SBIR Consulting – Business Development

Technical Business Development

The Business Development concept rests on the importance of customers to a firm. All company policies and activities should be aimed at satisfying customer needs while obtaining a profitable rather than maximum sales volume.

• Determine the needs of their customers
• Develop their competitive advantages
• Select specific markets to serve
• Determine how to satisfy those needs
• Analyze how well they have served their customers

Putting the customer first is probably the most popular phrase used by firms ranging from giant conglomerates to the corner barber shop, but the sloganizing is often just lip service. The business continues to operate under the classic approach – “Come buy this great product we have created or this fantastic service we are offering.” The giveaway, of course, is the word we. In other words, most business activities, including advertising, are dedicated to solving the firm’s problems. Success, however, is more likely if you dedicate your activities exclusively to solving your customer’s problems.

Any business development program has a better chance of being productive if it is timed, designed and written to solve a problem for potential customers and is carried out in a way that the customer understands and trusts. Business Development is a very complex subject; it deals with all the steps necessary in determining customer needs and supplying them at a profit.

Unfortunately, there is still a misunderstanding about the meaning of business development. Many people, including top executives, use it as a sophisticated term for selling. Some further confuse the issue by lumping everything into the word marketing.