Business Development can be described as long-term activities, ideas or initiatives that aim at making business better. It involves creating value for customers, markets, and relationships for business in the long-term.
It includes a variety of activities, from exploring new opportunities in external markets to introducing efficient ways to carry out the internal business operations. Where do you start in developing an effective strategy?
Carry out extensive market research
Understand the industry that you are in, where you are geographically located and who are you targeting? When you decide on who the target audience, ask yourself what? When? Where? Which? Why? And How?
i. What do you want to sell to your target audience?
ii. when are you planning to approach them?
iii. Where are they located?
iv. Which personnel will you be aiming to approach?
v. Why would they want to have a meet with you?
vi. How are you going to reach them?
You can find ready-made reports on industry, market, country, etc. on the internet. Make Google your friend or any other search engine that you are comfortable using.
Listen to Your Clients
Consumers play an integral part in the growth and success of business. You need to keep in touch with your current clients. Assess the consumers’ opinion of your company and their needs. What are you doing right or what do you need to change?
Build close relationships with them through the use of email, phone call or even face to face meetings. Email your marketing materials to them and follow up.
Enhance Your Public Image
As much as you cannot control how people think about you, you can influence their thoughts about you. Your brand image should be consistent to the public eye. Participate actively in your business associations.
Position yourself in areas where you can interact with prospective clients. Be it, offering volunteer services to industry experts. It will help you gain visibility and be able to capture targets of high value.
Increase Your Market Exposure
Establish an online presence using the different social media platforms. By understanding your target audience then you will be able to tell which platform to use to reach out to them.
Publish curated content on your achievements, successes, projects, etc. Maximize on the use of Search Engine Optimization techniques. Conduct research online, on reputation management to determine the image of your business to the public.
You need to brainstorm and identify winning concepts for your business. An idea may be formed due to an existing situation, or it may be out of innovative thinking. You need to come up with a creative and achievable set of objectives, for success.
Adopting a mix and match set of ideas won’t be a disappointment. Believe in yourself and implement the ideal strategies to reach your goal.
