I’d begin with a relationship inventory.
I’d want to know:
Who are our best current clients?
Who used to be a good client but no longer does business with us?
Who refers good business to us now?
Who could refer business to us but currently doesn’t?
Which professionals serve the same kinds of clients we do?
Which former suppliers, partners or business relationships have gone quiet?
And where have we lost relationships without ever clearly understanding why?
I’d put names beside those questions.
Not categories.
Names.
Then I’d begin looking at the history.
Some of those relationships would lead nowhere.
Some might produce business.
Some might produce an introduction.
And some might tell me something about the company I needed to know.
Only after understanding what we already had would I decide how much more we needed to spend looking elsewhere.