Business Development Consulting - The Complete Guide 2024

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A company that does not understand its environment And its codes cannot develop healthily. Les counsellors and specialists ofthe Business Development are going to bring their expertise on all the levers of commercial development modern. No element of the action plan should be overlooked.

Many companies thus collaborate with Akimbo to boost the performance of their sales team, on issues of guidance, outsourcing Or of Coaching.

What is business development?

The commercial development is not limited to growth of the company. This term takes into account All the economic dimension of the company, from the optimization of resources to prospecting to the management of customer relationships.

Business Development - Definition?

The commercial development is a strategy that allows reconciling resources and goals of a company.

The methods used are the result of the action of the Business Development & Sales departments who work together to ensure viability And the sustainability of the company.

Business development is an action plan multiple. That is to say, it takes into account all components of the sales cycle.

• Go-to-market (choice of a customer target, a market, the messages that will be conveyed);
• Prospecting for new accounts;
• Customer appointments;
• Customer relationship management and customer loyalty;
• Partnerships;
• Etc...

Why do business development?

• An increasing competitive intensity

The a precise business development strategy is becoming more and more important in view of the constant number Increase in businesses on the markets.

This particular attention paid to the development of the structure allows it to best fit into its internal environment but above all external. It is a way of establishing yourself more effectively in your marketplace And of match the values current, while keeping a close eye on the future.

• Accelerating innovation cycles

A company that does not follow technological and societal developments cannot last. She will be surpass By contestants better informed and better prepared. La speed of execution and transmission innovations make the task particularly complex.

Commercial development seeks to provide the company with the methods necessary to have a real impact on the market. This process is stepless, the company must constantly reinventing to maintain its status.

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What is business development consulting?

The different phases of a commercial development consultancy mission

Creating a business development plan includes clear steps And defined goals. It is a mission that can last from a few weeks to months when continuous support is necessary to improve the commercial performance.

As with any consulting mission, there are certain phases:

• Discovering needs;
• Audit of commercial processes;
• Recommendation phase;
• Implementation;
• Follow-up.

Here are the 4 fundamental axes worn during a commercial development consultancy mission:

Have an effective customer acquisition strategy

The company must ensure that it has a good marketing approach to attract prospects to be canvassed. But that's not enough, business development focuses on perfecting the job of soliciting new accounts.

It's about helping organizations define their targets and define the good prospecting method.

Sales representatives should organize the encounters (by video, by call, by email or face-to-face) and Define their approach in order to obtain as much information as possible.

Developing this network can bring business opportunities. This work forms the basis for the company's future activity.

Use effective sales methods

In the logic of adapting the company's strategy to the market, the vending must respond to new shopping habits.

Commercial development requires salespeople toadapt their sales techniques to the context.

Experts advise salespeople to be able toparse And of understand their offer and the market. They must also Work on their presentation to match the needs of customers. The exchanges will allow them to refine the proposed offer and the personalize.

Effective and targeted arguments are more likely to convince and to lead to a sale.

Ensure the commercial productivity of your teams

Sales teams don't just sell. They can bring informations valuable in terms of feedback on customers, products/services, competition or market developments.

When recruiting, HR must recognize value profiles and integrate them into the company's development strategy.

The improvement of their skills and their performance continues throughout their time in office. The structure in which they operate must guarantee a good working environment, a good transmission of information And themainstreaming of the various actors.

Rely on competent commercial management

The challenge of business development is to make the process as smooth as possible. inclusive and harmonious possible. In order for everyone to exercise their function and for the progress of the plan to be controlled, the Management is essential.

Each Business Development & Sales team has a manager. This leader will animate and motivate your team. He supervises the execution of actions but may also intervene if a particular salesperson is having difficulties.

For the work climate is pleasant, caring and productive, the hierarchy must make the effort to establish communication between collaborators. It is an effective way to promote teamwork While organizing tasks of each and their tracking.

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Do you need help growing your business?

Some businesses fail to keep up The evolution of the market. For good reason, the flow of information is more massive and rapid, the technology is more accessible, the competition is tougher. In this case, they can call on a business development consulting organization.

Why use a business development agency?

It exists two types of commercial development agencies: agencies offering business development consultancy and agencies offeringoutsource your prospecting (outsourcing).

For this article, we are interested in First case. This help provides a bespoke solution and allows the company to have time to continue its activity.

• She brings theexpertise And the professionalism to solve business challenges (e.g.: redesign of the commercial approach, launch of a new service...).
• THEaccompanying numerous customers in different industries gives him the perspective needed to parse the business environment.
• Some messages need to be brought fromoutside to support management intuitions.

What is a sales consultant? His role

In a consulting mission, we often find junior and senior consultants. For customers with 20 to 500 employees, there are between 2 and 5 on average.

The most consultants juniors are responsible for quantitative and qualitative analyses.

The consultants Seniors Bring a more strategic dimension.

