Mo asks Maria Kelly: If you could record a video around business development and give it to your younger self, what would it say? The short answer would be to record Mo's training. The longer answer is to start thinking about business development much earlier. Do not be afraid to reach out and ask for advice. Over the last 12 months, Maria has read so many books that would have helped her tremendously when she was younger. Highly skilled specialists often struggle with asking for advice, but it's one of the most powerful things you can do to create bonds with people. The more you communicate, the more things come your way. Asking people for advice makes people feel good, and other things can come up during the conversation that can change the way you think. One of the ways that Maria had built relationships with clients was by asking them their advice on who she should hire and they loved the idea of having input. The worst that can happen is that the other person will thank you for thinking of them but they're too busy to help. Start with something small that doesn't require too much of the other person, or by asking someone you are fairly confident will say yes no matter what. When you're trying a new skill, start small and start safe. If you have a business strategy that you aren't sure of, reach out to your clients and run it by them first. It shows that you value them as a client and their opinion on what you do. There are a lot more opportunities than you think that don't fit into the traditional client opportunity conversation box. Just being human is a simple thing anyone can do. Unstructured moments used to happen naturally in the past, but it's okay to go out of your way to try and create more of those moments. Business development is a learnable skill, and the sooner you embrace it the more it will impact your career. Embrace who you are and bring that to the business development table, because that is your strongest tool. Your authentic self is the foundation for all the other business development skills. Mentioned in this Episode: GrowBIGPlaybook.com askmariakelly.com Maria Kelly on LinkedIn