5. Brag to the Enterprise Since you have access to the many people you have had discussions with and know where each sits on the company “chess board”, you have permission to go back and update them on the progress that is being made on the pilot.
Notice that all the development time you’ve invested with people across all lines of business now has the potential to produce results. Unlike a sales optic, which often assumes that a “no” now means a definite “no”, a development focus assumes that circumstances are always in flux.
Since you already have access and permission right across the organization, you will want to go back and brag about the progress of your pilot. Your conversation will be about relevance and possible applications to the business circumstances you have already discussed with each of these people.
It would be faulty logic to wait until a pilot is secured before developing access to other lines of business within a large entity.
CM Associates’ success at leveraging a pilot to preferred vendor status is based upon having wide and deep access from the outset. Since it can take more than a year to chart where all the individuals involved in a decision about retaining your firm are located, you may not be in a position to capture success from a pilot if your access is not already in place.
New business development is therefore a circle rather than a straight line. The average lifespan of an executive is 2 years in a given position. Refreshing your contact with executives who may have moved into other roles is a gracious way of staying informed about evolving business needs. Their role in a decision to retain your firm may have changed from champion to purchaser. You need to stay informed.
ASK US: “What metrics should we use when planning a new business development program?”
cmassociates@sympatico.ca
To learn more about this author, visit Catherine McQuaid's Website.
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Catherine McQuaid
(Visit Catherine's Website)
CM Associates
do market reconnaissance for companies
wanting to acquire “wish list” new
clients: those in stable sectors, with
lots of ongoing needs.
How to avoid the feast-or-famine cycle of
project-driven assignments?
CM associates conducts new business
outreach:
gathering business intelligence on those
“wish list” new clients
establishing C-level relationships with
those involved in decisions
…all without the cost of face-to-face
meetings.
Simple, database tools, voice, email and
reconnaissance agents are all one needs to
secure stable, enterprise-wide, repeat
engagements.
Reach beyond local markets without leaving
home
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