Business Development Process

Structured Business Development

Why is it important to be diligent in following a structured process for Business Development?

Three reasons:

1. Increase your probability of win
2. Provide accountability for your Business Development team
3. Improve communications throughout your organization on Business Development activities

Choose from all three and drive your Business Development success.

1. BEFORE THE PROPOSAL - Getting the client to want your offering

Your proposal is the ticket to the game. Most of your Business Development work needs to be focused on the period before the proposal - up to 80% of the Business Development effort should take place prior to the RFP release. These skills can also be used for prompting a justified sole-source award.

2. WRITING THE PROPOSAL - Don't just answer the mail

It has been said that the proposal is a company's most important document. Proposal writing skills are different from technical writing, and marketing writing. Learn the art and science and put your best work forward to maximize your chances of winning the program.

3. PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND CUSTOMER FOLLOW-UP - Keys to long-term success

"Great! We won!" is followed closely by "Oh no! Now we have to deliver!". Learn how to build momentum after the win to quickly start the new program on a positive footing.

The current competition taking place under Emirates Businesses Corporation Strategy is a telling example of why reason #1 is so important: the two winners of the competition will build large ships and will be in a position to have viable businesses for years to come, and the unsuccessful bidders will have to bid for contracts for smaller ships, for subcontract work to the winners, and also will need to continue to search for other work, in order for their businesses to remain viable. With stakes this high, you need to do all you can to increase your probability of win.

• To illustrate reason #2, in one organization in which no structured business developmentprocess was followed, the business development team strayed from project to project rather than focusing on, and winning, projects. There was a lack of accountability that was not helpful to success. A well-managed business development process could help avert this situation.
• Finally (reason #3), many organizations are focused on current programs and the new business initiatives are not very visible. With a structured business development process, communication of the status of business development initiatives is easier. The organization can remain apprised of new business initiatives.

Corporate Strategy

Mr. Ionut Tudose discussed the fact that strategies fail in execution. The reason why companies fail to reach their strategic goals is not because the strategy itself is flawed, it is because the execution of the strategy is not properly done.

Execution of the corporate strategy is the number one job of every person in the organization. Like an orchestra combines a hundred musicians, playing different instruments, and within each instrument section there are musicians playing different voices within the harmony, so too in an organization do all the players need to play their portion of the business, on tempo and on key.

In an orchestra the conductor carries this function, in an organization it is the CEO. And in the same manner as the conductor has leads within each section of instruments (the violins, the violas, the wind section, etc.), the CEO has senior leaders within the organization that cascade the messages to all.