Financial Times Guide to Business Development

Financial Times Guide to Business Development

by Mr. Ian Cooper
Released April 2012
Publisher(s): Pearson Business
ISBN: 9780273759546

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Book description

With over 500 tips, tactics, techniques and thought provoking business questions, this is the authoritative guide to attracting more customers, profit, revenue and business success.

Whether you are a budding entrepreneur, existing business owner, manager or director, this is the most comprehensive, pragmatic, common sense collection of business development techniques ever brought together into one book. It is structured so that you can easily find and dip into specific topics or view the whole book from a more overall strategic standpoint.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. The Financial Times Guide to Business Development (1/2)
  3. The Financial Times Guide to Business Development (2/2)
  4. Contents
  5. Acknowledgements
  6. Introduction
  7. The 21 commonsense business development truths
    1. Focus on converting leads, not just on generating them
    2. Exceed customer or client expectations
    3. Speak to potential customers or clients . . . and speak to them nicely
    4. Be open for business
    5. Don’t let your admin get in the way
    6. There’s no job more important than helping customers or clients part with their cash!
    7. Don’t let technology get in the way
    8. Quality and word-of-mouth count for everything
    9. Actively strive for consistency
    10. Recruitment is part of business development
    11. Keep in touch with your existing and past customers and clients
    12. Master social online media
    13. Test your ideas, concepts and prices
    14. Plan, but keep things simple
    15. Take complaints seriously
    16. Make your customer or client environment appropriate
    17. Train your people to spot opportunities
    18. Get out of your office or premises and mix and mingle
    19. Find a niche and specialise
    20. Model what works best
    21. Be squeaky clean – you need to be trusted
  8. Asking the right business questions: a toolkit for business development
    1. The five impact questions
    2. The 100 business development questions (1/2)
    3. The 100 business development questions (2/2)
  9. The 20 business development pricing tools, truths and techniques
    1. Winning business is not the most important thing – being profitable is
    2. Price is a communications issue, not a financial or accounting one
    3. Focus on value and service and not just price
    4. Bundle in and include as much as you can
    5. Unbundle and charge things separately
    6. Don’t fall into the price trap
    7. Consider increasing your prices
    8. Use division and comparison
    9. Get others to justify your prices
    10. Price with guarantees
    11. Price for specialisation
    12. Price for profile and experience
    13. Price based on feedback and testing
    14. Price for prestige
    15. Price for know how
    16. Price with the competition in mind
    17. If you must have a loss leader, make it count!
    18. Consider special deals, promotions, sales and discounts
    19. Price for easy payment
    20. Price with magic numbers
  10. Introducing the business development priorities
    1. Priority 1 – Convert leads, opportunities and enquiries into profitable business
    2. Priority 2 – Develop more business from existing customers and clients
    3. Priority 3 – Externalise business developmen tefforts to generate new leads, opportunities and enquiries
  11. Priority 1 – Convert leads, opportunities and enquiries into profitable business
    1. The 10 commandments of converting leads and enquiries (1/2)
    2. The 10 commandments of converting leads and enquiries (2/2)
    3. The five-step conversion process
    4. General tips on handling leads and enquiries
  12. Priority 2 – Develop more business from existing customers and clients
    1. Golden rule 1 – Know your customers and clients
    2. Golden rule 2 – Keep your customers and clients happy (1/2)
    3. Golden rule 2 – Keep your customers and clients happy (2/2)
    4. Golden rule 3 – Keep in touch with your customers and clients
    5. Golden rule 4 – Offer additional products and services
    6. Golden rule 5 – Get customers and clients to recommend and refer
  13. Priority 3 – Externalise business development efforts to generate new opportunities, leads and enquiries
    1. The internet: the commonsense guide to developing your business online (1/3)
    2. The internet: the commonsense guide to developing your business online (2/3)
    3. The internet: the commonsense guide to developing your business online (3/3)
    4. 14 ways to develop your business through joint ventures and collaboration
    5. How to win in competitive situations (1/2)
    6. How to win in competitive situations (2/2)
    7. Brand your way to business development success
    8. Direct targeting by telephone (1/2)
    9. Direct targeting by telephone (2/2)
  14. Personal performance business development skills
    1. Sales skills and tips
    2. Writing skills and tips
    3. Conversational networking skills and tips
    4. Presentation skills and tips
    5. Negotiation skills and tips
    6. Time management skills and tips (1/2)
    7. Time management skills and tips (2/2)
  15. Pulling it all together – making it happen
    1. Beware of planning madness
    2. Know what to do first
    3. Create some ‘have to’ targets
    4. Hit your targets by working backwards
    5. Provide strong leadership and involve others
    6. Stop putting things off
  16. Conclusion
  17. Index (1/2)
  18. Index (2/2)

Product information

  • Title: Financial Times Guide to Business Development
  • Author(s): Mr. Ian Cooper
  • Release date: April 2012
  • Publisher(s): Pearson Business
  • ISBN: 9780273759546