{"id":73499,"date":"2025-05-13T11:35:46","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T09:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/?p=73499"},"modified":"2026-02-09T17:20:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T15:20:24","slug":"business-development-strategies-for-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/business-development-strategies-for-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"7 business development strategies for small businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/category\/strategy-legal-operations\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Strategy, Legal &amp; Operations<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t7 business development strategies for small businesses\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-05-13T11:35:46+02:00\">May 13, 2025<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"7 business development strategies for small businesses\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/business-development-strategies-for-small-businesses\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/author\/eugeneyiga\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/03\/Eugene-Yiga-Profile-Photo-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Profile photo of writer Eugene Yiga.\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Eugene Yiga<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When you&#8217;re running a startup or small business, growth is always top of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pressure to generate immediate revenue often pushes founders toward a relentless focus on sales, chasing the next customer, hitting this month&#8217;s targets, closing deals to keep the lights on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what about the opportunities beyond your direct sales pipeline?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strategic partnerships that could open entirely new markets?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ecosystem relationships that might transform your business model?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where business development comes in, not as a replacement for sales, but as a strategic complement that builds foundations for sustainable, long-term growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Frank Nawabi, co-Founder and general manager at Tenor (it was acquired by Google in 2018), leveraged this approach to secure partnerships with major platforms before the company&#8217;s successful acquisition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, you&#8217;ll discover his key insights for effective business development that creates value well beyond your next sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s what we&#8217;ll cover:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-business-development-vs-sales-understanding-the-difference\" data-level=\"2\">Business development vs sales: Understanding the difference<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-7-business-development-strategies-to-implement-today\" data-level=\"2\">7 business development strategies to implement today<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#h-1-embrace-failure-as-a-learning-opportunity\" data-level=\"3\">1. Embrace failure as a learning opportunity<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-2-build-genuine-relationships-before-pursuing-deals\" data-level=\"3\">2. Build genuine relationships before pursuing deals<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-3-negotiate-from-a-position-of-trust\" data-level=\"3\">3. Negotiate from a position of trust<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-4-gather-diverse-feedback-to-refine-your-strategy\" data-level=\"3\">4. Gather diverse feedback to refine your strategy<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-5-segment-your-audience-for-targeted-outreach\" data-level=\"3\">5. Segment your audience for targeted outreach<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-6-focus-on-long-term-strategic-growth\" data-level=\"3\">6. Focus on long-term strategic growth<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-7-build-your-product-with-passion-not-just-for-acquisition\" data-level=\"3\">7. Build your product with passion, not just for acquisition<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-final-thoughts\" data-level=\"2\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-business-development-vs-sales-understanding-the-difference\">Business development vs sales: Understanding the difference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before implementing any growth strategy, it&#8217;s essential to distinguish between these two critical but distinct functions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Business development<\/strong> operates as the strategic engine that fuels long-term growth. It focuses on identifying opportunities, building partnerships, exploring new markets, and driving innovation that expands your business&#8217;s reach and impact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sales <\/strong>typically concentrates on transactional relationships and immediate revenue generation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While both contribute to growth, they operate with different objectives, strategies, and metrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Frank notes: &#8220;Business development is more than just sales and focuses on strategic long-term thinking and growth opportunities for the entire business operation.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-business-development-strategies-to-implement-today\">7 business development strategies to implement today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-embrace-failure-as-a-learning-opportunity\">1. Embrace failure as a learning opportunity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Failure in business development comes in various forms, from losing a potential deal to inadequately researching customer needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than avoiding failure, successful entrepreneurs recognise it as part of the journey and use it to refine their approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you encounter setbacks, ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What specific factors contributed to this outcome?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What information did I miss during my preparation?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How can I integrate these lessons into future strategies?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Learning from these experiences enables you to make better decisions and move faster in subsequent business development efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-build-genuine-relationships-before-pursuing-deals\">2. Build genuine relationships before pursuing deals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Strong relationships with customers, partners, and industry stakeholders form the backbone of effective business development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prioritise creating authentic connections based on mutual value rather than immediate gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Friendship should come first, even before potential deals,&#8221; says Frank. &#8220;You should always be willing to help others when possible.