Exposing your technical staff to effective business development (BD) strategies and tactics is a sure-fire way to maximize your business development ROI (return-on-investment) — and get ideas about who might be part of the “next generation.” As a business developer, your careful thought, planning, and in many cases, training is critical to inculcating client relationship skills to all of your staff.

What is your firm’s view on how your technical staff can contribute to the BD process? Too often, the model business developer that is held out for everyone to see is the sales person who has just landed the “large carcass” after a round of golf — on which the firm feeds for the next six months. If your firm does this, you are missing the important contributions of PMs and project staff who continue to please clients and have demonstrated the ability to identify, nurture, and convert additional project opportunities.

Firms that succeed at developing successful business developers encourage company-wide contribution to/participation in business development activities. They identify a variety of ways in which staff can contribute — ways that are suited to an individual’s personality, skills, and comfort level. Here are several ways to get your technical staff started in good habits:

  • Make staff members responsible for keeping existing clients happy.
  • Ask your staff to create an organizational relationship with clients. Get them to seek out other buyers/influencers within a client organization. In this way, you can ensure that if a key person leaves the client firm (or your firm) the relationship can by continued by other people.
  • Get your staff to look out for market intelligence and make sure they pass along what they learn.
  • Have your staff participate in a technical committee.
  • Ask staff members to represent your firm in key associations to which your clients may also belong.
  • Have staff present a paper at a conference attended by clients/prospects.
  • Ask staff members to attend a breakfast with three past clients each quarter.
  • Encourage informal communication with clients (e.g., congratulatory personal notes).
  • Conduct a debrief (using open-ended questions!) at the conclusion of a project.
  • Invite current/past/prospective clients to speak to your staff.
  • Have a staff member interview a client/prospect for your company newsletter.
  • Ask staff to forward an article of interest to a client or prospect.
  • See if staff members can tap affinity groups (e.g., Alma Mater, church) to identify influencers/decision-makers in a prospective client organization.
  • Get your staff training/mentoring in key communications skill areas such as public speaking and handling a dissatisfied client.

Establish accountability
You can only maximize your ROI by establishing accountability among your staff for the activities in which they are suited to engage. Firm principals and other leaders must work with other staff to develop customized goals suited to one’s skills. Make these goals specific, quantifiable, and measurable — and tie them to the review process. Assess progress through a candid discussion of impediments and development needs at least twice per year. Lastly, recognize and reward results and success stories through internal communication vehicles (e.g., company meetings and newsletters) and other means.