Because of the business climate, government contractors are taking a hard look at their strategic marketing and making adjustments to their business development strategies.
The best way to ensure long-term revenue growth is to hire business development professionals who understand how to develop and sustain relationships, possess the ability to advise customers concerning their needs, and can consistently win business.
Take a test that measures your human intelligence quotient, which will show you how effective your business development skills are and where you need to improve.
Current wisdom suggests that the government services industry is safer and more predictable than the commercial space. However, the word around Washington is that the transition to a new presidential administration means few new opportunities in the near future and a slower government business pace.
Hiring retired senior military officers for business development positions is a common practice. However, the business development role is highly misunderstood.
Small and midsize government services companies need to grow, be acquired or be gone. Building a business development organization is a significant challenge but a crucial component of success.
Much has been written about capture and proposal management. At most companies it is a well-defined, documented and integrated procedure. Likewise, most business development organizations are well acquainted with the Step, Stage or Gate Review processes.
One of the significant outcomes of a successful business development process is client intelligence. This information comes in two forms: research intelligence gathered on an opportunity, client or request for proposals and personnel intelligence about individuals who experience problems, allocate funds and make purchasing decisions.
A proactive business development organization revolves around vision, plans, leaders and teamwork. Senior executives must have a vision for the company: where they want to go, how they plan to get there and how long they have to accomplish it.
An organization's culture is the aggregate of each individual'sthinking. It includes individual attitudes, beliefs,values and feelings. Cultural components can be positiveor negative. For example, many organizationsdon't really understand and value business development and, assuch, they've taken it for granted.
