Don't sit around waiting for deals that might never come. Treat every client interaction right now as your chance to make money, not your schedule's placeholder for something better later. Make hay while the sun is shining.
Don't wait for the other guy. I've seen a number of situations where people get frustrated and disappointed because they say, well, look, I know this other deal is about to come through, this relationship is going to come through, a referral is going to come to me, and then I'm going to be set and things are going to be good. This causes people to be passive, sort of try to clear their calendar so they can react quickly to that wonderful thing that's about to come around the corner. And then so often it does not. What I find is that even if you are very busy, an opportunity that comes around the corner, it's something you then clear your deck for, right? You're going to ask, okay, what's the most valuable way for me to be using my time? And then if that new opportunity turns out to be it, you can do it. So I would encourage you, don't wait. If you have a client that says, "I'm going to get back to you," or a partner who says, "I've got work for you, we're going to talk next week," make hay this week while the sun is shining. You're going to find that the more profitable business opportunities you have in front of you, the more profitable business you're going to be able to make.
