Business Development as Function of Marketing

You come across number of high flyers who don visiting cards broadcasting as business development managers. The trend began with the boom in the IT industry and with dotcom revolution. Even today IT companies have specialised people handling marketing under the job name of business developer. Academic and professional organizations which are forbidden to use the word and title of marketing as a matter of courtesy and ethics open up business development divisions ostensibly to handle the same mundane function of sales and marketing. Hardly have we seen a new venture without a business developer prominent in their HR profile. So we have a situation where business development has been placed under marketing with a stated goal of bringing more business, customers and relationships. A new vocabulary consisting of such jargons and phrases as business pipeline, capture management, competitive intelligence, business leads and probability of winning bedazzles us more than ever.

Business Development as Organizational Growth Process

A macro view of identifying business development with as much new business as organizational wide growth process is slowly gaining currency in business and management literature. This view incorporates the following step-up approach, in defining business development:

1. Business Development brings in new relationship along with added sales growth

2. Existing relationships are milked more in order to improve business prospects

3. Building of strategic alliances is the cornerstone of any business development activity

4. Creating more opportunities for sales must reflect back on the organization whereby new products and processes are introduced to optimize such opportunities

5. Every growth opportunity is identified and analysed so that the optimum one yielding commensurate return for all functions in an organization is selected. Thereafter, proper strategies are formulated with a view to ensure seamless implementation

6. Business Development must aim for incremental rise in market activity that sustains the growth momentum in corporate management, marketing, HR, production/operation as well as in finance

7. Finally, business development must garner long term value by employing internal strengths to capitalize on external opportunities.

Muthu Ashraff
Business Adviser
Mobile : +94 777 265677
E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com
Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com
Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/

1. Normal Thinking: This style refers to ordinary mental process encompassing, reasoning, visualizing, analysing, forecasting, journeying, jumping from one frame to another, shifting positions & focus and other activities to arrive at a conclusion. Most office workers, operatives and junior level employees possess normal thinking

2. Logical Thinking: Anchored on reasoning and driven by sense of focus on solving a problem at hand, logical thinking consciously seeks a solution or decision at a given moment. Every variable is subjected to scrutiny in logical thinking. At the same time their thoughts flow in an orderly fashion. There are two strands under this style:

2.1 Critical Thinking: This process involves high degree of analysis and evaluation to prove a point currently under examination. Criminal lawyers tend to display critical thinking strand

2.2 Reflective Thinking: On the other hand, reflective thinking seeks answers for phenomena that happened in the past, while adopting the same methodology of analysis and evaluation to arrive at conclusion. Once a conclusion emerges reflective thinkers apply that to the issue at hand. Civil lawyers tend to display reflective thinking strand

3. Vertical Thinking: This style of thinking moves on a vertical plane, sequentially analysing only known matters that too are selected beforehand. Vertical thinkers are also referred to as direct thinkers as they tend to focus on a matter directly without any sub-routing. More than that, they adjust their position only marginally as they proceed. Compliance, conformity and aversion to flexibility are their hallmarks. This style befits accountants, auditors and officers in finance department

4. Lateral Thinking: Founded by Edward De Bono, lateral thinking is just opposite of vertical thinking; it is alternately known as horizontal thinking or indirect thinking. Flexibility, experimenting are the chief characteristics of lateral thinkers. Striking the right balance between reasoning and creativity, logic and innovativeness is their forte. Lateral thinking generates ideas in quick succession, one of which could be selected in solving issues. Sales and marketing departments are full of lateral thinkers who add value to the business

5. Creative Thinking: Under this style, thoughts are fairly un-organised. Reason and logic are thrown overboard. In its stead there is imagination often running wild. If not corralled creative thinkers can turn to be fantasizers. But we must admit, these guys can move mountain with their ideas; they and their ideas in turn are celebrated. Internet is a lively example of creative thinking. Ideas and pictures come in quick succession to a creative thinker who can fashion a new product or find a new way of using an existing product. Though creative thinking is often spontaneous, it can be egged on by direction and guidance. Brain storming is a good example of the latter method. Departments dealing in design, fashion, lay-out, PR, advertisement, corporate communication are manned by creative thinkers