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach lays the groundwork for trust, which becomes invaluable when navigating complex partnership negotiations later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-negotiate-from-a-position-of-trust\">3. Negotiate from a position of trust<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you&#8217;ve built genuine rapport with prospective partners, negotiation hurdles become significantly easier to overcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trust-based negotiations tend to produce more favourable outcomes for both parties and create foundations for lasting partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before entering any negotiation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Thoroughly understand your counterpart&#8217;s needs and motivations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clearly identify your non-negotiables and areas of flexibility<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prepare to articulate mutual benefits beyond financial terms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-gather-diverse-feedback-to-refine-your-strategy\">4. Gather diverse feedback to refine your strategy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Seeking input from various partners, even those outside your sector, helps identify what an ideal partnership looks like for your business and reveals valuable patterns that can shape your approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Create structured feedback loops to capture insights from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Current customers and partners<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prospective clients who chose competitors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Industry experts and advisors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Team members with customer-facing roles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Use this feedback to regularly refine your business development blueprint and adjust your targeting strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-segment-your-audience-for-targeted-outreach\">5. Segment your audience for targeted outreach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Effective business development requires understanding your target audience at a granular level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leverage data analytics to segment your audience based on behaviours, needs, and preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This segmentation enables you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tailor partnership proposals to specific partner requirements<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identify underserved market segments with growth potential<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Allocate resources to the most promising opportunities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Customise your value proposition for different stakeholder groups.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-focus-on-long-term-strategic-growth\">6. Focus on long-term strategic growth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While quarterly targets matter, sustainable business development requires a longer-term strategic roadmap that looks beyond immediate revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Develop a comprehensive strategy that includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Market expansion opportunities (new territories, segments, or verticals)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Product diversification possibilities that complement your core offering<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strategic partnership models that provide mutual growth opportunities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brand-building initiatives that strengthen your market position.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember that while sales can be part of your business development strategy, it shouldn&#8217;t be the sole focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-build-your-product-with-passion-not-just-for-acquisition\">7. Build your product with passion, not just for acquisition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Avoid building a product solely with the intention of getting bought by a big company,&#8221; Frank cautions. &#8220;This mindset can lead to disappointment.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, create solutions that you and your customers genuinely care about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This authentic approach not only produces better products but also creates more compelling partnership opportunities and potentially favourable acquisition scenarios when the timing is right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-thoughts\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Successful business development is about adopting a mindset that balances strategic thinking with authentic relationship building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By distinguishing between sales and business development functions, you can develop a more comprehensive approach to growth that positions your startup for long-term success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When implemented thoughtfully, these strategies can help you build a resilient business capable of navigating challenges and capitalising on opportunities in today&#8217;s competitive marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice enewsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-84fe79b5-668d-41f8-a0cc-6229018c4ac9\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover proven business development strategies beyond sales from Tenor&#8217;s co-founder. Build partnerships that drive sustainable growth for your startup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1064,"featured_media":69906,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,29],"tags":[350,166,316,337,209],"business_type":[2],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[16],"imagine_tag":[63,53,68,83,85,86],"coauthors":[403],"class_list":["post-73499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strategy-legal-operations","category-trends-insights","tag-business-continuity","tag-business-management","tag-business-strategy","tag-news-insights","tag-staying-competitive","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Eugene Yiga","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1314039604.jpg","imagine_tags":{"63":"Business intelligence","53":"Business management","68":"Grow your business","83":"Growing business","85":"Small business","86":"Start up business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1064"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73499"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75839,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73499\/revisions\/75839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/69906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73499"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=73499"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=73499"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=73499"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=73499"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=73499"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=73499"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=73499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}