Talk recently is about delayed sales and projects.

Talk recently is about delayed sales and projects. Do you find it useful to blame this on the economy? or disempowering?

If you want to take responsibility for unsticking deals, I recommend looking to what the most successful business builders do ...

1/ Stop being an order taker. Start driving and facilitating decisions.

2/ Stop relying on intermediaries to do the selling for you. Start insisting on meeting economic buyers personally.

3/ Stop chasing low value, non-urgent projects. Start selecting economic buyers top-priority, expensive problems - that's where the money flows.

* Does the economic buyer see acceptable performance , or an expensive problem? Does it need fixing fast, or are there are no real consequences?

4/ Stop making assumptions. Start qualifying and eliminate poor quality deals earlier. Free up your time for deals that count.

* Does the client have all the resources needed available? Do they have the time, capacity, and money to take on the project?

5/ Stop leaving project risks and joint responsibilities unaddressed. Start fronting up to concerns clients might have and address these early and openly.

6/ Stop accepting vague decision-making processes. Start treating buying decisions like mini-projects. Agree a timeline, actions and responsibilities.

These ideas won't change the economic situation. But, they will give you more confidence and understanding of where you stand, and what to do.

Remember, it's your job as a business builder to use impact and influence ... to get the result you want.