Know the Source of Business
One of the first questions we ask a prospect or new client is, "How did you get the business you have so far?" Some can answer exactly. Others aren't as certain.
When we begin our first discussions with a new client, our preferred modus operandi is to set up a program that allows us to talk to their customers who will give us a comprehensive view of our client's business. If we can't talk to customers right away and find out why they selected our client and what the experience has been, we must rely on the information our client provides us.
Business executives who are responsible for business planning should know the source of all their business. Knowing the incoming traffic patterns for new business is critical to knowing how to increase those traffic lanes. A senior partner at one very large and prominent law firm was bemoaning the fact that revenues were slipping, business development was slipping, and partner polish was? well, not very polished anymore. When we asked where they got most of their business he said he didn't know. As a starting point, knowing all sources of business would be of great value to him as he makes business planning decisions for a new year.
If you know how and why you got most of your business, you'll have solid clues about how to get more. Another Davis, Kingsley & Company client had been spending considerable amounts of money and energy courting bankers. We assumed those relationships were of benefit to them so we commented to their president, "Bankers must be a reliable source of new business for your firm." His reply was, "The greatest percentage of our business comes from referrals from lawyers." His reply showed me they were not directing their time toward a market that offered the value they need. They were more comfortable building relationships with bankers than with lawyers but it was costing them money and time. Those are misdirected energies. It seemed obvious to us ? from our perspective as outside advisors - but it was a blind spot for them.
Many companies know exactly where they get their business and who brings it in. And they know that this information may change over time. They have programs and processes to help them focus on those sources to continually audit their business development trails. If you have responsibilities for the growth of the company, do you know specifically where, how and through whom your company derives every bit of its business?
Darcie Davis, President of Davis, Kingsley & Company is a management consultant, speaker, author and trainer. She works with companies to secure genuine feedback from their clients before advising them on strategic decisions about sales, marketing, and operations. Her advice will keep your clients out of the jaws of the competition.
Learn more about Customer Satisfaction and Feedback Programs offered by Darcie and her firm at http://www.DavisKingsley.com.
 Google News Updated : Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:13:38 GMT My Super Sweet 16: The Miley Cyrus Edition - E! Online
E! Online - Miley Cyrus is about to show up all those spoiled brats on My Super Sweet 16 who think they're cool being flown to their party by helicopter or when they're carried in like a princess by a group of hot dudes. Miley Cyrus to Celebrate Turning 16 at Disneyland Miley Cyrus Sweet 16 Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:21:48 GMT Hillary Clinton's Staff Looking to Avoid Embarrassing Anti-Obama ... - FOXNews
FOXNews - Hillary Clinton's staff is trying to avoid an embarrassing anti-Obama demonstration by her supporters during the floor vote at next week's Democratic convention in Denver. Clinton Will Attend Fund-Raiser for Towns Clinton for VP? She Says Ask the Obama Campaign Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:15:16 GMT GM to Invest $500 Million To Build Chevy Cruze - Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal - By KATHY SHWIFF General Motors Corp. will spend more than $500 million in the US to build the Chevrolet Cruze, a next-generation compact car. GM announces $500M investment for small car GM to invest $500 million in small car plant Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:10:12 GMT Microsoft's Photosynth wilts under pressure - Computerworld
Computerworld - By Gregg Keizer August 21, 2008 (Computerworld) Within hours of its launch, Microsoft Corp.'s new photo-stitching service went dark, overwhelmed by demand, the company said Thursday afternoon. New Microsoft photo site spends first day offline New Microsoft Tech Converts Photo Soup Into 3-D Image Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:28:59 GMT UPDATE 1-Microsoft enlists Seinfeld for ad campaign--source - Reuters Reuters - By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Comedian Jerry Seinfeld will star in a $300 million marketing campaign for Microsoft Corp aimed at burnishing the image of its computer operating system, a person familiar with the effort said on Thursday ... Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates to star in anti-Apple ads Seinfeld to be pitchman for Microsoft Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:27:28 GMT Marlins let one slip away in San Francisco - Sports Network
Sports Network - San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Marlins reliever Kevin Gregg's wild pitch in bottom of the ninth inning scored Emmanuel Burriss to send San Francisco past Florida, 4-3, in the finale of a three-game series. Giants walk off on Gregg's wild pitch Giants beat Marlins on wild pitch in 9th inning Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:33:45 GMT IAC Officially Breaks Up - Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal - By DAVID BENOIT and KATHY SHWIFF IAC is left as a collection of more than 35 Internet companies -- including search engine Ask.com, dating site Match. IAC: And Then There Were Five Diller's IAC Split May Fail to Boost Investor Returns (Update2) Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:17:40 GMT Work At Home |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Sometimes things just happen. Maybe we lose focus and take... Read More Hurting your sales efforts can be accomplished easily with the... Read More Geshe Michael Roach is a Princeton graduate and a Buddhist... Read More Leadership is only sustainable when leaders consistently come up with... Read More The Cash to Cash Cycle Part Four of SeriesNext: Complete... Read More Test your assumptions about everything.Assumptions have a way of creeping... Read More It is vain to do with more what can be... Read More It really is about motivation. After all, what impels someone... Read More Being a leader isn't easy. Every one looks to you... Read More Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to... Read More An allegation of harassment in the workplace is a growing... Read More Creativity and Innovation is essential for competitive advantage, yet the... Read More Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More We all know that achieving better alignment, synergy and cooperation... Read More There is a saying about management that suggests some managers... Read More This is a challenge for every company owner and manager.... Read More Building rapport is all about creating a relationship, in the... Read More Managing Client Relationships: Even the best run organizations occasionally run... Read More 1) Create A Powerful "Mission Statement"-When your business mission is... Read More Getting into the detail of everything each of your people... Read More Positive radical movement is the holy grail of nearly every... Read More Where does the time go? Billable time. As a consultant,... Read More Keeping and Motivating the Best Employees ... Read More You've made the plans, built the quality system and conducted... Read More Do you have some goals you want to achieve or... Read More
Adsense
websites
The Death Spiral
How To Decrease Profits Without Really Trying
The Diamond Cutter
Creativity and Innovation Management :- Thought Leadership
9 Strategies for Writing Accounts Payable Procedures
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Test Your Assumptions About Everything
A Man and His Razor
The DNA of Motivation
Learn How To Get The Most From Your Team
Cold Water Comments - What They Are and How to Manage Them!