6. Structured Thinking: In business life, you bump into someone who uses step-by-step approach in handling matters. He goes through methodical system of study, listen, observe, collate, reflect and thereafter make his pronouncements known. Here is a structured thinker, who combines both vertical thinking and horizontal thinking in equal measure but move cautiously and sequentially from unknown to known realm. At a given moment their thinking process involves problem definition, listing of underlying causes, assessing impact, generating alternatives and finally choosing the ones that optimize the interest of a business. Engineers, operation managers and those work in research and development departments are possessed with this style of thinking

7. Conceptual Thinking: As the odd man out of the seven styles of thinking, conceptual thinker is not concerned with facts or pictures, but with concepts. He has the ability to break a complex problem into small workable pieces. He goes on to understand the cause and effect and what must be done to bring normalcy. Afterwards, he builds concepts around the problem quickly and with ease; maps the relationship that lie between each concept, makes useful assumptions, validates the assumptions; fuses the concepts into a framework; arrives at a solution or decision; finally makes his point known in concise and precise manner. A man in his elements, he is the quintessential business developer, corporate strategist and on elevation chairman of a board.

Muthu Ashraff
Business Adviser
Mobile : +94 777 265677
E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com
Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com
Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/

1. Exploratory: This type of research arises when you are entering into un-chartered area. A pretty good example is when you are asked to explore the possibility of opening a branch of your company abroad. At present you have no research findings with you. Neither you are familiar with the territory. So you begin to work from general point to a specific focus of your company. You have to marshal facts from many sources, collate these and familiarize with the situation there. Thorny issue must be identified and you need to find out every angle of opening a branch in terms of qualitative and quantitative data. Afterwards, you develop hypotheses that can be tested. Sometimes it so happens that you find opening such a branch is just no-go

2. Descriptive: Most business research harp on describing the facts as it is. A good example is to see how your present business location helps in developing your business. You identify variables and rank these in order of their importance in impacting your business growth. You cannot leave a single stone un-turned. After listing every conceivable variable you file up your report. At the risk of repetition, I must state that these variables are known and exist as it is. What differs is your ranking of the facts and/or level of their impact. Since there is no originality involved we often call this research as “Ex Post Facto”

3. Evaluative: This type of research is also known as “ analytical”, due to the fact that you are expected to do lot more analysis. In evaluative research you have full freedom to bring in variables that was not known previously. A doable example is to analyse the present office lay-out in overall efficiency. You still use existing data, but you can bring a new factor to evaluate it. In addition to factors already in use such as convenience, seamless integration, process flow, traffic flow, lighting & ventilation, natural setting, you can also bring in ergonomics and aesthetics to evaluate the office lay-out. In evaluative research you are expected to air constructive criticism of the subject matter so that the management can make considered judgement or informed decision on the basis of your findings

4. Diagnostic: Though sounds more of clinical nature, diagnostic research is often undertaken in business areas to solve chronic issues that remain unsolved for quite some time. One example is employee absenteeism. In this type of research, you are both an insider and outsider. You have to be passionate in solving the issue and at the same time display a sense of neutrality. This is because you are handling sensitive matter of employees and even more discreet matter such as absenteeism. You approach this assignment with open mind and seek to get in-depth knowledge by identifying symptoms, causes and effect. You will distinguish between chaff and grain, symptoms and causes, under-lying reasons and obvious explanations. Your data gathering must be discreet and borders on confidentiality. In most cases you will select a sample from a large group or work on selected employees of a critical department

