There is simply no substitute for being out in world meeting people when making deals.  Every city, every region has a place where the deal makers of various industries come together to make things happen.  Today, my wife, Michelle Raines,  told me a story that illustrates this point.  She is a marketing strategist to executives, primarily focused on a couple of industries, one in particular is Urban Real Estate Development.  She works from home but is usually out and about meeting people and clients.  With this freedom, she can leverage herself to be at Jo’s Coffee Shop in Downtown Austin and meet and greet casually with almost every major player in the hot development market in Austin.  She is seen as well, which is equally important.  During the two hours, she met with a major developer casually, integrated into the conversation a couple of C-level executives from her former employer who walked by and who coincidentally raved about her and how much they missed her in front of this new potential client and she met a few other business associates and clients casually, who just happened to be in the area, all of which builds her credibility as a key resource to this community. 

The point I want to make is that when you are doing business development, you have to keep in mind that e-mail and phone calls are only tools that ultimately get you into an opportunity to meet face to face.  I would further advocate that simply ordering a cup of coffee and meeting a few contacts over a morning in a hot spot like I just described is far more valuable than a day spent working the phones. 

As a start-up, your resources are spread thin and sometimes, it seems that making the most contacts you can is where the payoff will be for your firm.  This is rarely the case.  Get out for at least two mornings a week and find a key hot spot in your town for VC’s and Angels, developers, agents, government administrators - whomever you are seeking - and schedule one or two informal meetings with high profile executives and watch your personal stock rise quickly in your area.  Introducing them to others is a very highly regarded position to be in and they will also introduce you to even more important people as they pass by your table.  Making personal connections is key but being seen in the environment often gets overlooked and sometimes, just being seen is half the battle.