Effective Generation and Filtering of Industry and Government Leads in Volatile Sectors

Most academics and researchers in a university context will engage in some sort of work with industry, government or public organisations at some stage in their career. However, how this is done can vary hugely: the experiences of a biotechnologist engaging with industry in the agriculture sector can be worlds apart from that of a computer scientist engaging with the technology sector.

One of the key variations is in the volatility of the field you’re working in – are the companies, and the people you’re interacting with, typically still there a decade later, or does everything change every 6 months? In this video, I’m focus on a bunch of practical advice on how to effectively generate and process leads in rapidly moving and volatile industries, so that this sort of activity becomes a fulfilling positive addition to your career, instead of a traumatising drain on it! In particular, I cover three key concepts: that this enterprise is very much a numbers game, that effective filtering and referrals are key, and explain the role of timelines and uncertainty.

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🕒 Timestamps are as follows:

📌 (0:00) Introduction to Effective Engagement
📌 (0:20) The Training Situation
📌 (0:33) Experiences Vary Hugely Based on Sector
📌 (0:53) Stable Versus Volatile Sectors
📌 (1:23) Video Overview – Practical Advice for Engagement
📌 (1:39) Three Key Concepts
📌 (1:52) Key Concept: It’s A Numbers Game
📌 (2:30) Maximizing Only Credible Leads
📌 (2:40) Doing It Yourself Doesn’t Scale
📌 (2:59) Two Key Solutions for the Scaling Challenge
📌 (3:13) Working With Your Industry Engagement Leads
📌 (4:17) Co-Opting Your Colleagues
📌 (5:02) Key Concept: Lead Filtering
📌 (5:14) Don’t Exhaust Yourself For the Wrong Opportunity
📌 (5:40) Filtering by Expertise Fit
📌 (5:49) Three Fit Types: Not Suitable, Competent, Perfect
📌 (6:12) Perfect Fit Projects Provide More Capacity Margin
📌 (6:31) There Typically Aren’t Enough Perfect Fit Projects
📌 (6:43) Limited Timelines Can Change Your Filter
📌 (7:18) Filtering Based on the Development Stage
📌 (7:29) Three Stages of Development
📌 (7:32) Early Stage Conceptual Ideas
📌 (8:16) Well Developed Ideas With a Detailed Plan
📌 (8:51) Joining Existing Projects
📌 (9:18) Do Due Diligence on Existing Opportunities
📌 (9:37) Your Appetite May Be Different to Others
📌 (9:52) Idea Stage Often Determines Input Level
📌 (10:06) Timing: Engagement Can Pay Off Much Later
📌 (10:58) An Increased Reputational Focus On Prior Work
📌 (11:23) You Can’t Force One Opportunity to Be Successful
📌 (12:11) You Can Successfully Engage In Fast Moving Fields