As I write eTips each week, it’s often the product of business development challenges and behaviours I’ve observed among our clients, or learned second hand. Now, I need your input on the eTips topics you find most relevant, how eTips can improve, and what you’d like more of.

This week, please take this brief, three to five minute survey, and tell me, and the whole JMA team, what you think.

As a thank you, you will be entered into a draw to win a bottle of fine wine.

Of course, if you have any queries or other comments, do get in touch.

Thanks for your support and important feedback.

Linda and the team at Julian Midwinter & Associates

Make sure you set yourself on a course for successful business development in the new financial year.

Listen - especially to unwelcome news. Listen to what your clients say. Listen to unpopular views, and listen extra carefully to what you don’t really want to hear.

Do the research - make sure you gets much input as possible on a subject. Disparate input will help you come to terms with the issues. You need a wide range of information from disparate sources to form a sound basis for the decisions you must make.

Make a business development plan write it down and stick to it. A written plan communicated to everyone is much more likely to succeed than any amount of talk. Review progress against your plan.

- take responsibility for tough decisions. Good decisions are often lonely, and sometimes unpopular. You can’t depend on consensus to make the right decisions in marketing. You will be constantly faced with new opportunities - you can’t pursue them all. So, be prepared to be tough enough to let an opportunity pass

Copyright Julian Midwinter & Associates

If you decide to work with a business development or marketing consultant at any time, you’ll want to be sure that you get the most you can from the consultant’s involvement.

Here are the guidelines that Julian Midwinter & Associates consultants give to our clients.

(Bonus eTip: these guidelines will work extra well with best-of-breed consultants in any expert discipline.)

Be open - please be frank and upfront - tell us about your concerns, problems, and past failures, as well as your strengths. We’ll always be entirely discreet and honest.

Tell us what you expect - until we understand what you want, we won’t know how best to help you. Try to be specific. We’ll tailor our services to meet your expectations.

Understand our role - we can guide you through unfamiliar waters, just as you do for your clients. We can be your “friend at court”. We can bring new ideas and suggest strategies for achieving your objectives. We can advise you on risks and pragmatic steps to avoid them. But you will always be final decisionmaker.

Understand our limitations - we do. We believe in setting achievable objectives. We may suggest an alternate solution or another specialist consultant whose expertise will be a better fit for your project.

Regard us as an extension of your practice - we will learn lots about you through the course of a project. We will endeavour to “add value” on a continuing basis. Your interests will always be paramount in the advice and counsel we offer.

Give us feedback - we need to know how we’re going, what’s working, and what isn’t. We are sincerely interested in how you’re going. Your feedback will help us to do better.

Copyright Julian Midwinter & Associates

Check that you’re au fait with these critical components of effective initial contact.

You know how to:

Plan the approach.
Set clear objectives.
Overcome call reluctance.
Write persuasive contact letters.
Make the call.
Plan the business development meeting.
Introduce yourself, your team, and your firm.
Manage meetings.
Explain your capabilities, and those of your team and your firm.
Describe the work you do in terms of benefits to your client.
Gain commitment to proceed to next step.

If you feel your performance might deserve improvement in any of these areas, enlist support from:

Colleagues who’ve mastered these skills.
Your sales coach.
Your marketing manager.
Expert external consultants.

Copyright Julian Midwinter & Associates

Good business developers are separated from great business developers by what happens when they encounter difficulties.

Check how you handle these “difficult times”:

Talking about and overcoming client concerns.

Overcoming price/fee objections.

Handling billing disputes.

Winning back lost opportunities.

Dealing with the fear of personal failure.

If you don’t rate at least “very good” or better on any of these items, it’s in your professional interests to improve.

Sources of help include:

Colleagues who have a track record of doing extra well in the face of these difficulties.

Your internal business development director.

External experts and consultants.

Copyright Julian Midwinter & Associates

Rate yourself on these factors, each critical to your business development success:

Technical skills.

Understanding of your target market.

Emotional intelligence.

Listening skills.

Ability to quickly develop rapport.

Ability to attract the right attention from your target market, clients, and prospective clients.

If you figure there’s an area which is letting you down:

Check back copies of eTips.

Role play and rehearse better approaches.

Ask your colleagues and in-firm resources for coaching.

Seek expert external help.

Copyright Julian Midwinter & Associates