Biz Dev Director job

Just got an email from my client, thinkpublic , about a job they are posting.  Please mention having read it here on CAS if you do apply!

Do you want to change the World?
Are you a social entrepreneur? Do you want to be part of designing solutions that tackle the social challenges we face in the 21st Century? Do you have the drive to turn an idea into a successful service or enterprise? If so you are thinking public!

We aim to be the worlds leading social change agency, co-producing services that result in transformational shifts in culture and create a positive social impact. We aim to turn social challenges into innovative enterprises, think NHS Direct, think Neighbourhood Watch, think The Scouts.

We are looking for a bright, confident Business Development Director, to work alongside the company Director, to lead on devising and implementing strategies that generate new revenue steams for thinkpublic and ensure quality of delivery across the whole company.

You will be working with award winning designers and social thinkers/doers, in our established areas of health, local government, education and charities.
The success of this role will be judged on you ability to:
•    value creative and design processes, plus understand how to connect them to a business development and policy context
•    be able to devise and implement entrepreneurial strategies for winning innovative new business
•    be confident at communicating thinkpublics vision and services to a range of stakeholders
For more information contact:
Kerri Rosen
kerri.rosen@thinkpublic.com

 

Tags: business development, Design, NHS Direct, Social change

Image by dickuhne via Flickr

Read this one first if you are a girl…

Then counterbalance with this .

Reverse the order if you are a guy.

Grin….

Nick Burcher has done a good job comparing different search engines results f or the phrase "Michael Jackson Died". 

The one that comes up best is Hakia (pity you didn't put that at the top of your list, Nick give it some more publicity).

Hakia bills itself as a 'semantic search' engine that understands more about what the user is looking for. The Hakia results served up for 'Michael Jackson Died' are definitely more relevant than the other search engines referenced above. Hakia note the existence of Michael Jackson the writer, but seperate this off into a top section with the label 'would you consider this answer?' Impressive.

I also like his skill at tracking down the source of some of the confusion - Wikipedia who, since 2007, has had the exact phrase in an article referencing the 'other' Michael Jackson.  

Indeed Wikirank shows that visits to the profile of Michael Jackson the writer increased by 31,995% on June 25th. This 'other Michael Jackson' Wikipedia profile was visited 83,134 times on 25th June - even though it has nothing to do with the King Of Pop. 

However, the real answer to the search string could be provided by "real-time" search.  The Online Marketing blog summarises this in the context of the Iran + Electrion search string.  This is a small holy grail that has been on the cards for a while. Take a read of OneRiot's nice summary (although it is a rather a strong sales pitch for his work).

But the 'rumours' of the internet activity spikes causing Google news to think it was under attack by malware are more entertaining…. and Alan Patrick has a good graph summarising the reasons for the 'attack' - this really made me smile!

And of course this has clear implications for your own company / brand / name.  Check yourself out on all the search engines Nick lists for obvious search phrases and see which one 'finds' you.  If not, back to the SEO drawing board to refine the natural search phrases.

Thanks for a great insight, Nick and starting my researches into this great topic. 

Tags: , Alan Patrick, Freecloud, Google, Hakia, Michael Jackson, Nick Burcher, Search, Web search engine, Wikipedia

I was sent this by Adam Whittaker of RSW the new business agency yesterday.  He does an annual agency biz dev survey and needs about another 40 agencies to fill in the 5 minute questionnaire.  Can you help by completing and forwarding the link round?

Thanks

The results for 2008 US survey and results for 2007 survey.

Tags: Adam Whittaker, RSW

Image by Imran… via Flickr

The UK Digital Missions are becoming an established feature of digital conferences in US and Europe.  A highly successful package that gets UK digital brands exposure to key audiences at trade shows you couldn't afford to go to on your own.

i saw the SXSW one in person and have successfully got my clients onto Digital Missions in the past.  

Can't recommend it enough.

If you are located near Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle or London do go along the see what Chinwag and the UK Trade & Investment team can do for you. [aside it's definitely worth joining the Chinwag Linked In group too].

Anyone wanting to speak to someone who's been on the mission before to find out the specific benefits, please ask me and I can put you in touch.

Tags: chinwag, digital mission, SXSW, UK Trade & Investment, UKTI

How about a Million Dollar Challenge to reinvigorate your client's business?

Might be a nice little 'extra' to recommend to a longstanding client who you want to retain or a tidbit to offer to a prospect you want to close. 

I like seeing new industries starting to get to grips withsocial media tools.  The conference organisation industry has started to get it together as I have written in the pas t.

Sadly when they miss the mark it's rather more public and humiliating.  So I'll add to the pile of dog poo around this industry.

I'm working in pharmaceutical marketing with a new client and so getting to know the online space for a new industry is rather fun and quite instructive.

There's an event for digital marketing being run by DigiPharmEurope and they've put nice logos on the bottom saying

Looks good, thinks I.  Following the Twitter link first, I find it
takes me to my own home page.  So out of curiosity I follow the
others.  Each one is incorrectly linked, not to the DigiPharm page but
to my own home. Doh!  

now, should I tell them…. or not?

you decide.  

Tags: , digipharm europe, Digital marketing, pharma marketing

Nice poll from Nikki Pilkington .

One question - pie chart answers.

Add your vote, please.

Tags: , biz dev twitter, nikki pilkington, twtpoll

Nicky O'Malley from recruiter InHouse has sent me their white paper about brands rationalising agency relationships . 

• She thinks that an internal "business development culture" is important
• She advocates building closer relationships with existing clients so they don't re-pitch their account
• Senior teams in agencies do not generally have a new business background 
• Business development bonuses are mainly given to the biz dev team not the whole agency
• Agencies regularly pitch for new business without having a clear process for delivering success

My view is that the opportunity exists to train all client facing teams in the basics of business development.  Few people have ever been taught the principles of business developent.  They are not complex, but stringing them all together is the key to delivering competent and consistent new business successes.

[Pitch: I run training for senior teams and client-facing staff]

Tags: business development

Image via Wikipedia

Need to find people online?

Try the new Twellow d irectory of Twitter users.  Teh Twitter Yellow Pages… it seems pretty comprehensive.

I did some trial searches… 

people I follow - nice and pretty up to date

People following me - not quite so up to datebut a nice tool to find people who you are not following "non-mutuals" in twellow language.

Twellowhood is a map tool (only US / Canada) to find people in your locale.

can't show you links as it depends on being logged in with your Twitter ID to get data onto the page.

 All in all a good place to get yourself onto a directory.  Go for it.  And thanks to David Airey for the link.

Tags: Twellow, twitter, Yellow Pages