So many professional service firms we meet bemoan the track record of most of their folk in developing new work and new clients in attractive niches. From the birth of ideas to early startups, to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who seek second stage growth, and all they way to strategy implementation for corporate giants, many institutions exist to support firms in their business development efforts.

A marketing and constancy firm can demonstrate where they’re succeeding. Using the help from a second stage business accelerator can be one way to overcome these challenges; to (re)establish the entire “business machinery” required to allow growth to take place.

While the business plan is critical for the success of the new venture, it is not the first step in the process. Undeniably, business development is a crucial component of a firm’s success – the opportunities forged today will define what the company is doing on tomorrow.

A particular interest will be taken into how business development activities differ across company sizes and growth stages, from early-stage startups to fully-grown companies, and the various institutions that can support companies on their paths to growth.

Business Development Plan

Business development requires a multi-disciplinary approach and there is no ‘one size fits all’ strategy. Moreover, no company can house all expertise internally, thus the advice from external business professionals may at times come in handy. A business development specialist is typically a cross between a marketing and a sales person. Hiring a development consultant is going to cost you money, but it’s important to see this as an investment for your business.

While a consultants hourly rate may be higher than you’re comfortable with a deal can be put together much faster by a professional than someone trying for the first time to structure a business partnership. If you’re the typical small business starting, growing or even just surviving in a tough economic market with little or no credit, you also need business development strategies that don’t eat up your cash flow.

This is an extract from my FREE eBook – “How to Construct an Effective Business Development Strategy” which is available for download – please see details below. Business Process Management (BPM) is an all-round management approach that aims at aligning all the business processes with its core vision and consumer demands.

Self Improvement

When it comes to improving the running of your business or building up a solid business from the ground up hiring a firm of business development consultants are a great way of increasing your profits and developing a solid business plan. Large management consulting firms are able to draw from massive reservoirs of overlapping knowledge and expertise in contrast to the more narrowly focused boutique consulting firms, and can offer a single client support on IT, strategy, operational, human capital, and financial issues.

These are but a few of that which we consider to be business fundamentals and how these key business imperatives dovetail into the core internet marketing activities are fundamentally important to the organisation’s overall marketing activities effectiveness.

Marketing – Your marketing strategy will have a direct impact on your success. Just as when buying any service, when contracting for professional business development services it is important to have clear deliverables. This is the third stage of a business development.

What Are The Stages Of Business Development

Starting a new business is far more than simply hanging a sign out and waiting for customers to pour through the door and I’m sure anyone willing to invest in a new venture is well aware of this fact. During this phase, the business require infusion of additional capital to buy capital equipment to increase production (for manufacturing businesses), to establish additional service network (for service providers) or procure more goods for trade (for trading businesses).

Many business that do not have the internal man power and capabilities to identify, engage, and do the business deals necessary for growth can benefit from a consultant or consulting firm that has access to the business decision makers or the experience necessary to reach out to companies and develop the relationships required to put together a great business deal.

Topics

Every business has its life cycle that it undergoes during the course of its entire existence. We must first look at the business development process itself. During this phase of its existence, businesses experience expansion of its activities and enhancement of its customer base. Large management consulting firms offer a more diverse set of services compared to boutique consulting firms and are often international in scope.

Fast growth can cripple a small business if there isn’t enough cash flow to fulfill on the sales. Marketing involves all activities such as planning and strategy, marketing research, pricing, advertising, branding, communication, customer service and other important functions, that finally make selling possible.
Examples of niches in which boutique consulting firms operate include human resources and staffing, IT, healthcare, business process outsourcing, and accounting.