5 Tips To Develop New Business Relationships In Times Of Uncertainty

Many industries have been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

What was a buoyant economic environment this time last year, has now been replaced by mass levels of staff redundancy and companies closing their doors for good. 

Those of us left standing can often feel overwhelmed with anxiety because the phone isn’t ringing nearly as much as it used to.

With all that said, you might be surprised to hear there is still a lot you can do to develop new relationships and opportunities for growth during the challenging months ahead. 

1. Understand the needs and motivations of your target audience.

Before you do anything, you need a clear understanding of who you can actually help. 

Help meaning those you can commit to for the long haul without expecting them to give you work straight away. 

Who is out there that would benefit from a conversation with you? Where you can demonstrate empathy to their challenges and share your expertise to support them on a path to recovery. 

These are the people you should be identifying and prioritising. 

2. Adapt your tone of voice. 

Whether via marketing channels or direct conversations with potential clients, your tone of voice will likely need some modification. 

Those that remain tone deaf in their messaging will struggle to create a relevant value proposition that people can connect with. 

Acknowledge the economic climate, don’t pretend it doesn’t exist.

3. Be flexible. 

The valuable project or contract you want may not be on the table right now — but that doesn’t mean you should end the conversation there.

Be creative and explore other ways to develop relationships with people. 

By striking up a series of initial conversations with your target audience, you may uncover someone who has a smaller project that sits outside your current scope of services, but still very much within your area of expertise. 

Instead of being rigid in your approach, take on this project and look to over-deliver on every aspect. This will allow you to get plenty of face time or zoom time with someone who could assist you in securing chunkier contracts down the line. 

4. Create content that resonates. 

Being generous with your knowledge by regularly creating content of value is not just a short term strategy, it is one which will continue to supersede any other form of marketing. 

For those who aren’t yet familiar with the term, Content Marketing is defined as a form of marketing focused on creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience online.

Blogs, podcasts, webinars and white papers are all forms of Content Marketing. 

What will set your content apart is the intent with which you are creating it. 

You should seek to regularly benefit your audience by providing valuable insight — not to sell or publicise your services. 

5. Develop a contact strategy. 

How often does your target audience hear from you? How often do you comment, like, share their content when they are not actively engaging your services? 

The answer is likely not as often as you know you should. 

By engaging without the intent of an immediate tangible return, you will start to build better relationships with people. 

If you are truly committed to the long game and shift your mindset from “Can you give me what I want?” to “How can I add value to you?” you will be surprised with the results.