You’ve probably heard the advice to be more intentional in your sales and business development efforts. It’s good advice but it just might not go far enough.
At Business Development University (BDU), we encourage the sales professionals we work with to focus on not just being intentional but on being purposeful. While they are related, there’s an important difference between them, and understanding that difference can have a significant impact on your sales results, productivity and overall success.
For example, the most successful professionals don’t simply go into meetings, networking events and client conversations with good intentions. They approach every activity with a specific goal in mind and a clear understanding of what they hope to accomplish.
That distinction can be the difference between staying busy and producing meaningful results.
Intentional vs. Purposeful: What’s the Difference?
Recently, one of our clients shared that they wanted to be more intentional in their business development efforts. It sparked an interesting conversation because while we certainly believe doing things with intention is important, we prefer to be purposeful.
While the two terms are often used interchangeably, they aren’t exactly the same.
Intentional means doing something deliberately or on purpose. It means your actions are conscious and planned rather than accidental.
Purposeful means having a specific aim, reason or goal behind your actions. It reflects determination and a clear desired outcome.
Simply put:
- Intentional focuses on the what and the how you’re going to do something
- Purposeful focuses on the why you’re doing something
Being intentional is about deciding to take action. Purposefulness is about knowing exactly what you want that action to accomplish. And that’s where many professionals miss an opportunity.
Why Being Intentional Isn’t Enough
Many people go through their day being neither intentional nor purposeful. They react to what’s in front of them, answer emails, attend meetings, make calls and check tasks off their list without thinking about the end result they’re trying to achieve.
Others are intentional. They schedule networking meetings, prepare for client conversations, attend industry events and dedicate time to business development. That’s a great start.
But before any activity begins, there’s a question that should be asked:
“What specific result am I hoping to achieve?”
That’s where purpose comes in. Purposefulness takes intention one step further by identifying the goal before the activity even starts. It’s the difference between simply doing something and understanding exactly why you’re doing it.
An Introductory Meeting: Intentional vs. Purposeful
A common sales and business development activity is an introductory meeting.
An intentional approach might sound like: “I’m going to prepare for this meeting and make the most of our time together.”
That’s positive and proactive.
A purposeful approach sounds different: “By the end of this meeting, I’d like to earn an introduction to another person in their organization, uncover a referral opportunity, receive a LinkedIn recommendation or set a defined next step.”
The meeting itself is the activity, while the desired outcome is the purpose.
When you know what you’re trying to accomplish, you naturally ask better questions, listen more strategically and guide the conversation toward meaningful results.
Purposefulness doesn’t guarantee success, but it significantly increases the likelihood that your activities will produce value.
Activity Alone Doesn’t Equal Success
In sales, we often celebrate activity. For example, you might think happily, “I met with four clients this week!”
That’s wonderful, but what happened because of those meetings?
- Did they generate referrals?
- Did they uncover additional opportunities?
- Did they strengthen key relationships?
- Did they lead to introductions to other decision-makers?
- Did they result in a LinkedIn recommendation?
The reality is that activity alone doesn’t determine success. Results do.
A meeting can be enjoyable and relationship-building while still falling short if there was no clear goal attached to it, which is why it’s important to define success before you start.
Not every meeting will achieve its intended outcome but when you know what you’re trying to accomplish ahead of time, you’re much more likely to move the relationship and opportunity forward.
Every Activity Needs a Result Goal
At BDU, one of the concepts we emphasize frequently is the relationship between activities and result goals.
There is a direct correlation between the activities we perform and the results we get, and every activity you do should have a corresponding result goal you are looking to achieve.
Likewise, every result goal requires specific activities to support it.
- If your goal is to generate more referrals, what activities will help you get there?
- If your goal is to increase revenue from existing clients, what meetings and conversations need to happen?
- If your goal is to build a stronger network of Centers of Influence, what actions will create those relationships?
Sales success doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from intentionally performing the right activities the right way and purposefully connecting them to desired outcomes.
The Grocery Store Analogy
Here’s a simple analogy to help you visualize this concept:
Imagine you’re heading to the grocery store. Your intention is to go shopping.
You get in the car, drive to the store and walk through the aisles. But if you don’t create a list beforehand, what often happens?
You forget something important, you leave without a key ingredient or you might buy things you don’t need.
Now imagine you’re planning to bake an apple pie and you are going shopping with purpose.
You know exactly what ingredients you need, you create a shopping list before you leave home and you shop with a plan. When you leave the store, you have everything required to achieve your goal.
The trip to the store is intentional. The shopping list is purposeful.
The same principle applies to sales, networking and business development. Preparation and thinking ahead ensure your intentions are connected to meaningful outcomes.
Purposefulness Throughout the Sales Process
Purposefulness should be present at every stage of your sales and business development process.
Whether you’re:
- Meeting with a client
- Meeting with a prospect
- Connecting with a Center of Influence (COI)
- Attending a networking event
- Participating in a trade show
- Hosting a client appreciation event
You should be able to answer one simple question: “What am I hoping to accomplish?”
The clearer your objective, the more focused your actions become. And when your actions become more focused, your business development efforts become more productive.
Want to prepare more strategically so you can be even more purposeful in your meetings?
Download our free Client, Prospect, and Networking Meeting Checklists from the BDUtensils Library here 👉 https://BusinessDevelopmentUniversity.com/BDUtensils/
“Squeeze the Lemon”
At BDU, we have a philosophy called “squeezing the lemon,” which means to get the most out of every opportunity, every relationship and every activity. Purposefulness is a critical part of that philosophy.
If you’re investing your time, energy and effort into something, why not maximize the value you receive from it?
Being purposeful is one of the best ways to “squeeze the lemon.” When you go into every activity with a clear outcome in mind, you’re far more likely to maximize the value of your time and effort.
Whether that means generating referrals, uncovering new opportunities, strengthening client relationships or expanding your network, purpose helps ensure you’re getting the most out of every interaction.
The Bottom Line
Being intentional is a great place to start, but being purposeful is where the real growth happens.
Being intentional ensures you’re acting deliberately, but purposefulness ensures you’re acting with a specific outcome in mind.
Before your next client meeting, networking event, prospect conversation or business development activity, take a moment to ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish?”
That simple question can help you make better use of your time, improve your sales results and create more meaningful opportunities. It’s not enough to simply do things on purpose. The goal is to do them with purpose!
Ready to Be More Purposeful?
If you’d like help creating a more strategic approach to sales, networking, referrals and business development for yourself or your team, we’re here to help! Just submit your information below and we’ll schedule a conversation to learn more about your goals and explore ways we can help you achieve them.