generation, and by maintaining a good brand name in our communities.

As promised, here is the blog post "30 Pieces of Advice": https://www.dawnflandry.com/articles/30-pieces-of-advice-id-give-to-my-30-year-old-self

Who are your mirrors that keep you accountable? I have mine and I couldn’t do life without them. My future successes ride on it!

#hitchyourwagon #alignment #legacy #significance #mirrors #career #winningwithwhiskers #authentizity #dawnflandry #BDDynamics

We’re digging deep in today’s vlog post where I emphasize the importance of recognizing warning signs and red flags in our personal and professional relationships.

People reveal who they are to us — IF we pay attention.

It is critical to recognize our alignment from an integrity, ethics, and morality standpoint in our relationships before we take a leap into working with them. Otherwise, we put our businesses and our careers at risk.

How about you? Do you recognize the red flags? Have you set boundaries for alignment with your own integrity, ethics, etc.?

There’s no time like the present to take an assessment of all of the relationships in our businesses. Our future successes could ride on it!

#redflagwarning #alignment #warningsigns #integrity #ethics #morality #winningwithwhiskers #authentizity #dawnflandry #BDDynamics