Business owners spend a great deal of time thinking about where the next opportunity will come from.
Should you advertise more? Attend another networking event? Find new prospects? Join another organization? Increase your social-media activity?
Those can all have a place in business development. But before looking farther away, there is another question worth asking:
Who do you already know?
Your existing professional network may contain opportunities that were never fully explored—not because anyone did anything wrong, but because businesses change, needs change, and relationships sometimes become quiet.
Your Network Is More Than Your Current Customers
When people hear “network,” they often think only about networking events or LinkedIn connections.
Your real network is much broader.
It may include former customers, previous prospects, vendors, colleagues, community contacts, business owners you met at events, professionals who once referred someone to you, people you worked with years ago, and individuals who expressed interest but were not ready at the time.
Some of those relationships may deserve another conversation.
That does not mean sending everyone a sales message.
It means paying attention to connections you already worked to establish.
Businesses Change
A prospect who did not need your service two years ago may need it today.
A small company you once knew may have expanded.
A former customer may now be responsible for a different organization.
A professional contact may have changed industries.
Someone who previously had no referrals for you may now regularly encounter people who need what your company provides.
Relationships should not always be judged solely by what was true the last time you spoke.
People change.
Companies change.
Circumstances change.
Reconnect With a Reason
A good reconnection should feel natural.
Instead of sending a generic message saying, “Do you know anyone who needs my services?” begin with the relationship.
Ask how their business is doing.
Mention something relevant from your previous conversations.
Congratulate them on a legitimate accomplishment.
Share information that could be useful.
If enough time has passed, simply acknowledging that and reconnecting can be appropriate.
The purpose of the first message is not necessarily to create a transaction.
It is to reopen communication.
Review Before You Search
Before spending your next hour looking for entirely new prospects, spend part of that time reviewing your existing professional contacts.
Look for relationships that meet three criteria:
There was a legitimate professional connection.
Enough time has passed that circumstances may have changed.
There is a reasonable reason to reconnect.
Choose a few—not fifty.
Quality matters more than volume.
Relationships Have Long-Term Value
One of the challenges of business development is that we often evaluate relationships too quickly.
If someone does not buy immediately, we assume the connection produced nothing.
But professional relationships can develop over months or years.
Someone may eventually become a customer, make a referral, introduce a partner, provide useful information, or simply become a respected professional connection.
You cannot predict every outcome.
You can maintain relationships professionally enough that future possibilities remain open.
Take a Look at What You Already Built
Growth does not always require starting from zero.
You may already have conversations worth continuing.
You may already know people worth reconnecting with.
You may already have relationships that simply need attention.
At Agency Business Development Partner™, we believe strong business development includes both creating new professional connections and taking care of the relationships you already have.
Before asking, “Who else can I find?”
Take a moment to ask:
“Who do I already know?”
There may be more opportunity there than you realize.
