5
Creating a Business Development Action Plan

Now you’re ready to create an action plan for your business development. Your action plan is the key to the rest of your 30-day success because it’s your compass and checklist. Your action plan takes all the pieces you’ve put together so far and creates a way for you to make them happen. You won’t achieve every item on your action plan in 30 days, but you can lay the groundwork to achieve them and make real progress toward your goal.

To be successful, your action plan needs to be detailed. Vague goals like “I want to bring in more business” are not helpful, because they lack sufficient detail to enable you to take action toward making the goal a reality.

Action plan items must also advance at least one business plan goal by addressing that goal’s target audience. You’ve already attached business development actions to each goal/ audience. This is a good time to look at those business development actions and break them into smaller steps. That will give you a better idea of the time and money—and specific actions—necessary to make them happen.

For example, perhaps your top business plan goal is to get more visibility about your products and services. You’ve identified the target audience, and you’ve decided to use the Internet to reach them. That’s a step in the right direction, but not enough to really get you going.

Let’s break “use online business development and networking” into several action steps.

~ Identify the Websites, blogs, and online membership sites where your ideal prospect is already a regular. These may present more productive opportunities for online networking and for getting your news and announcements in front of a more attuned audience.

~ Understand what circumstances or events trigger your customer to make a purchase. For example, if your customer values product reviews, it makes sense to put effort into getting your product reviewed by a reputable Website or by boosting your own networking visibility by writing guest blog posts or articles on review sites.

~ Determine what kinds of social media and online networking activities your customer is already involved in. How “wired” is your customer? How often do they use the Internet and devices such as smartphones or iPads in their daily routine?

~ Build on the e-mail list of your current customers, with whom you already have permission to communicate. What can you offer new prospects to encourage them to opt in to your newsletter list? Getting opt-in permission supports your ongoing networking, since it gives you permission to stay in touch.

~ Take a look at your ability to remain productive, even when you’re on the road or away from the office. What could work better? Where are there frequently breakdowns in productivity?

~ Think about how you are currently seeking to meet new ideal prospects (networking). Are you taking full advantage of social media and online networking opportunities to reach a broader audience?

Do you see how action steps take your business development from being a great idea to something tangible? As you read through the rest of the chapters in the book, don’t just write down business development ideas—turn those ideas into step-by-step action plans and attach them to the appropriate prioritized business goal and its target audience. This one step will make an amazing difference in the results you see from your online business development and networking because it will make it clear what you can do every day to make your goals happen.