Ethan Indra is a global C-level and startup expert serving 250 international accounts with his team in Vienna and Singapore. For example, in a use case between real estate project developers, banks, investors and financial service providers, a project turnover of more than 100 million euros has been achieved by focusing on increasing business results and strategic cooperation. Startup investors and founders rely on its expertise in business development. In this guest post, Ethan explains what he thinks business development is all about.
15 years ago, with my first startup out of necessity, I started my own business without training, studies and investor, but with a loss of one million euros. The pressure was to focus on the essentials and the few and to believe in the entrepreneurial perspective, free time allocation or unlimited income opportunities.
Today I have 250 customers in Europe and Asia and over 100 million euros in project sales. As a founder, please think about the following four best-practice ideas for your business development.
Customer acquisition is a top priority
Just as a professional footballer is under pressure to win at least twice for 45 minutes in the stadium, as a founder, you should personally address potential customers for 45 minutes at least twice a week for 45 minutes, deliberately alerting your person.
“Customers come because of you, stay with you and leave because of you.”
For a tech startup, I’m currently talking to the owners of mechanical engineering companies with a turnover between 100 million and five billion euros as follows: “Mr./Mrs. Secretariat, hello, Ethan Indra, CEO and owner of the Indra-World company and thank you Foundation, I would like to get in touch with your owner about a five-minute appointment, when would that be possible in the next week or two, from your point of view? ”
Regardless of the queries, resistances, and excuses of not doing so, keep in mind that the personal address is not a doctoral thesis, and you’re guaranteed to come to a closed-won opportunity on ten qualifying opportunities.
“Tell me how many you do not tolerate and I’ll tell you how much you believe in your business.”
My own 15 years of experience confirm 100% of a Salesforce study:
2% percent of purchases are made at the first touchpoint,
3% percent at the second,
5% percent at the third,
10% percent on the fourth and
80% of purchases at the fifth to twelfth touchpoints.
2nd target group: ALL
Everyone in your environment should know that you’re a startup, even though these people are not among your potential customers, according to the Business Marketing Plan. Why?
“It does not matter what you know, but who knows the one or the one you know.”
For my charity startup, the Thank You Foundation, I’ve been developing a book for over two years, and its world premiere was “by chance” in a fully booked 350-person television studio that was not planned or imagined years ago. Up to this time never had an author (founder) presented his book (product) in the context of an own show.
How it works? 19 touchpoint
Based on my mother, I have my father, his work colleague, a business consultant, my training manager, a manager, its director, a manager, an investor, a coach, a businesswoman, a seminar participant, a broker, a broker, her daughter, whose Colleagues, whose customers, his fellow students and last but not least get the chance over the boss of the television group.
“This is the story behind the glory.”
Three months after the book release, the peak is 301 online orders within 48 hours.
Steve Jobs: “You can only connect the dots if you look back connecting the dots.”
Many founders make the decision for others. He has no interest. He does not need that. He does not know anyone, etc. Let ALL the people in your universe decide for themselves if they want to identify with your idea, and you’ll be surprised that there are more than enough that follow you.
Belief through sight
An IoT startup, which I currently accompany to the next level, has made an exit for 300 million euros after five years. This is partly because the founder has managed to convince the investors of Google and Amazon or a Fortune 500 company of its business model. The board already has a successful startup exit in their CV, so the new owner made the investment after successful due diligence.
A potential customer always asks, “Which successful use or business cases are there already?”
Put everything on one card for the first two to five years, until you have a large or many small and medium sized businesses on your customer list.
Among my clients are, for example, banks that want to develop new business models and at the same time need the mindset of young startups. As a startup, ask yourself, “Do you belong to the 60% digital deniers, the 34% who do not make money with technology, or the very few 6% who make a lot of money with technology?”
No matter what answer comes, “I think I can help you.”
EI = Emotional Intelligence
“I do not know you, I do not think so, I do not need that.” Even though I report today with a 15 year track record as a board and owner with a very good product, there are resistance, rejection, doubts, fears, setbacks and pain faithful companions.
Your emotional stability, part of the emotional intelligence, you can train like a muscle. At least every 72 hours give your emotions a stimulus and the opportunity to grow. Train consciously 30-90 days or repeat 30-90 times, for example, the approach of potential customers, so that it becomes your start-up habit and your startup DNA.
“Founders do not fall from the sky, they are growing out of the ground.”
With 10,000 active business development hours, your business will be profitable, and you’ll enjoy the entrepreneurial freedoms that you dream of today and the reality of the day after tomorrow for the rest of your life.