This is where you document important information about each of your priority targets. You access a target worksheet by clicking on a Target. You can do that from your computer or your mobile device. When you enter data from your mobile device, you will need to refresh your main site to see the new data. Or your site will automatically refresh within 5 minutes.
Remember that targets are the contacts that you have identified as people who deserve your focused attention. Not all of your contacts will deserve the status of a Target.
Your goal is to increase the likelihood of reaching out by identifying a worthwhile reason to call and one that you really want to act upon. Completing a target worksheet may feel like a lot of work, but the more information you have at your fingertips, the greater the likelihood of developing a reason to call. This practice will serve you well over the term of your relationships.
It is a good idea to review your target worksheet before communicating with a target. Be sure to keep adding information about your target as you collect it.
And, don't hold on to the belief that you can remember details. You will be interacting with many people and things that you think you will remember can easily be forgotten.
You should use a separate contact database, such as Outlook, (there are many different contact databases) for all your contacts - including your targets. That way, your targets will be included in your email broadcasts. But, the Target Worksheets give you a place to record important information that you might not remember to enter into your larger contact database.
A Target Worksheet is initiated when you enter a name and/or entity into your Targets list on the Dashboard. It will be added to the bottom of your Target list. Then you can click on the target to add information onto the Target Worksheet.
If you want to edit the Name or Entity of a target, you can only do that on the Target List.
The lines in the Additional Information section of the target worksheet are limited to 50 characters. If you need more room, you can enter it in Other which has unlimited capacity.
You can print a Target Worksheet, down load it and save it and you can download all of your target worksheets.
Goal for this target: To enter your goal, click on the edit button after the words Add New.
While your ultimate goal with a target will be to close as a client, or get a referral or resource, there are many interim goals that you should set. As you achieve interim goals, you will feel motivated to continue to pursue the target. There are five steps in the selling process. Each is a goal. (This topic is also addressed in the Tutorial in the Introduction).
1. Meet. The greatest weakness of most professionals is that they don't know enough good targets. You should develop systems for meeting as many good targets as possible. Even if you already know many people, there is a great likelihood that many will not become clients. Keep in mind that it may take years to take prospects through the selling process or for prospects to have a need. Therefore, even if you are currently busy, you should continue to seek out new quality prospects.
2. Build trust. This is the process of demonstrating that you are capable and compatible. That is often accomplished by substantiating your ability to deliver superior benefits. You can learn more about substantiation in the Substantiation section in your Biz Dev Questionnaire.
3. Clarify needs. This is the process of learning about the needs that prospects have already identified and explaining to prospects other needs that you may be aware of due to your knowledge of their industry or situation.
4. Get approved. Everyone who hires you will need to approve you - either formally or unconsciously. A good strategy is to always ask prospects, "What is the procedure for getting on your approved vendor list?"
5. Close. Closing means finalizing the deal. It often is easier when you can develop low-barrier closing offers that reduce the difficulty of making a decision to hire you. Low-barrier closing offers are addressed in the Biz Dev Questionnaire. Remember, your job is to consider where you are are in the selling process with each target and how to proceed with the other steps.
Mark the goal above as achieved: When you achieve your goal, click on this link and trumpets will celebrate your success. You can edit this function in the My Accounts section. When you mark a goal as achieved, a note will automatically be entered in the Notes section and you will be given an opportunity to create a new goal for that target. If you don't have a new goal, you can leave the target on your Target list for future consideration or archive it.
Target Notes: This is where you document what has occurred in the past regarding your relationship or interaction with a target.
When you enter a note, the date of entry will automatically be displayed at the end of the note. You cannot edit the date of the entry. When you edit a note, the original entry date will remain. So if you want to document the date you did an edit, you should mention it in the note.
You have the ability to prioritize your notes by clicking and dragging them. This way you can keep notes that are most important at the top of the list.
Every time you complete a task or have an interaction, you should make a note. Looking at your notes will not only allow you to remind you about your conversations or thought, but also it will help you decide your next step.
When you add a new note, it will be entered at the bottom of the list.
Target To-Do's: This is where you document your next step in dealing with your target. It could be research or it could be outreach. There are three categories or reasons to reach out.
1. Value. You make an offer of something of value that will be appealing to your target. It could be an invitation to an event or an offer to co-author an article, etc.
2. Research. You have a question that the target could answer such as the name of the trade organizations that serve her/his industry or you might inquire about the process for getting on the approved list, etc.
3. Social. If you are friends with your target, you can make a social call, and, if she/he brings up a business issue, you can discuss it without feeling pushy or invasive.
Additional Information: This is information that will help you consider how to further develop the relationship. It is extremely valuable to see how much or how little you know about your targets. The information in each category is limited to 50 characters.
Phone: List land lines with an "L" preceding and and mobile lines with an "M" preceding.
Email: You may already have the email stored in your contact managment system, but it may be helpful to re-enter it here for convenience.
