Thursday, September 17, 2009

Winning New Business - More Important Than ever!

There are two things every business must do every day to survive and grow. They are:

1. Keep the customers they have
2. Find and close new customers

Read this blog from C.C. Chapman in iMedia Connections that does a solid job of addressing #2 for the media industry but is relevant for most any business.

5 steps for winning the pitch
September 15, 2009

"New business is the lifeblood of every company. No matter what industry you are in, finding new customers and getting that ever-elusive signature on a statement of work is crucial to your success.

With budgets being tighter than ever both on the client side and within your own agency walls, it is critical that when opportunities arise, you and your team do everything possible in order to land the business. For a lot of agencies, this still means pitching to win the work, whether you like it or not. Yes, it is an old way of doing business, but it is not one that is going away anytime soon, no matter how loudly some people yell.

With that in mind, you might as well get used to it and get better at winning the pitch.

What are the steps to winning the pitch? I've boiled them down into the following:

  1. Get a reputation.
  2. Come up with a great idea.
  3. Do your homework.
  4. Be early. Be awesome!
  5. Don't forget the human touch.