5. Investigative: A minuscule version of a diagnostic research, this type narrows down the field of inquiry to a specific factor or phenomenon. An apt example is carelessness of an employee that caused a fire in the factory. You are expected to survey the factory, understand the cause, identify the party involved, and file evidence against such an employee. You will assess the cost of damage, obtain explanation from the party concerned, and ascertain the extent of contributory negligence on the part of management. You will conclude with what action to be taken against the party concerned and what steps to be taken to avoid such accidents in future

6. Normative: This is completely different research from the previous ones. Here you study and analyse issues to set norms, standards or parameters. Often these are expressed in quantitative forms. Where qualitative form is selected norms would tend to be general requirements or maxims. Norms can range from broader aspects such as values and characteristics to narrow aspects of eligibility. Setting accounting and auditing standards in a business is a perfect example of a normative research

7. Predictive: This research type is also known as causal research as it sets out to trace the cause and effect of a phenomenon. In business, predictive research can take the form of “If—-When “scenarios. Basically a predictive research indicates the set of results when a particular cause takes place. Predicting such results have nothing to do with soothsaying but anchored on the scientific method of testing a hypothesis. Loosening credit control leading to pile of bad debts is a tested example of predictive research

8. Prescriptive: A prescriptive research is based on designing a specific solution to a known issue. Generally such a known issue emanates from the gap between what is desired and what is currently available. A business researcher embarks on doing this, after examining the relevant data and variables that impact and influence the situation; after critically evaluating the business as a whole; after exhausting all other possibilities of solutions that are found in available literature. Hence, a prescriptive research is the most original in terms of outcome. Designing an organizational system is a fitting example of a prescriptive research.

Muthu Ashraff
Business Adviser
Mobile : +94 777 265677
E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com
Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com
Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/

1. Reflective Thinking: This is the fountain that springs most successful ideas in business, technology and activities that border on the profit motive. In reflective thinking you regurgitate like a cow in the gate, of what you have learned, what you have heard and what you have felt. You marshal these facts of wisdom; re-visit these and make connections between you and the facts gathered. Thereafter, you examine the facts, correct the errors tie the loose-ends and embark on the journey of re-learning. You fuse many limbs of the idea into a cohesive whole and arrive at a business idea that has the potential to be turned into a practical and successful one

2. Studied imagination: I rate this process as the second most important way to generate good business ideas. In this process you enmesh both subjectivity and objective analysis. What you have studied in college, business and family relationship is your objective part which you will weld with imagination that flies out to realm of un-fathomed areas. Icarus saw how birds fly and fitted him with wings made of wax he soared over the sky. For his bad time he came close to the Sun which resulted in the melting of the wings. Consequently, he started to fall. You are not going to repeat this. Instead, you will steer your imagination backed by your objective facts could easily land in a workable business idea

3. Bright Sparks: Unlike studied imagination bright sparks give you an idea all of a sudden. It may be related to the circumstance you are in or something un-related but connected to your circumstance. Archimedes found his theory of floating body after immersing in the water tub. His theory ran thus: any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. This theory has worked wonders in business applications

4. Observing Nature: Newton found his theory of gravity after observing the fall of apple from the tree. Natural phenomenon has objective lessons for you. Scriptures talk about this as a measure of reward or punishment from the God. Naturalists think otherwise. They opine that these phenomena are result of cause and effect which were later tested in science and arts. By observing nature, business persons have fashioned ventures from food to outer space-physics

5. Your Experience: As you agree with me, experience is a better teacher. Your track experience in a chosen career can give you plenty of ideas whose success rate is much higher than the ones your green horn colleague boasts about. A seasoned person with plenty of experience and insight generates quick and workable ideas than MBA graduates because he prefers to err on the side of caution rather than jump head along into a hole of fire

6. Brainstorming: It is not necessary that you should do a brainstorm session in a class room setting to get brilliant ideas. When you meet up with friends, colleagues and family members make it a point to talk about new idea for a business. Allow them to speak their heart out. Never interrupt. Garner points and trends. Now you do your own calculus picking one point here one trend there and bring together to get a raw idea. After refinement and faceting you will end up having a remarkable one. Call it gold mine

7. Recycling Ideas: For want of better expression, I am using the phrase recycling ideas. in fact you are borrowing it lock, stock and barrel. Lest you are accused of plagiarism or indicted for copyright violations you calibrate the idea; tweaking and tinkering. The result can be anything: Improvement, Adaptation or Re-make. Sadly, 90 % of the ideas that float in the market are just re-cycling stuff.

