For whatever reason, I think of September as the beginning of the year. Since I still have kids (albeit older ones) in school, it’s only natural that I feel the pattern of a new start in the Fall. Interestingly, it seems to me this is also when the business world begins to re-focus on work as well. Summer vacations are over, the fourth quarter for many is imminent so it’s time to put the nose to the grind.
To that end, I am re-visiting my 2010 goals. My Managing Director and I review them quarterly and I update them monthly. This has been a new habit for me this year and it has really worked well on keeping me focused and strategic in my business approach. I have implemented a myriad of new approaches to my business plan this year and it has been exciting to put these new steps in action.
These new approaches have been related to my business development strategy, which I must confess were minimal prior to this year. Now I have a written marketing strategy, monthly objectives and clear benchmarks to gauge my progress. I have added social media to my marketing plan with Twitter, LinkedIn and this blog. My newsletters are more consistent and frequent.
My plan is working. Just this morning I met with a new potential client. It’s a company that I have known for years, but never been able to get my foot in the door. They reacted to two aspects of my marketing approach. The first is we both belong to the same business organization. The second is my consistent e-marketing campaign of newsletters. Put those two together and they called me rather than me cold-calling them.
Enough pontificating – it’s back to work! What works best for your business development? I would love to hear other ideas.