Sales consultants work on different missions For different customers. They stand out for their analytical and communication skills. They quickly understand the stakes and keep the necessary perspective to provide the right solutions.

How do you know if you need business development advice?

Every society can face adjustment difficulties. The important thing is to identify needs and to quickly take effective measures.

This device is not reserved for big companies. From the moment when the KPIs of the sales team seem to unsatisfactory, an intervention is required.

If the company is unable to structure its approach for solve the problem internally, she will do call on an external consulting agency. So, sales teams are no longer Alone faced with the commercial decisions, which are sometimes crucial, to be made.

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How do you choose your business development consulting agency?

• Choosing an agency with experience

To face the challenges presented, business development consultants must benefit fromfield experience. At most they have experienced various situations, at most they will be able to build a effective strategy. These profiles generally have more than Looking back on the situation.

• Give priority to stakeholders who know several areas of activity

The action of the cabinet must be adapted to the internal functioning of the company but also to external constraints.

In this logic, it is useful for an agency to know several sectors.

They can be specialized But one global knowledge of the market is required to make the action plan coherent.

• Identify agencies that promote collaboration

The agency does not take on the role of decision maker. It is a figure of guidance. The agency must set up a caring and trusting relationship with the company. Both parties are working to make progress together commercial development in the long term.

Why choose Akimbo? Our expertise.

Selling is undergoing a revolution. Akimbo decided to combine coaching and advice in a model of unique training in business development.

Support is centred on the functioning of the company and its actors.

The aim is to create a dynamic and a accompanying based on performance (optimization of processes, increase in the skills of individuals...).

Of experts in this area ensure the monthly follow-up of the impact of the program.

Much more than a simple training, it is a investing in the future.

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How do I do business development?

Commercial development is not about compensating temporarily to a change in activity. This approach consists in building a stable plan of action and methodical For lasting results.

1st Step: Study your market and its competition

The first step in business development is to understand the environment in which we intervene. Without knowing your customers, it is impossible to meet their needs. Likewise, a company cannot position itself if it does not know the market trends Or her concurrency.

To solve this problem, businesses should be encouraged to be curious to learn more about their activity (surveys, market research...). Needs and preferences are evolving rapidly. The performance of the company will depend on its ability to be reactive. Access to information should be clear and accessible for facilitate adaptation.

2nd Step: Know your target customers

Today, it is no longer enough to know what you have to offer. It is essential to be interested in customer needs. The aim is to set up an effective marketing strategy Based On a Panel of customers.

Sales teams will focus their efforts on this sample. They are going to seek identify their needs and desires. Through this analysis process, the audience is targeted and commercial speeches are Refined accordingly. Customers will be more easily seduced by the offer if they feel that the exchange is prepared With and for them.

3rd Step: Create your sales process

The sales process includes all sales or negotiation techniques and arguments.

Once the company knows who it is aimed at and in what context, it must be able toadapt your offer.

It's the job of salespeople. They're going to have to refine their sales pitch to meet consumer expectations.

This work is decisive for the results in terms of sales. The idea is to create a identity to the sales process. It is necessary to give added value to exchanges Who will be able to differentiate the company and its offer from others.

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4th Step: Prospecting to develop your client portfolio

To develop a company's activity, it is essential toopen to other profiles customers. After identifying the potentials business opportunities, the prospecting Look for them transform into real customers.

To do this, salespeople demonstrate creativity And of determination. The contact channels are multiple and the process can be very long. Prospects may object and reject the offer.

Prospecting is complex but it reveals itself profitable. Establishing new relationships makes the business win by visibility and in terms of Sales.

5th Step: Retain your customers

Acquiring new customers is nothing if the company is not able to keep. Constantly rebuilding your customer base is costly in terms of time and money. For a business to develop, it must strengthens and retains its customers.

To do this, sales teams must go available throughout the sales cycle To respond to questions Or at remarks.

If individuals are Satisfied of their sales experience and the advice provided, they will be loyal and want Renew the experience.

Step 6: Take a step back and improve your sales process

The sales process seems well-established, but the time and energy that salespeople put into negotiation can be reduced. As the action plan progresses, it becomes interesting to rationalize the organization of the project.

Of automation and customer relationship management software allow gain in productivity. They are effective ways to centralize data and Follow the progress of each file.

Each new interaction brings a new experience and a new Feedback on the offer and the service offered.

These improvements enrich and refine the sales process.

7th step: Track your results, analyze them and implement them

It is not enough to launch commercial action, you have to measure its effectiveness. For this, measurement tools are used to detect The impact of initiatives taken on the company performance.

There are two benefits to monitoring the application of the commercial strategy:

• Depending on the results of the analyses, it may happen that it is not adequate and that certain factors may be change For more correspond to the context and the objectives.
• Regular observations on the progress of progress make it possible to detect in advance of changes in trends or opportunities on the market and so Anticipate the competition.

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