Muthu Ashraff
Business Adviser
Mobile : +94 777 265677
E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com
Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com
Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/

1. Need: A need is defined as un-fulfilled part or whole of a desire. If you look for a fat salary and get only a portion your need is un-fulfilled partly. If you do not get a salary at all your whole desire is gone barren. There is slight distinction between need and want. Whereas a need is not fully supported by the means to achieve it, a want has every means that support in getting it over. Yet another point is that need ranges between what is voluntary and what is necessity. A person needs a TV for entertainment and can do without it though. When it comes to food it is vital necessity as he cannot do without it

2. Requirement: Definition of requirement is thus: something expected, demanded or imposed upon as an obligation. On personal basis a requirement can be voluntary and does not speak of strict obligation. When it passes to the realm of inter-personal relationship requirement becomes much stricter and denotes authority, necessity and perhaps norms & standards. For example one can be nude in his room, whereas when he walks on the street he is expected to be decently dressed

3. Problem: A problem is a situation that is harmful or unwelcome implying an impediment to the progress of anything; as a corollary problem mandates that corrective action must be taken. On the same token a problem conveys a gap between what it is and what it should be; what is desired and what you have finally got; for example a city hall meeting is expected to be peaceful; when fracas occurs in between tow antagonists inside the hall it is a definite problem. Insufficiency is something that woven around a problem occurring in every conceivable areas including data, norms, budget, performance and degree of satisfaction

4. Issue: An issue can be a minor one forming a part of the problem or major one engulfing the entire problem. A salutary point is an issue can be sorted out by discussion, explanation, exploration or by consensual talk. Centrality of an issue can impact the problem at hand. For example sending troops abroad is a military manoeuvre where willingness of the uniformed corps to serve elsewhere could turn out to be an issue

5. Question: A matter that demands information, answer confirmation or clarification. Alternatively question means deficiency in terms of knowledge, connectivity, personal conduct etc.

6. Query: A query is a question that is addressed to someone who holds public or private office. It denotes legal or moral compulsion on the part of the receiver of the query and authority and standard on the part of the issuer.

When you are faced with any of the six situations, you have no alternative other than developing an idea to counter it. In doing so you may land with brilliant idea, really.

Muthu Ashraff
Business Adviser
Mobile : +94 777 265677
E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com
Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com
Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/

Six Easy Steps

• Find out what is the Problem that impedes your progress in life
• Understand the Nature of the Problem
• Checklist the Causes that led to this Problem
• Find out a Solution yourself, if this Problem is just a minor issue that can be corrected by you alone
• Chart out a Solution after consulting your colleagues and staff, if and when the issue is mildly complex
• Where the problem or issue is fairly complex you call in a Business Adviser to guide you in solving your problem and in improving your business

What you should look for in a Business Adviser?

• He must be neutral, independent and confidential person well versed in business management.
• His advice is designed exclusively for you after considering your problem, your issue and your question against your own background rather than churning out generalized hum-drum advice
• Any solution must be as distinct as the case may be in relation to your business, your industry or segment, your area or region etc.
• The business adviser must assist you in making your business better, meaningful, rewarding and satisfying
• Moreover, he should be able to analyse, understand and evaluate your business along with your personal cosmics
• Finally, he must give you proper direction and guidance to facilitate taking risk and making decisions.

