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Business Development Training Program
for
Technical Professionals

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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Business development “boot camp” is designed for technical professionals who would
benefit from a hands-on series that teaches them how to enhance current client
relationships as well as identify and participate in the pursuit of new business
opportunities.
Even though this audience is usually managing a full plate of client work, they are a
firm’s direct connection to new opportunities with existing clients. As a result, they
should be prepared for and included in the firm’s business development efforts. The
training is sensitive to their workload and offers strategies they can implement in their
everyday interactions with clients.
It has also been very beneficial to the seasoned professional who has been pursuing
business for some time but could use a refresher.
Topics will be tailored to reflect any current business development needs you may have
(market conditions, new target segments, teaming opportunities, etc.). A list of
curriculum options can be found below, however, the list can be expanded to include
any other topics deemed important.
It is recommended that most training sessions be approximately 2 – 3 hours, based on
the availability of the participants. The Sales Meeting topic is better suited for a full day
session. A follow-up session will be held after each workshop to debrief any post-
training reinforcement assignments given as well as to monitor the team’s
implementation of the training concepts.
Should you wish to hold one, we can also organize a graduation ceremony at the end
of the series to recognize participants’ efforts.
Sample Timeline:
Quarterly Training Sessions Follow Up Debrief Session
August September
November December
February March
May June

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Optional Boot Camp Sessions
Business Development Today
• The importance of relationships in business today
• How selling professional services is different
o Different than selling a product
§§ The seller is also the product
§§ Intangible / unable to inspect during the selection process
• Business development vs. marketing
• Targeting government work vs. private sector projects
• How selling professional services has changed
o The technical professional’s role in the process
§§ Clients require the technical professional’s involvement in the
promotion / selection process – they prefer to meet the team that will
perform the work before hiring the firm
o The importance of adapting – “But, I’ve been doing things this way for 20
years”
o How we promote our services should be driven by how our clients prefer to
buy
o Formal presentations vs. the interview / Q&A
• 2 key ways to grow our business
o Identifying opportunities with new clients
§§ Then what? Initiating a new relationship.
o Identifying and earning additional opportunities with existing clients
§§ While working on a current project, you are either earning or losing
the next project with that client
• How to win more work!
o The importance of following up on opportunities – maintaining consistent
effort
§§ Getting past, “I’m just too busy.”
§§ Developing a system so leads don’t fall through the cracks – Drip
Selling preview

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Drip Selling
• The truth about loyal clients
o Interesting statistics about client experience / relationships
• Creating a strategic plan to manage professional relationships
• Prioritizing contacts within your network
• Planning touches throughout the year to stay in touch
o The importance of maintaining top of mind awareness
o Clients / prospects should hear from us at times other than when a job is at
stake
o How many touch points per year are appropriate for each client / prospect
• Keep an eye on your key contacts – What do you want / need to know about
them
o Sources of this information
§§ Business Journal, Google Alerts, company websites, trade pubs, your
network
• Using your CRM to track client information
• Creative ways to stay in touch
o Articles, holiday cards (not just in December), leads on jobs for them,
congrats
• Finding the time to manage your drip selling plan
o Maintaining a business development / client relationship focus with a full
plate of “other stuff”
• Using your new system to identify opportunities
o Getting comfortable asking for referrals – you’ve earned them!

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Proposal Development
• The purpose of the proposal
o And whose job is it? – Everyone’s!
o What’s at stake? – Everything!
• The client will judge your level of commitment to them and the job by the quality
of the proposal
• Clients review proposals to narrow the tall stack. They create 3 piles: a “Yes pile,”
“a No pile” and a “Maybe pile.” How to increase your chances of landing in the
“Yes pile.” (They only revisit the “Maybe pile” if there are too few options in the
“Yes pile.”)
• General do’s and don’ts of proposal writing
o Leave adequate time to prepare it properly – often times, many people
contribute
o Details, details, details
§§ The overall look of the proposal
§§ Proofreading
• Must be customized to the client AND the job
o The CRITICAL importance of giving the client what they are asking for – NO
exceptions
o Gaining a thorough understanding of the project before you begin the
proposal
§§ What you MUST know
§§ Sources of this information
o How to customize
§§ What to include in the proposal and what to leave out
• Proposals are often too wordy – clients want your message to
be tailored
and concise
§§ Use language from the RFP
§§ Tailoring our services / strengths to what the client wants
o Avoiding the temptation to “boiler plate” proposals
• How to make your proposal stand out from the competition – what sets you
apart?
• Gathering feedback after the submission – win or lose
Capture Planning
We can all agree that resources are limited…for this reason, it is more important than
ever that we are purposeful in our approach to winning more projects. In this workshop,
we’ll look at the evolution of a job won and identify strategies aimed at increasing our
chances of winning the right projects for the firm. The capture planning process is a
holistic one that includes considerations for pre-project, pre-proposal, mid-proposal,
final review and post-submittal strategies.

