Picture this…
You’re relaxing by a beautiful infinity pool at a resort by the beach.
The crystal clear, sparkling water stretches on until it meets the cloudless, blue sky at the horizon…
While bottles clink in the background as poolside bartenders measure and mix bright, tropical drinks. Mini-umbrellas optional.
You’re about to take a dip — strawberry daquiri in hand— when you realize…
The pool has a leak. Every minute, water is slipping away.
No swimming for the foreseeable future.
But wait… right next to you is a bright green hose, waiting to be turned on.
Do you turn the water on and prevent the pool from draining, or do you watch the water disappear?
You turn it on. Obvious, right?
Your dealmaking journey is just like this pool. An opportunity of a lifetime… provided it stays filled.
And that hose is the key.
In my analogy, the pool represents the deals you’re actively working on and the relationships you’re cultivating.
As you evaluate deals, they fall away. Sometimes quickly, sometimes further along.
But they are always slipping away, with the few exceptions of the deals you close.
The hose represents your deal origination machine. Keeping your pool of opportunity filled.
How do you do that?
ABO — Always. Be. Originating.
We talk about this a lot during our Dealmaker Academy group coaching calls.
Let’s jump into why this is so important. Consistent deal origination:
First, a gap in your deal funnel can be a momentum killer.
Say you’ve found a great deal and you’re dialed in. You meet the seller, put in an offer, secure financing, and are running towards the finish line.
Weeks and weeks of work. You’re killing it!
Then the bottom falls out. The deal aborts.
If you’ve stopped your origination to focus on this ONE deal, you’re left with what?
Discouragement, frustration and staring back up the hill of work to reignite your deal origination machine.
You might recall from high school physics that inertia is a powerful force. Objects in motion stay in motion… and those at rest stay at rest.
Deal inertia is real. As long as you keep the origination engine humming, you’ll move deals toward closing while maintaining a funnel full of potential opportunities.
If a deal falls apart, all is not lost — you’ve got leads and businesses stacked up behind it. There ends up being no gap in your work to acquire a business.
By always originating, you not only eliminate gaps… you also reduce the risk of “deal heat.”
Deal heat is the raw, infatuation with a particular opportunity. Belief that it’s THE one, the deal of a lifetime. The solution to all your dealmaking dreams.
Deal heat is dangerous. It clouds your judgment and ability to think clearly, negotiate pragmatically, and navigate a close.
Listen, we all can suffer from deal heat. Just a year ago, Carl and I were in the midst of deal heat over a company we were trying to buy.
It happens.
But strong deal origination allows you to focus on a multitude of opportunities simultaneously. A particular deal is less likely to be “the one” when you’ve got options.
Options allow you to think freely and clearly as a buyer, and define terms that fit your needs and expectations.
Not only that, but achieving business owner (or multi-business owner) status can happen much more quickly when you’re always originating.
Not every ‘shot’ on goal is going to score. You’ve got to work for it.
Hard work is undefeated. But we all want to hit our goals sooner, not later.
Why not do the same with your dealmaking pursuits?
Hit origination hard…
More deals, more success, and more wealth await those who work for it.
And those who work harder and smarter will end up far ahead of the rest.
Always be originating — you’re only one deal away.