Muthu Ashraff
Business Adviser
Mobile : +94 777 265677
E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com
Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com
Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/

1. Write down your business idea in clear and concise English. Improve the draft once again. Check it up to see whether it makes sense to you and to an ordinary reader. Now your spark of imagination is transformed into a concrete idea

2. The second step is to morph your idea into a business concept. A business concept is defined as the result of organized thought of your business idea. It has several limbs structured into a useful form. Let me give an example: you draw few dots vertically or horizontally on a paper. When you link each dots you get a vertical or a horizontal line. In this case, dots are ideas; line is your concept. Typically a business concept has limbs such as profit motive, product as unique value proposition, how the product fits the market needs, how it performs against competition, the cost of product, its revenue generation and finally how it services your overhead and gives you profits. If you have a business concept developed then you will be able to take charge and influence the outcome of your efforts in a business because a well-designed business concept gives you direction, motivation and tenacity.

3. You must test your business concept to ensure whether it is feasible or not. Feasibility must be ascertained as against regulatory environment, economics, environmental issues, marketing parameters, financial viability, technological excellence and social acceptability

4. Once the feasibility is positive then you have to prepare a detailed proposal in the form of a business plan, bringing out details of all the functions of a business organization including corporate management, administration, marketing, production, finance and human resource into a cohesive entity to produce and sell your unique product

5. Guidelines are to be prepared in the next stage where policies and procedures for each department are developed in order to make the business as a going concern. Generally, a budget is drawn for each department and rolled over every year. Segmental plans in product development, market development and human resource development would be detailed. Your investment plan in physical assets and human resources is also dovetailed. Moreover the time and duration of each stage of the business development are also noted

6. Implementing your business plan is the next action step. When you do this invariably you will concentrate on business growth and development along with having safeguards to cover yourself from any eventuality

7. Monitoring progress and adjusting your budget, target, goals along with amending your plan is the seventh and final stage in making your business idea a successful one. As you reach this point you have become mature, experienced and skilled business person. You are ready to take your business to higher levels as you go on.

Muthu Ashraff
Business Adviser
Mobile : +94 777 265677
E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com
Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com
Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/

There are seven countries in South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The population in Sri Lanka is about 20 million earning an average per capita income of U S $ 2,290/-. Classified as Lower-Middle Income earner, Sri Lanka ranks as the second most business friendly country after Maldives, in the recent annual survey by the World Bank. Titled “Doing Business 2012 Sri Lanka” the annual publication compares data out of all seven countries in the region. The score by Sri Lanka at 89 points bode well when compared with the average Regional score of 117. Besides doing business as a whole has improved from the previous figure of 98 recorded in 2011. The survey deals with the following matters in depth: starting business, construction and property, utility such as electricity, obtaining finance, investment protection, taxation, international trading, commercial contracts etc.

Starting and running a business in this country is not only rewarding to businessmen and investors but most enjoyable to them and to their families. There is an attractive resident scheme for investors to start business and live in the country during the pendency of the business. If by any chance the investors wish to dispose the business, they can continue to reside in the country, unlike in the case of Singapore.

As a gateway to South Asia, Sri Lanka and its main ports in Colombo, Hambanthota and Trincomalee offer the state of the art technology in port management. Air freighting is facilitated via Katunayake and other regional airports. Colombo the capital city is a commercial hub for imports and exports to the entire South Asian region. Businesses can be located either in Free Trade Zones or elsewhere without much difficulty.

Heavy and light industry, construction, education, leisure, pharmaceuticals, plantation, agriculture and farming, entertainment, media, healthcare, fashions are key sectors showing great promise along with financial services including commercial banking, credit, stockbroking, asset management, investment and private banking.

Business Opportunity

Inquiries are welcome from prospective businessmen, buyers, developers and investors who wish to start a new business or buy an existing one. Get a piece of action in Colombo Business Centre that has morphed into a star performer in the region. You can recoup your investment in business within a short horizon depending on the market movements. More than that, you will enjoy doing business here, really.