Qualifications: This is where you document why you think this person qualifies as a priority for you. One of your most important biz dev skills will be deciding your best targets. This section will help you develop the criteria.
A qualifying target could be someone in several categories:
A client who could use more of your services
A client who could use the services of one of your colleagues
A referral source who could continue to refer more
A contact who should be a referral source
A contact who has been a resource in the past. ( a resource could be program chairs of organizations where you want to speak or editors where you want to publish, etc.)
A contact who could be a future resource.
Source: this is where you document how you became aware of or met this target. It may be the name of a referral source, an organization, event or research. You must become very aware of your sources. When you do, you will become more effective in zeroing-in on your best sources.
Thanked. If the target came from a referral, this is where you document whether or not you thanked her or him. It is very important to thank your referral sources. An appropriate gift is a good idea as long as it meets the ethical standards of your profession. A personal note is always a good idea. Phone calls to thank are good and emailed thank you's are OK but a last resort. Be sure to enter the referral into the Referrals section of BizDevCoach.
Assistant: This is where you document the name, phone and email of your target's assistant. Remembering the name of the assistant can be very helpful in pursuing a relationship. Always be friendly and respectful to assistants.
Team Target?: Your target may also be a target of a colleague(s) in your firm. If so, you have to decide if you want to pursue the target by yourself or as part of a team. This will depend on whether you are compensated as a team member and if there is a team that is qualified and wants to act as a team. If this is a team target, enter "Yes." If it is not a team target, enter "No."
If yes, who?: This is where you list the team members. Every team needs a chair. You may want to identify a chair with a "C" preceding her/his name.
Spouse/Significant Other: Document the name of the spouse/significant other the moment you learn it so that you will have it for future reference. It really enhances a relationship when you are talking with a target about a non-work issue and you can say a name instead of being vague. You may also choose to document interests, birthdays etc.
Children: Same as above.
Mutual Contacts: This is where you list the names of people who are known to you and your target. Seeing these names may prompt you to produce an event that involves everyone. Or, you may see an opportunity to request support from one to help you strengthen the relationship with another. If you have more than 3 mutual contacts, you can list a few on each line and also enter more in Other at the bottom of the form.
Organizations: It is very important to document the organizations of your targets. This is how you will develop your skills for identifying and benefiting from well-targeted organizations that may be new to you or where you might benefit from increasing your involvement with the organizations you already know. If your target is involved in more than 3 organizations, you can list a few on each line and also enter more in Other at the bottom of the form.
Hobbies/Interests: As you document the hobbies and interests of your target, you may find that you become more aware of reasons to reach out. You may invite her/him to an event you know will be attractive. You might send articles that she/he will find interesting. You may discover that many of your targets share the same interests which could result in your creating an event that would be well-received by many targets.
Potential Introductions: This is where you document the names of people whom your target knows and whom your target might be willing to introduce to you. This does not mean that you have to ask for an introduction, particularly if you feel that is too invasive or pushy. But you may have some kind of offer that would be easy for your target to make to others on your behalf. For example, you might invite a target to a seminar and suggest that she/he invite others that you have in mind.
Publications: This is where you document the publications that your target reads. These are publications that may be read by your target market and could be a good place to publish. You should also read the publications so you are aware of the issues that are important to your target and her/his industry.
Known needs: This is where you document the needs your target knows that they have. For example, your target may tell you that she/he needs a new CPA. If you can make an introduction, you will benefit your target as well as the CPA, who may be or become a referral source. You will learn more about the issues a target is aware of as you interact and explain what you do for a living.
Unknown needs/issues: This is where you document needs or issues that you know may be important to the target, but the target is not familiar enough with the issue to know there is a need or issue. For example, if you are an estate planning attorney and your target just had a child, you are more aware of the importance of changing the will than the target might be.
It is the area of unknown needs/issues that will be most likely for future expansion of the relationship. When you bring up these needs/ issues, it is important not to be a fear monger or to overstate the concern. Rather, you are mentioning them because you are sincerely concerned about the well-being of your target and you feel compelled to make sure that she/he is properly informed.
Compatibles: This is where you document the interests, hobbies, activities, values, etc. that you and your target share. For example, if you both like golf, it will remind you that golf is a potential reason to reach. If you both have children, it will remind you that a discussion about a family vacation could be a topic you both relate to. This is important because a big part of building trust is identifying shared values.
Required Research: This is where you document information you need to research that may help you pursue the relationship. If there is research that you want to to do, be sure to list the specifics in the target to-do section.
Other: This is where you can document key things to remember that you don't want burried in your Notes such as a birthday or something the target said that impacted you. The entry date of each Other item will automatically be entered at the end of the line.
Archive the target: Click on this link when you want to remove the target from your Target list, but want to have access to it in the future. You can retrieve the target by clicking on the Show Archived Targets link at the bottom of your Target list on the Dashboard.