Indecent Proposal in the Workplace ? An Overview of Workplace Harassment & Employer Liability
Creativity and Innovation Directors, Consultants and Managers
Innovation Management ? Eliciting Dominant Ideas
CEO: The Key To Fix ingThe Marketing/Sales Collaboration Problem
Influencing the Organisation
What Your Employees Want You to Know (But You Might Be Afraid to Ask)
Build Rapport Fast! - Eight Easy Steps
Managing Client Relationships
5 Tips For Creating Great Jobs
Management Development - Micromanagement Works!
Radical Creativity from Incremental Creativity ? large movements from small changes
Seeking Help
Keeping and Motivating the Best Employees
ISO 9001 Registration ? 8 Steps for Success
Creating A Vision ? Bringing Your Dreams Into Reality
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Bosses Are Out ? Managers As Coaches Are In
There is a new trend taking hold in business today... Read More
Getting Information From Prospects
You're at a networking function and you've made that all-important... Read More
Hire People For What They Do Best
I recently flew from Seattle to Atlanta, I realized, just... Read More
To Outsource or Not to Outsource
In these days of restricted head count and tight budgets,... Read More
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Dont Leave Your Key Stakeholders Guessing
Communicate! Don't leave you key stakeholders guessing.We are generally not... Read More
Interviewing Applicants Can Be Hazardous to Your Wealth
1st Fact: Interviewing applicants is the most common way companies... Read More
Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: The Responsibility for Job Security
This article relates to the Job Security competency, commonly evaluated... Read More
Effective Meetings by Phone - Part 2, How to Hold a Teleconference
Even a well-planned teleconference can go poorly. Some people treat... Read More
Finding Proactive Solutions: A Key to Demonstrating Your Management Fitness
In my book Talking Points: 25 Tips for Clear, Credible... Read More
Performance Appraisal - Ten Stupid Things Managers Do To Screw It Up
Performance appraisals aren't fun. But a lot of the time... Read More
Using an Appraisal to Benefit Your Organization
PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS BENEFIT THE ORGANIZATION:Appraisals help spot employees with potential... Read More
Rapid Culture Change is Possible
Purpose: Show how immersion leadership training makes strategic initiative success... Read More
Executive ESP: A Pathway to Success!
We all have psychic abilities that we use daily, although... Read More
Ten Steps to Take the Work out of Work ? Replicate Yourself!
They say that management can be a lonely place. A... Read More
How To Prevent Your New Manager From Becoming A Statistic
According to a study by the Manchester Group, 4 out... Read More
Resolving Needs - What Your Employees Wish For!
For your people, they want to do a great job... Read More
Creative Writing - business principles produce more quality work, faster
Maximization methodologies have long been used in business to produce... Read More
Leadership: Stoking The Success Train
Everyone wants to succeed yet everyone has a different perception... Read More
Three Professional Services Resolutions for 2005
With client expectations higher than ever before, and the gradual... Read More
Recruitment - What Youre Really, Really Looking For
Imagine that you're a sports coach and you need a... Read More
Performance Management - By Assuming Nothing
Unhappy as Jenny undoubtedly was, she held on very tightly... Read More
Succession Planning for Your Business - 7 Key Benefits
A core activity in many successful businesses, Succession Planning is... Read More
Loyalty, Motivation And Work-Life Balance
Managers who aren't loyal to their people can't expect loyalty... Read More
One Thing You Cant Hide
One of the most important of all motivators at work... Read More
Assertiveness Helps Accomplish Everything
When trying to get something accomplished, assertive behavior is the... Read More
Business Management |