Business development (BD) has always been an important function for contractors. Now, with the impact of virtual offices and the ever-present office mobility, BD has truly become a greater challenge.
Let’s not kid ourselves, there are multiple obstacles that BD professionals face amidst an ongoing pandemic including rising competitive landscapes, ongoing supply chain issues and labor shortages. Combining these issues with an ongoing desire for contractor demand, BD is more of a chase now, than simply developing opportunities.
Several BD Forum colleagues and I had the opportunity this past year at the AGC Convention to discuss the challenges and share best practices with convention participants. This forum has affectionately been titled the Challenge of the Chase – an ongoing series from the BD Forum – the panel in Orlando clarified methods for overcoming the many obstacles today’s BD professionals encounter. Tonya Jackson, Vice-Chair of the AGC BD Forum and I were invited on the AGC’s ConstructorCast podcast to share more detail on this important topic.
During the podcast, Tonya and I discussed several subjects including proposals and pricing, interview strategies for in-person or virtual meetings, tactics that increase lead generation and the need for a BD strategy. If you are a contractor, owner (no matter the size of your company), a marketing or BD professional, or a leader in your company this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
I encourage you to listen to the podcast for several key takeaways. Tonya shares tips on managing interviews. Her insight and advice for a successful interview are strategic and practical and easily incorporated into your current approach. We also talked about the proposal process and the importance of your proposal as it relates to your audience and the impact interactivity plays in the decision-making process.
Subscribe to the ConstructorCast podcast here and listen to the latest episode on the Challenge of the Chase.
About the Author: As founder and president of Atlas Marketing, CHRIS MARTIN oversees the variety of campaigns that the company delivers. Atlas Marketing tells stories for companies who build things. The agency utilizes their experience to simplify complex ideas through engaging stories. MARTIN is also the co-host of the Building PA Podcast.
Visit AtlasStories.com for more information about the agency and learn how they tell stories for companies that build things.