Muthu Ashraff
Business Adviser
Mobile : +94 777 265677
E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com
Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com
Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/

This prime real estate spawns an area about 19.86 Hectares (about 49.7 Acres). It is situated at Hevanala Yaya, Thalangedara, Maho in Kurunegala District of North-Western Province of Sri Lanka. It borders Nikaweratiya – Madagala Road with a road frontage of around 900 meters. Trains operated by Ceylon Government Railway saunter in the southern edge of the land traversing towards Trincomalee and Batticaloa, towns that are located in the Eastern sea shore. In fact this land is in between two railway stations: one is Maho and the other is Yapahuwa.

The historic city of Yapahuwa was once the capital of Sri Lanka during the 13 Century. Tourists flock to the city in their thousands to view the olden city and centres of tourist attraction such as Kikawala Rock Cave Temple that displays evidence of amazing volcanic rock formations. You can easily access the land travelling from Colombo, Capital of Sri Lanka over fully carpeted road that reaches the land and far beyond. From Colombo you travel 160 km to this picturesque land.

The land is endowed with varieties of well grown fruit trees such as coconut, mango, cashew, wood apple, banana and many others. Moreover it is forested with about 650 teak trees of about 6 years old planted along the boundaries. A meandering and beautiful landscape connects you to rock formations, scrub jungle and a cosy environment of lush greenery. Ground water is available throughout the year in three large ponds that collect rain water. Additionally, two large agro wells provide irrigational water during summer and two wells sprinkle drinking water throughout the year. Existing building structures include a two-bedroom bungalow, two small houses, an office as well as a guard room. There is a weigh bridge currently not in use but serviceable.

Ecotourism

Surrounded by tropical greenery, this property has potential to be developed as an iconic Eco-friendly Tourist Rest or Eco Lodge. One of the norms of Ecotourism stipulated by “The Ecotourism Society” is that places under Ecotourism banner must conserve the environment and at the same time must improve the welfare of the people living in and around the area. This land definitely passes the test of “conserve and improve” concept and qualifies as a prime spot for development as Ecotourism Rest or Eco Lodge. Finance for Ecotourism is generally granted by local and international banks.

Business Opportunity

1. A prospective investor has to buy this land in the first place and thereafter, set in motion a chosen Ecotourism Rest or Eco Lodge construction programme

2. A prospective buyer can buy this land and hold it as an investment asset before re-selling it to any prospective developer bent on these lines.

Inquiries are welcome from prospective buyers, investors or Ecotourism property developers for a price quote. Get a piece of action in buying this plot of land in Maho , North-Western Province of Sri Lanka and experience the real pleasure of being part of ecology.

Muthu Ashraff
Business Adviser
Mobile : +94 777 265677
E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com
Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com
Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/

This land is of almost rectangular shape with an extent of 3,687 square meters. In Jaffna parlance the extent is stated as 14.35 Parappu. Located in the Point Pedro Road , the land can be easily accessed travelling from Nallur Kandasamy Kovil towards Point Pedro. Passing Sankilian Road Junction the plot of land is for your view on your right side. The entire length of the land is abutting the Jaffna – Point Pedro Road. Originally this land was part of Sankilithoppu. Nowadays it is referred to as Pandarathottam due to the fact that it faces Pandarakulam across the road.

Business Opportunity

1. A prospective investor has to buy this land in the first place and thereafter, set in motion a chosen development programme. Most banks are willing to finance such real estate development
2. A prospective buyer can buy this land and hold it as an investment asset before re-selling it to any prospective property developer later on.

Inquiries are welcome from prospective buyers, investors or property developers for a price quote. Get a piece of action in buying this plot of land in Jaffna which is poised to experience large scale economic and infra-structure development in the near future.

Muthu Ashraff
Business Adviser
Mobile : +94 777 265677
E-mail : cosmicgems@gmail.com
Web : http://www.cosmicgemslanka.com
Blog : http://cosmicgemslanka.com/blog/