The unity*dc B2B marketing blog

Strategies for Re-invigorating your Business Development pipeline

Jeremy Mai & Jacqueline Harris gave a speech at the J6 Chamber Breakfast on strategies for re-invigorating your business development pipeline. It was of particular interest to professional services and business services firms. In case you couldn't be there here's a quick summary of the main points:

The market is changing

The market has changed and it's important to look again at how you develop new business.
Recovery, when it comes, won't be all good news. Some clients may be sticking with you for now, but may look to move on when it's safe, unless you work now to keep them.
Some of your clients may have gone away during the downturn, but you might not have lost them forever. Why not try to win them back?

Re-visit your client contact strategy

"I only ever hear from them when they want something" - avoid this common perception by making contact more regularly with current clients, even if it's only for a catch-up.
"What you do with your billable time determines your current income. What you do with your non-billable time determines your future." David Maister's quote still rings true today, and you don't need to invest as much time as you might think.
"I don't care what you know until I know you care about me." An investment of a little time in getting to know more about your clients' businesses will help keep them loyal.

Use modern marketing to support client contact by your fee earners

Dunbar's number - our brains are only wired to maintain 150 quality relationships - and that has to include family, friends, colleagues as well as clients and prospects.
Use email and other targeted marketing techniques to establish a dialogue with smaller and more peripheral clients and prospects.
Make sure your marketing is a dialogue and not a monologue - engineer your communications to encourage response and make it easy for clients to switch to personal contact.

Take action now

If you'd like to re-invigorate your firm's business development pipeline, contact us now. We run a 2-hour introductory workshop for your directors or senior partners that looks into these strategies in more detail and gives practical ideas that make a real difference.

We are offering this valuable £1000 workshop without charge for a limited period to firms in the Thames Valley. Call Jeremy Mai now on 01628 200200 to book.