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MAY 2005

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	Understanding Business Needs and Goals QUOTE “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” Buddha		Understanding the business needs and goals of your clients is an integral part of building business relationships.   This involves not only uncovering your customers' needs, wants, and concerns but also understanding the overall business strategy and goals.  To do so we suggest you: Listen to your client’s needs and pains. Conduct interviews or focus groups with clients to find out what your clients really want and need.  This will help you determine the demand for your group’s services.  Ask questions to help uncover future needs and strategies. Once you have asked the question, sit back and LISTEN.  Listen to themes, pains, and key priorities. Ask for their thoughts. Interview key clients to determine how your expertise can most effectively support their goals.  Focus on gaining insight to their perspectives on issues that may be relevant in doing work for them. Ask for feedback.  Make a list of all the internal and external clients you or your team serve.  Next to each one list what type of services you provide.  Identify the three most important internal and external clients.  Set up regular meetings with them to discuss their level of satisfaction and project progress.  Ask for specific examples of what you are doing well and what you need to improve on. Be an observer. Attend business planning and tracking meetings as an observer.  This will help you develop your perspective on what specific departments and teams need to achieve.  Anytime you are in a meeting, pay attention to the issues, pains, and needs and determine if there might be some way you could provide solution ideas or expertise. Understanding business needs and goals is another key step to developing business relationships.   We’ve put together a calendar full of additional ideas on how to build momentum in this area.  We hope this calendar gives you inspiration and concrete examples of how to gather information that will help you to better understand your client's business needs and goals. VIEW CALENDAR (PDF) If you would like to read our full article on Building Relationships to Gain Momentum with New and Existing Clients please contact us at advanceinfo@advanceconsulting.com.
			FIND OUT MORE Advance Consulting is a professional development company that provides state-of-the-art consulting services, workshops, seminars, and speaking engagements throughout the U.S. and internationally. Find out more at www.advanceconsulting.com, send us an email at advanceinfo@advanceconsulting.com, or call us at (831) 372-9444 for more information.