These technologies have dramatically changed the way in which business development is conducted. I remember in the not too distant past that I would pick up the phone, call a business colleague, drive or fly to their office to meet with him / her, sign a contract, return to train and then do the cycle over again to start driving sales. Of course, there are a number steps left out for the sake of brevity.

The business development cycle today remains the same as before, but the tools have changed and the “time to market” significantly compressed. For example, let’s take tools such as Facebook, Plaxo or LinkedIn. The old, physical business card rolodex has been replaced by a number of sleek, interactive web applications. These applications, of course, allow you to instantly find your business associates and their contact details. No more need to search around for their latest information … instant gratification here.

The fax machine as we know it has been replaced with direct fax to and from your email, including the signature page(s). No longer do you need to print out the contract, sign it, find a fax machine, and then send it. A convenient feature of faxing to and from your email is the ability to be anywhere in the world … not tethered to your fax machine.

Let’s talk about training and meetings. In the past, it was almost a certainty that as part of your business development efforts, training and meetings happened in-person. It was hard to imagine having a meeting or training, for example, without a whiteboard or sharing PowerPoint slides. Today, on demand software, such as Yugma, GoToMeeting, or Webex have changed this landscape forever. Not only can your colleagues participate in an online meeting, but one can share PowerPoint slides, collaborate on a whiteboard, switch presenters and even record the meeting for documentation and download at a later date.

While we’re on the topic of online meetings and training, what about hosting a conference call? Not only is this aspect of business development easier, it’s even free. Companies like InstantConference.com or FreeConference.com allow you to set up and record conference calls for nothing, nada. You can even host as many as 150 participants at one time.

And … what about mobile / cell phones? I remember the old days of the “brick” phones. At that time few people could have imagined that a “brick” could ever be a useful device for every day phone calls, let alone business development. Yet, now the mobile device is one of the most productive business development tools of all. It’s especially true given how the device has evolved into the new “computer”. For some, these devices have replaced their need for a regular phone line.

There are plenty more examples of how these advances in technology have changed the business development landscape. The net result has been more productivity for a lot less money.

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