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Networking
• The critical importance of your professional network
• Assessing your current professional network
o Who is in your network now?
o Identifying opportunities for enhancing your current network
• Identifying target clients / contacts
o Defining your ideal prospect – no need to chase everything
o Sources of potential clients
§§ Referrals, trade shows, conferences, professional associations,
noncompeting A/E/C firms, networking events
• Contacting and connecting with potential clients
o The importance of getting out there – how often should we be networking
o Attending a networking function
§§ Preparing your 30 second commercial (individual and the firm)
§§ Setting a goal for the event
§§ Delivering a strong first impression
• Proper introductions, handshaking and use of your business
card
§§ The art of small talk – good questions to ask
§§ Active listening – how to learn more about the prospect
§§ Exit strategies
o Scheduling an informal meeting with a target client
• Effective follow up – CRITICAL!
o When to
o How to
o Using your CRM to track new contacts
§§ What information to track
• The importance of maintaining momentum with the prospect
o Don’t let the connection fizzle – easy to do
• Sharing information with the appropriate internal parties
Selling More to Existing Clients
The Pareto Principle says that 80% of our business comes from 20% of our clients. That
makes them gold! Are we capitalizing on all available opportunities with our clients or
do they have needs that remain unmet? Learn how to identify additional opportunities
with existing clients, those within your area of expertise and those that could be served
by another group at the firm. We’ll discuss how to anticipate client needs and what to
do once an opportunity has been identified. Also on the agenda will be how to get
and use client feedback.

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The Sales Meeting
• Techniques for building rapport
o Elements of a warm greeting
o Useful / appropriate topics for small talk
• Identifying & understanding the client’s unique needs – CRITICAL!!
o Ask the right questions
§§ Question planning
§§ Adapting your questions to client responses
o Probing for hidden, undiscovered information
§§ Using SPIN Selling to help the client realize that a need exists and the
potential implications of leaving it unsolved
o Recapping
o Unique challenges with needs identification when selling as a team
• How does all of this relate to accomplishing above-mentioned goals?
• Crucial elements of an effective sales presentation
• Communicating effectively during the sales presentation
o Word choice
o Tone / pitch / speed / volume
o Nonverbal communication
• Sales presentation Do’s & Don’ts
• Determining the right solution
o Customized to the client’s situation
o Avoiding feature-dumping
• How to properly present it – important!
o The importance of visual aids
§§ Elements of effective visual aids
§§ What visual aids to bring
§§ How to use them during the meeting to aid in the selling process
• Unique challenges when presenting to a team
• Unique challenges when presenting as part of a team
• Handling client concerns
o Techniques for turning objections into opportunities
o Gaining commitment after each objection
§§ The importance of and how to
• How professional salespeople close
o Closing is not a bad word
o Must always ask for a commitment
§§ Types of commitment
• Following up with the client after the sales meeting
o The importance of this step
o Ways to follow up
o When to follow up

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Soft Skills
• Adaptive Communication – One of the most popular topics
o What is your social style – your personality type & how you like to
communicate
o Identifying your clients’ social style & how they like to communicate
o How to adjust your own communication style to better match the
client/situation at hand
§§ Makes others feel more connected to you, which leads to better
trust, which leads to the client being more willing to share
information, which leads to more opportunities to partner
o Specific business development techniques to use when working with
various social styles
• Effective Communication Strategies
o Listening – the most valuable skill in business development
§§ The importance of
§§ Difference between active and passive listening
§§ Tips for becoming a good listener
o Positive and negative language in business development
o Proper use of technical jargon
o Effective nonverbal communication – body language basics
o The importance of communicating effectively internally
§§ When to e-mail, call or ask in person
o Sharing information internally about potential business opportunities
• Remembering names
• Body language
• Personal branding
• Business etiquette
• Using social media to stay connected with clients (i.e. LinkedIn)
• Getting the most out of your CRM tool
Always Included
• Tailored exercises
• Recommended reading list
• Other suggested resources on the topic
• Access to the instructor afterward for any questions about how to implement
what they’ve learned