What is your firm's Business Development Intelligence Quotient?

What is your firm's Business Development Intelligence Quotient (BD IQ)? Answer these questions to see if your BD IQ is where you'd like it to be: Do you have Business Development buy-in from the top? It is essential that the top levels of the organization understand and agree on how important business development is to the firm. From the c-suite to the principals, the management team of the firm must be in agreement that part of the culture of the firm includes building the practice. Principals might reflect on what made the firm possible, how it was created, and how did it become the firm it is today. In that reflection, I'm sure that you will find people who were passionate about building business, bringing in new clients, and expanding the footprint and services of the firm to reach a larger audience of clientele. That type of buy-in from every member of the management team sets the tone for the rest of the company to follow. Does everyone in the firm know what you do, what you've done, and what you're looking for? Everyone in the firm is a business getter. From your receptionist (vice president of first impressions) to your facilities team to your bread and butter operations people, they are all part of the business development team. Your employees and staff are out in the community-interacting with others who may be potential clients. More than one business deal began with a conversation on a Little League field. All your employees need to know what your firm does, what markets they are in, what projects you've done in the past and what type of new work you are looking for. Make them all ambassadors of the firm, empowered to talk about your business and look for new opportunities. Put in place a lead generation system where your team can bring back fresh leads and turn them over to the business development or the marketing department to run down. Do you include business development on every employee performance review? Performance reviews begin with agreeing on the objectives and standards of performance for the position. Including business development in every job description states up front that you mean business about getting business. Everyone has a role, from looking for new opportunities, to providing excellent customer service, to staying in touch with former clients, to building new relationships with prospective clients. Make sure all your employees know their role, understand it is part of their job, and that they will be regularly evaluated on that portion of their job. Do you encourage your younger professionals do get involved and start networking? Today's younger professionals will be tomorrow's leaders of your firm and our industry. Coach your new college grads to get involved in a professional society or industry group to begin building their network and practice the social skills needed to bring in business a few years down the road. The relationships they make over the years will pay back personally and professionally. Some of the other young professionals they meet and socialize with may be your clients one day down the road. Don't let them waste those early years chained to a desk. Bring them to networking events and teach them how it's done. If you like what you read in this article, get in touch with one of our members, attend one of our meetings or join the Society for Marketing Professional Services Long Island chapter. Gil Brindley is president of the Long Island Chapter of the Society of Marketing Professional Services and president and owner of Benjamin Brindley and Sons and Brindley Engineering Services PC, Long Island, N.Y.