Business Development Checklist The following 75 questions have been developed by Jaffe Associates’ London based Partner Mary Pasby.
The questions are intended to give professional firm management an idea of the types of issues they need to be considering when thinking about marketing. While somewhat lengthy, the list is not exhaustive, and could certainly be expanded. This quiz could be an excellent tool for use in planning a marketing retreat or committee agenda.
While it certainly should be of use to those who are first embarking on a marketing program it could also be very useful as a reminder to even marketing “ pros” as they seek to keep their planning, thinking and programs fresh. Marketing “ Health” check 1.
Is your marketing effort giving you value for money? 2. Are you developing the new business you need to meet your business plan? 3. Do you have a business plan? 4. How satisfied are your clients? 5. How do you know if they are satisfied? 6.
Have you differentiated from the clutter in your marketplace? 7.
Do you have an image consistent with your desired market position? 8. Is your firm identity actively supported and managed? 9. How effective are your external communications? 10.
How effective are your internal communications? 11. Are new products successful? 12. How effective is your marketing? 13. Do you have a “ digital” strategy? Branding 14. How do you actively manage your brand? 15.
What does the brand stand for and what are the core values? 16. How has the brand been built and what is its equity? 17. What does the brand mean to clients – what would they miss if it did ot exist? 18. Can the brand be extended, used or combined with other products or markets. 19.
What are high-risk areas that must be avoided? 20. Does brand promotion consistently project the brand values? Business development 21. Are you developing the extra new business you need from new clients? 22. Are you developing the extra new business you need from existing clients? 23.
What are the levels of client retention and new wins? 24. What is the definition of a “ good” client or “ good” job? 25. Are profit targets set? 26. Are revenue targets set? 27.
How is the targeting and key client process managed? 28. Do your clients know the full extent of your service range – could you sell more? 29.
What proportions of business development effort is invested between current and potential clients. What are the comparable success rates? 30. Do you have a relationship management program? Client satisfaction 31. Do you know how satisfied your clients are with your products and service delivery? 32.
Do you have a client satisfaction policy and what are the realised benefits of that policy? 33. How is client satisfaction assessed? 4. To what level are you meeting or exceeding client expectations? 35. Is there internal resistance to client satisfaction reviews? 36. To what extent has client satisfaction feedback been linked to client service planning, new product development, and marketing strategy? Firm identity 37.
How do you manage your firm identity? 38. Are your communication materials (internal or external) immediately recognised as coming from your business? 39. Does your firm identity present the desired image? 40. Are the benefits of firm identity widely understood within the business? 41.
Is your firm identity actively supported and managed internally? 42.
How are you managing your firm identity in the digital age? Marketing planning 43. How is your marketing planning approached? 44. Is the marketing planning process a positive management tool? 45. Have definitions been set for business and marketing planning? 46. Are the budgeting, business and client service planning processes linked with the marketing planning procedures? 47.
How do you determine a marketing budget? 48. Have marketing plans been successfully monitored, implemented and evaluated? 49.
Is appropriate internal and external information accessible by all who need it? Market positioning 50. Do you have a clearly developed market positioning strategy? 51. Do buyers clearly understand what the firm stands for? 52.
Does your business, brand or service address business problems with a real difference? 53. Have all aspects of competitive advantage been identified and points to emphasise agreed? 54. Do you communicate these aspects consistently and effectively? 55. Will the attributes and benefits of your business, brand or service motivate a buyer – are they different from competitor offerings? 6.
How do you detect problems buyers may experience with your business, brand or service? Marketing audit 57. How do you know the capabilities of your marketing? 58. Do you understand how the marketplace is evolving? 59. Who are your competitors and what do you know about them? 60. Do you have a clear set of business goals and how does marketing contribute to achieving these objectives? 61.
How is client feedback translated into marketing plans, service improvements and communication activities? 62.
Are the markets you wish to target clearly defined and how systematically are you approaching them? 63. Do you know and measure the return for investment your marketing provides? New product development 64. How do you develop new products and services? 65. How many successful new products/services were launched last year? 66. Are feasibility and investment criteria set for new product assessment? 67.
Is the overall product portfolio managed centrally? 68. How is new product development linked to business and marketing strategy? 69. How are new ideas encouraged and captured?
Change management 70. If your organisation ceased to exist what would the world lose? 71. What is its’ purpose? What is important to add value? What is your focus and goal? 72.
What sort of organisation is it and what is it good at? What are the skills that set the organisation apart? 73. How can you become supremely good at what you do rather than adequate at a lot of things? 74. How do you achieve your goals through co-operation and collaboration – to avoid throwing out the baby with the bath water? 75. Change is a long-term commitment – how do you keep the momentum going?