A Question for You: Given the choice would you rather choose to go out on an endless series of blind dates or slowly over time develop a wonderful relationship with someone who had all the qualities you were looking for and could ultimately prove to be a perfect match?

I suspect the latter. Well in the world of business development I guarantee you that it is better to consistently court qualified prospects than it is to continually go on the "blind dates" of cold calling.

In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins begins with the challenge: Good is the enemy of great. In working with many companies over the years, I recognize that to be true. I have also found that real success often comes from having all the following pieces of the puzzle in place. And I do mean all the pieces, even just one missing piece can mean a company will fall short of its goals.