Well… It’s that time of year again! The holidays are over, all of our relatives who came to visit are now safely tucked away in their own homes far, far away. The holiday haze has lifted and we realize that our bills need to get paid so we’re ready to focus on work again and start looking for ways to drum up business. What to do… What to do… What to do…
Most business owners go to their standard, tried and true, business development (BizDev) tactics which their customers have come to expect while others are truly going to make 2020 the year of vision and do something new. Which category do you fall into? Whether you do something new or stick with tradition my advice to you is to lead with innovation!
Innovation, according to Webster’s Dictionary, means; 1- “a new idea, method or device” or 2- “the introduction of something new” and innovation is something for which your customers are thirsty. Innovation is the fuel that powers the 21st century rocket that is your business. Businesses that are innovative are the ones that are growing and they are usually the influencers in the marketplace. Innovation is the opposite of stagnation! Stagnation is the kiss of death for a business. Stagnation is also called the comfort zone and in order to move towards innovation you must have a robust BizDev strategy.
How many of you have been to an event that was promoted as the “33rd annual thus-and-such?” When you go into an event like this the event organizer is trying to convey to their audience that they have been doing this for thirty-three (plus) years which means that they really know how to throw a community event or soiree! Most of the time, when you go to one of these events like a trade show, you can usually close your eyes and walk straight to your favorite booth because they have been in that exact same spot since 1997! Don’t tell them I told you so but you can probably get the exact same product from them this year that you purchased from them last year.
Business Development is the collective list of actions you take to ensure that your customers are thinking of you as they search for the products that will keep THEM on the cutting edge of their world. Robust business development means that you are in tune to your customers needs and their desires. If you have a healthy business development strategy then you are probably attracting, and keeping, more new customers every day. Or not…
If your Business Development strategy isn’t doing what you expect it to do come see us at the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce. We eat, drink, sleep and dream BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. The chamber of commerce has the tools to help you fine tune your day-to-day strategy for attracting customers. We understand that there are wrinkles along the way to successful customer acquisition but we are able to help you iron out the wrinkles! We can collaborate with you and your team to develop a strategy that works or we can introduce you to other professionals who have been exactly where you are now and are willing to help you succeed. We work hard to get to know you so you can get away from the “splatter method” of business which is simply throwing “stuff” against the wall to see if it will stick!
The strategy you employ should be in line with your core values and strengths. Whether you will be employing a face-to face strategy with cold calling and networking, or a more formal trade show and/or direct mail campaign your plan for this year should be to strategize for the future. Think about where you want to go and what you have done in the past. If you find yourself saying, “we’ve always done it this way,” or If you are hearing this phrase from your team, then I suggest you start making changes to your plan. Call me at the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce today… I’m always ready to help!