business development insights

Is Your Company in a Graveyard Spiral?

Is Your Company in a Graveyard Spiral?

Columns and Articles, MBDi Article of the Week

OK. You just spotted an RFP on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website that is a perfect match for your government contracting business. It’s exactly the kind of work you do and unquestionably the type of expertise and experience your company possesses. So you need to immediately gather the troops and get everyone started on writing the proposal. A no-brainer right? Wrong. Before you do anything, you need to answer these questions. Do you really know this customer and truly understand the issues behind the proposal? And even more importantly; does this customer know you? If not, you may be in serious trouble.

Questions or Statements

Questions or Statements?

Insights

Stop and take a moment to think about the kinds of questions you ask your Prospects. Is your tendency to ask long, overly focused questions or short, open-ended questions? As a Business Development Professional, it is critical to understand the value of a good question as it is one of the primary ways to gather valuable intelligence. However, it is important to note that not all questions are created equal. Over the years we have found that short, simple questions often elicit a more valuable and complete response. As you deliver your question to the prospect, be sure you are not “leading the witness” by asking long winded questions or starting the question with a statement.

Conceptually – Stay outside your comfort zone

Insights

In Business Development, it’s never about you. It’s all about the client and their needs, their concerns, their perspective of the problem, and ultimately, their decision about the solution. In come cases, the solution may not even involve you or your company!

Always have a goal; activity is not an accomplishment

Always have a goal; activity is not accomplishment

Insights

Do your homework the first time and on every call. Focus it around the Four Cornerstones of Business Development. Pay special attention to people knowledge; what has changed about the individual and their situation, and what additional individuals should you be contacting to secure this business.