Biz Dev: Do any of us know what we are doing?

"If we do great work, people will line up to work with us." I can’t believe how long I believed this. After over a decade of running Sparkbox, I’ve learned how wrong I was. Make no mistake, great work helps, but it is merely the entry fee. Filling the pipeline at scale with the right leads requires so much more than just having great work in your portfolio.

Finding enough sustainable work is often one of the hardest tasks in running a web studio. We all believe that there is plenty of work available, but how do we strike a balance between having enough and having the right work?

Join me to have an honest discussion of what works in business development and, more importantly, what doesn't. I’ll share my lessons learned, balanced with attendee insights, to have honest discussions so we can all be better at the hard work of finding great work. Come prepared to share, discuss, and learn.

Transcript

1. Rob Harr BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: DO ANY OF US KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING? @robertharr
7. “Field of Dreams” Biz Dev Strategy.
8. A great portfolio is merely table stakes in finding work.
9. Business development is the game.
10. Feeding the machine.
11. $200K a week.
12. Welcome to Owners Summit
13. Bureau Oath.
15. Biz Dev Accountability Group.
16. Get up and sit with someone new.
18. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? INTRODUCTIONS Discuss
19. Rob Harr Dayton, OH Sparkbox Web Design & Dev Studio $7.5M Exam ple
21. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? INTRODUCTIONS Discuss
22. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? GROUND RULES
23. I hated sales people.
24. Making bad promises that I would have to deliver on.
25. It always felt slimy.
26. Biz Dev Golden Rule.
27. I don’t ever want to do anything that if found out later I would not want someone to know.
28. We do compete with each other.
29. Topics Topic 1: New Prospects Topic 2: Proposals Topic 3: Inside Sales Topic 4: Sales Team
30. I am going to encourage you to not talk about tools.
31. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? NEW PROSPECTS
32. There are no silver bullets.
33. There is no “one way.”
34. Timing is everything.
35. People buy people, not process or brand.
36. What are we selling?
37. Trust. Business Development is about trust.
38. Almost all of our new prospects are leaving a broken relationship.
39. Passive prospecting vs Active prospecting
40. Passive Prospecting Passsive
41. Thought Leadership Passsive
42. Passsive
43. Case Studies Passsive
44. Building Community Passsive
45. Contact Form Passsive
46. Active Prospecting Active
47. Conferences Active
48. Meet-ups Active
49. Asking for Referrals Active
50. Biz Dev Road Trips Active
51. Fields of Dreams
52. Short Term Medium Term Long Term
53. We are the airlines. Overbook all the things.
54. Pipeline Size = 6 months worth of revenue. TAN GEN T!
55. Qualifying Leads
56. Talk about money quickly.
57. Ask about the previous vendor.
58. Setting Client Expectations TAN GEN T!
59. Research Vendors Vendor Selection Negotiation Project Expectations Set TAN GEN T!
60. Research Vendors Vendor Selection Negotiation Project Expectations Set Expectations Managed TAN GEN T!
61. Get on an airplane.
62. Talking to the right prospects.
63. Put out the right bait.
64. Not every project is going to be a perfect fit.
65. Sell something small.
66. Discovery
67. Initial Engagements
68. Initial Contact Discovery or Initial Engagement Build Proactive Improvement Biz Dev Ongoing work TAN GEN T! Project Manager
69. More at bats.
70. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? NEW PROSPECTS Discuss
71. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? PROPOSALS
72. Email Proposals
73. I hate RFPs.
74. You hate RFPs.
75. The people who run RFPs hate them.
76. RFPs are not going away.
77. Play the game that exists.
78. Companies do RFPs to reduce risk.
79. Procurement Departments TAN GEN T!
80. Break the RFP process.
81. Oranges.
82. Oranges.
83. Oranges.
84. We have put a ton of work into getting good at RFPs and taking the suck out of them.
85. Biggest win for 2019: Communications Team TAN GEN T!
87. Pitching
88. Get them talking.
89. Group Improv
90. You are still going to lose sometimes.
91. Set a reminder to follow-up. TAN GEN T!
92. Do you remember the day you stopped bidding scared and started asking for what you were worth?
93. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? PROPOSALS & RFPS Discuss
94. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? INSIDE SALES
95. 75% of our revenue comes back from existing clients.
96. I am a simple man. I love simple solutions.
97. Do great work.
98. Talk to everyone.
99. Make your point of contact look good. Others will line up.
100. Make fans.
101. Become a connector.
102. Strategy Meetings
103. Visit existing clients at least once a year.
104. Ask for introductions.
105. Follow up with clients after projects.
106. Averaging Zeros TAN GEN T!
107. “Don’t confuse simple with easy.” -Dan John
108. The best predictor of project success is how our stakeholders feel about it. TAN GEN T!
109. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? INSIDE SALES Discuss
110. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? SALES TEAM
111. Biz Dev is a team sport.
112. Company-wide Biz Dev Goals
113. Sales Goals TAN GEN T!
114. Achievable Goals vs Aspirational Goals TAN GEN T!
115. Biz Dev is everyones job.
116. Building a Biz Dev team.
117. The wrong hire.
118. Two most important skills for Biz Dev person.
119. Listening
120. Writing
121. COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
122. You will still be involved.
124. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? SALES TEAM Discuss
125. Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business:
126. Life is too short to work with people you hate. Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 1:
127. If you ever become annoyed by a client, it is only because you’re not charging them enough money. Life is too short to work with people you hate. Rob’s two basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 1: Rule 2:
128. ALWAYS BE SELLING! Rob’s two THREE basic rules for happiness in business: Rule 3:
129. Biz Dev Camp 2020 is coming in March.
130. Keep in touch.
131. Biz Dev: Do Any of Us Know What We Are Doing? ANYTHING GOES
132. THANKS! @robertharr rob@heysparkbox.com