The past year has certainly had a profound effect on small business development. At many companies, cutbacks were made, customers were lost, and revenue slipped. Fortunately, the new year provides an opportunity to start fresh with a new business development plan. “Use this time of the year as extra motivation to make new goals to better your business,” says Steve Fretzin, president of Sales Results, Inc. He offers these tips:

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• Attend at least three networking events a month. Networking should be a key part of your business development strategy. Look for events or groups that are relevant to your area of expertise. Meeting like-minded professionals can open the doors to unexpected new business.

• Become a better networker. Vow to get over any anxiety you may have about networking. Introduce yourself to new people and ask them about their profession. Remember to follow up with people you meet, and try to make at least 10 lasting connections each month.

• Become a better listener. When meeting with a potential customer or client, you should be listening 80% of the time and asking questions the other 20% of the time. Learn about the prospect’s weaknesses so that you can tailor your approach to fit their needs.

• Change the way you sell. Become a “soft” seller — in other words, master the art of selling without selling. Rather than practice traditional methods of hard-selling, focus on building customer relationships and listening. Turn cold prospecting into warm referrals, convincing into asking, closing into qualifying, and selling into partnering.

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