Although many industries have not let vendors access their facilities, the bigger problem is what happened to the decision makers during the shutdown. For years during out training classes,we taught professionals about the importance of identifying the four categories of people responsible for hiring. This was always the magic behind a business developer’s ability to win business. Now we must travel through uncharted waters.
The first question you must ask is how have you been taking care of your clients during the pandemic? In many instances you might have tried but emails and voice messages were not returned. However, for the one in a hundred that did respond, you have positioned your firm above the competition.
Now that most of the country is opening up, it is time to begin the next round of client contacts. After three months of very limited activity, there is pent up demand for your services. The firms that unravel the new dynamics of client acquisition will be the beneficiaries of winning new business.
It would be a cliche to say just go back to the basics. Open up Sales Force or whatever system you use and start making calls is the old approach to going back to the basics. If your business has always dealt with the executive suite, this approach might bear fruit. Research is needed before you begin making the calls. You need to know how this company has restructured since the shutdown. Has management shifted the roles of its executives. Who is now responsible for purchasing the services you are selling. The president might have been the person you developed a long term relationship with, but now an executive vice president you never met with is making the hiring decisions. In this case, you don’t just need to get a name. Your friend, the president, needs to make a formal introduction.
Remember the one in a hundred who responded to your offer of help during the pandemic? These friends can be your biggest asset in moving forward. It is a given that these firms will likely hire you for new work, but they also become the key to obtaining work outside of their firm. They know other executives in their industry. They have golfed with them, shared anniversaries and enjoyed family activities together. The pandemic changed a lot of business behaviors, but it didn’t change the interpersonal relationships of people. To benefit from the paradigm shift, you need to know who these people are. Your friend can help you with that. The person you offered to help in their time of distress and need, is the person who will help you uncover new business. But, you need to know who might be in that circle of friends. We are back to more research.
You don’t want to go to this now platinum contact and ask, “Do you know anyone who needs our services, products, etc.”. The approach must be geared to a specific company you know will be looking for your services. You know your friend was in a foursome at a golf outing last year or some other thing that connects them. Now you can ask for a platinum referral. The best way to initiate this is during a meeting. When your friend answers your question by saying he will call this person, your response is simply can you call him now. It is one thing for someone to call to offer a referral, but it is even more powerful while making the call to say that you are in the room with him now discussing new ideas.
There are a lot of changes coming for business development professionals looking to build business for their firms. In the end, the winners will be those professionals who can identify the changes in their client companies and industries while continuing to search for ways to help them.
