031: Strategic Business Management - with Richard Higham Part 3

<p align="justify">In the final part of this three-part series, we’re talking all things new new business and your existing book, the importance of strategic account management as well as sales management and how to do it well. Richard has extensive experience in this field and across the series he shares his 12 key strategic areas to consider in your business, as well as practical tools and hints to support your planning, process and performance. </p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">KEY TAKEAWAYS:</p> <ul><li> <p align="justify">The first key to making new new business easier is to make it as un-random as possible. Grow your business through referral business.</p> </li> <li> <p align="justify">There is a three-step process to new business; how do I get somebody interested in what I have to say? How do I turn interest into opportunity? How do I turn this opportunity into engagement?</p> </li> <li> <p align="justify">Monitoring your key accounts is one of the best ways of generating growth… but be proactive with it!</p> </li> <li> <p align="justify">We live in a changing world and the way in which we sell should be governed by four levers explained in this podcast.</p> </li> </ul> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">BEST MOMENTS:</p> <p align="justify">“I think new business is a really exciting place to be. It's not always an easy place to be, particularly for professionals. Somebody in a professional service firm put it to me the other day that if you're a consultant and you're used to being an advisor, you're used to telling people and to you expect to be taken seriously whereas the new new business person has to listen and ask more as well as has to accept rejection more.’’</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">‘’We need to talk about renewals much earlier… talk early, talk wider, not just transactionally, and talk actively.’’</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify">‘’Why should you cross buy?... there's some compelling reasons why your clients should buy m