BrianButler

In what has become one of those quintessential Rhode Island jokes, when a large winter storm hit last week, the supermarkets and convenience stores were overrun with people getting their bread and milk so they could survive the storm. 

At some point in time I guess, somebody decided that bread and milk were the staples, the things that you could not make it through a tough stretch without.

Almost all of us have had a different kind of tough stretch the last few years. One of the most challenging business climates that most of us have ever seen.

So I got to thinking about what the staples were of a solid revenue engine for successful and sustained business development in our organizations. I came up with 3 must-haves. 

Marketing.  If prospective customers don’t know who you are or existing customers don’t know all the things you could do for them – you have a serious opportunity gap. Fire up your marketing communication strategies and get the word out – continuously so you can avoid the storm of an empty pipeline. 

Sales Process.  I relearned the lesson constructing toys this Christmas. I neglected to read the instructions well enough (at all?) on the air hockey table and paid the price when I had to “undo” all the work to go back to the beginning and put the screw in I forgot. Often in the sales process doing the right things is great – but – you also must do things in the right order to get the right results. Remember, the sales process is the only long-term competitive advantage. 

Customer Service.  The stores that did the best in the storm had the bread and milk on the shelves. How well do you plan ahead to anticipate customer needs and requirements? Often, good customer service is not doing well in a crisis by being reactive but rather, planning ahead and helping your customers avoid anything that leaves them lacking confidence in you. 

What kind of shape are your staples of business development and lead generation methods in for 2011 to help you and your customers avoid any unforeseen storms?

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