Got a Great Business Idea? You Need a Small Business Development Plan

You need a sound business development plan in order to bring your great ideas into fruition. A solid product or concept alone is not enough to build a small business. You need a sound plan, preparing for every contingency possible in order to develop your concept or product. Do you know what it all entails?


Defining Business Development

If your strong suit is marketing or product creation, to consider hiring a consultant for your business development needs. A business developer is quite similar to a salesperson except for the fact that a developer's goal is more long range; while in sales, the focus is on the here and now. In other words, a developer takes your potential and shapes it into a workable model that, with some actionable steps, will eventually forge new business relationships and a new marketable product or service. A salesperson sells that product or service.


What This Type of Development Entails

A business developer starts by evaluating your current ties with existing clients seeking ways to improve the relationship. Next, the developer identifies potential new markets for your business that you may not have tapped. In order to accomplish this task, all areas of your business are likely to be evaluated from sales and marketing to management, logistics and even customer service.


Competency in a variety of areas is important for consulting work as a business developer. The ability to identify and capitalise on potential growth is important. Because you are too close to the situation, you may not be the best candidate to draft a development plan. For instance, one of the areas that must be scrutinised closely is your current assets and how they can be used in the maintenance as well as expansion of your small business. A business developer is going to have years of previous experience to guide them.


Feasibility

A business development consultant will thoroughly asses your current business plan to determine whether it is even feasible to carry out your idea with the current set-up and resources you have. Sometimes, they will determine that you may require outside investors to bring your new idea or product to fruition. Or, they will create a plan for restructuring your company to accomplish your goals.


The role of a business developer can be a broad one. It may encompass all facets of the business or it may concentrate on one particular area. The fact of the matter is that you cannot bring a new product, service or idea to fruition without a solid business development plan. Hiring an outside consultant for this job can be a smart move for you as they are not invested in it and can provide an objective view.