Welcome to the third blog in our ‘Better BD’ series, where members of the team and industry experts share their experience, tips and tricks on making the most of the return of booming business in 2022 and beyond.
In this edition, Georgie Power, Propeller Group’s Associate Director and Rory Leader, Propeller Group’s Content Manager, discuss how to make the most of the business development tools at your disposal.
Georgie has worked across both clients and agencies in her career, and as our Associate Director, she handles the growth of Propeller business, development of Propeller’s New Business strategy, and is the lead on new business for Propeller’s business development services.
Georgie has also been nominated for the BD100 Awards three years running for her outstanding work in business development!
Georgie’s top three business development tools
- Content
Any form of content that can provide a value exchange with your key target audience keeps you front of mind for when an opportunity to work together arises.
- HubSpot
HubSpot is a comprehensive CRM platform, encompassing marketing, sales, content management, and customer service. With your entire team working on the same platform, everything runs smoother. As HubSpot Gold Solutions Partners, HubSpot is an essential and integral part of our day-to-day business development – we practice what we preach!
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Alongside HubSpot, LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator is essential for our BD team, offering everything from direct outreach to prospects, a hub for company and stakeholder insights (to help you tailor your communications), to data gathering and event promotion.
As Propeller Group’s Content Manager, Rory works with clients in all areas of Propeller Group to create bespoke cross-platform content to reach target audiences and stand out from the crowd.
Without a good content team, you’ll never be able to make the most of content as a business development tool.
During his five years at Propeller, Rory has worked on almost every form of content imaginable; from videos, podcasts and long form reports, to emails and social content!
Rory’s top five content considerations
- Be inquisitive
You’ll only get great answers if you ask great questions.
- Be Ready to re-do
Don’t expect perfection on the first draft, and don’t take feedback personally.
- Read everything
The best content comes when you know what you’re talking about, so absorb all the content you can.
- Know when to stop
Keep things short and snappy – Don’t use 20 words when 5 will do!
- You are not a robot
Though sometimes hard to believe, business people are still people. Think Human 2 Human before Business 2 Business.
Two things to avoid
With content, avoid using adjectives excessively. Prefixing your points with adjectives like ‘incredible’, ‘ground-breaking’ and ‘amazing reduces the power of what you’re saying. Adjectives are empty. Verbs bring words to life.
With business development, don’t assume or expect everything to provide instant results. New business can be instantly gratifying, but also all about the long game. The follow up from marketing initiatives (such as an event) and the time spent on building relationships with prospects is crucial to your overall success as a business developer.