What is business development? An effective business development approach is to encompass several major steps in the evaluating process including: your identification of the opportunity; what are your committed resources; the actual development of your business proposal; market evaluation; competition; and your time restraints.
From the birth of ideas to early startups, to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who seek second stage growth, and all they way to strategy implementation for corporate giants, many institutions exist to support firms in their business development efforts.
One way or another, these institutions interact with companies on their growth journey and provide all kinds of resources to support them, including funding and physical work spaces (offices), professional support, advice and mentoring, tools and frameworks, strategy development and operations efficiency, and access to important networks in the business ecosystem.
In many cases this role is a liaison between sales, marketing, procurement, and management. It might be hard to decide if and when to use various business development services. For example, life science and other firms with R&D cycles require more time in an incubation program service companies.
Small Business
So many professional service firms we meet bemoan the track record of most of their folk in developing new work and new clients in attractive niches. There are resilient businesses that do survive this phase and go on to succeed on a new lease of life. The case for increased focus on the integration of digital marketing with core business development planning must be highlighted. Market research is an important part of business planning.
Boutique consulting firms offer organizations highly specialized advice that addresses specific problems or aspects of a business. The inevitable is cash flow drying up and losses mount up. Most businesses fold up during this phase. Failing to do this a common problem with companies and their sales teams and even more so with business development professionals as the relationships they have and bringing to the table are often held tightly and not given up easily.
Managing a business development team member is similar to a sales team member in many respects. Hiring a business development person is different than finding a sales person for your team. Overall, boutique consulting firms focus on a limited scope of industries, and resolve business issues quicker than large management consulting firms that require more time for a specific project.
The 5 Phases Of Business Development
Job titles continually evolve based on the changing needs of companies. One important aspect of the BD process is that it is most effective as a closed-loop system, in which the Operations Phase information feeds into the Positioning Phase for an ever-changing system that quickly reacts to changing conditions in the marketplace.
If the case exists where the top level business strategies have not been clearly defined and there are significant online marketing activities in terms of social media interaction, paid advertising and content creation and publication for search engine marketing purposes then the conclusion may be drawn that as a consequence there is no real foundation on which to base the digital marketing activities.
A particular interest will be taken into how business development activities differ across company sizes and growth stages, from early-stage startups to fully-grown companies, and the various institutions that can support companies on their paths to growth.
India Travel
So many professional service firms we meet bemoan the track record of most of their folk in developing new work and new clients in attractive niches. Ironically, it’s the most expensive option, with ‘front of the line’ service and unlimited consulting with partners in the firm that sells the most. Moreover, the job of a business developer is highly cross functional, as it requires collaboration with various internal and partner-company teams such as sales, engineering, and marketing to ensure that a deal is consummated.
While a business development expert can always play the role as sales person the opposite is not always true. Examples of niches in which boutique consulting firms operate include human resources and staffing, IT, healthcare, business process outsourcing, and accounting.
Business Development Plan
Starting a new business is far more than simply hanging a sign out and waiting for customers to pour through the door and I’m sure anyone willing to invest in a new venture is well aware of this fact. With the development and constantly-expanding use of the Internet, many entrepreneurs are finding it easier to tap their potential market, and market their products and services to customers across the globe. There are both niche specialists targeting specific business needs and generalists taking a 360° view of the firm and its strategy and objectives.
Business development involves all tasks and processes concerning both the analytical preparation, monitoring and support of growth opportunities. You will be left with a balance – i.e. “20{8810006a5594dd854d135cf851cc6fa2a1c4b10b045aa3f4728e7fef270785ae} of my business next year will come from new opportunities” – therefore you can then begin to allocate your selling time accordingly.
Business growth strategy formulation is an intense process of studying the firm’s strengths and weaknesses, that are used to exploit growth opportunities if and when they present themselves.