How to Use Data to Drive Business Development

The scope of business development is relatively broad. It encompasses a wide range of initiatives and ideas to help a business grow in market penetration, revenue, and scope of products and services. Business development should consider every aspect of the company, from its workforce to its present and future clients. The most effective way to formulate a business development strategy is by leveraging data. Here are a few ways companies can use data to strengthen their business development strategies.

Comprehensive analysis of market data is crucial to formulate effective business development strategies. Big data processing and analysis can reveal size and composition of target markets; identify key players, potential customers, and main competitors; provide insights on customers’ needs and wants, unveiling unmet customer needs. Big data analysis can also help identify business and geo-political environments, and economic drivers in diverse international markets.

Even companies with satisfied customers can find ways to improve. Businesses can use big data to better understand what their clients want. They can use that information to identify opportunities within the organization or the market that drive customer satisfaction.

A company’s performance depends on its workforce. Big data can improve the hiring process by giving hiring managers valuable insights to better understand candidates’ potential to fit cultural and technical requirements to be successful. In addition, companies can use data to enhance their constant talent development process.

Big data can help increase productivity in multiple ways. It can help identify inefficient processes, talent gaps, materials and equipment performance levels, influence of external factors in the overall performance of the organization, etc. Companies use data to make more informed decisions based on metrics, not opinions. These decisions can lead to systems improvements that increase productivity and efficiency for the organization.

How to Incorporate Big Data into a Business Development Strategy

There are several steps companies can take to leverage big data in their business development strategy to ensure it is being used effectively.

1. Clearly define business objectives
2. Align business development strategy with those objectives.
3. Assess current processes of tracking and using data. Eliminate any process that does not align with business objectives.
4. Identify new opportunities for tracking and using data that align with business objectives.
5. Create a data roadmap for gathering, tracking, and using data. Review and adjust frequently to ensure data usage aligns with current business objectives.

Bottom Line

Companies looking to create a business development strategy need to incorporate big data into their process. A close analysis can give businesses the intelligence they need to understand essential business functions to optimize them for future growth.