In our work with professional service firms throughout the United States and Canada, we find that many professionals consider the terms “marketing” and “business development” interchangeable.
We, however, actually separate the terms into four categories:
• Marketing: getting found
• Business Development: targeting, research, and proposal preparation
• Business Generation: getting selected
• Client Retention: keeping them happy and growing business
We’ve found only a few businesses and sales teams develop and utilize all four concepts in ways that consistently grow the business. And too many firms have weak business generation skills. Now is the time to train professionals and sales teams to understand the various skills it takes to close more business.
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