Does your business need some fresh new clients or sales to get moving again? Is business development just a chore and you don't know where to start? If you are new to business development and desire to get started in the right direction or maybe you are a veteran, but seem to be in a slump; this article might just be what you need to get the ball rolling.
In this article I'm going to explain three steps that you can take you from scratch to developing new leads and prospects for your business within a few months time. The only question is; are you willing to do the work and see it through?
One of the keys is to have more leads than you know what to do with. If you are looking for long-term stability, then get the funnel to the point of overflowing. This is the optimum scenario and one that puts you in the driver's seat.
Where do you start and how do you accomplish this?
Step One - Do your research and find out everything you can about your competitors. What are they doing right? What are they doing wrong? Where can your product or service fill an unmet need or hole in the market? You might dig up some information that will help with your direct marketing campaigns and also enable you to get your foot in the door. This step will generally separate you from your lazy or busy competitors.
Step Two - Create & implement multiple direct response (direct marketing) campaigns to do the heavy lifting. I suggest using both online and offline versions and having one for prospects and one for existing clients. Get creative and think outside the box as this will help to craft marketing messages that will get their attention. Remember, the direct response piece is designed to get a response, not 'brand' your business.
Step Three - Network, connect and reconnect with all and any contacts you already have. This step might seem simple and easy and that's why I left it for last. It really is as simple as picking up the phone, sending emails, using social media and paying someone a visit that you haven't seen in a while.
Business development is generally a long-term commitment. The steps outlined above can lay the foundation and also give you a boost to get the lead generator started. So be prepared to test, tweak, change and adjust your campaigns as you go. I never said it wouldn't take work, so put in the time, resources and effort to get your business development machine running on all eight cylinders.
By the way, do you want to learn more about small business tips, strategies, tactics and how to implement them in your business to increase sales and drive more traffic?