It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than a decade and a half since I accepted my first position in sales / business development. Boy, how the world has changed in that time.
I can recall driving 20+ miles back to our company’s office to edit a proposal only to turn around and drive right back to close the client’s business. At the time, emails could only be checked while at the office. There were few places offering free Internet, let alone wifi. Chances are I was using a Thomas Guide to navigate my way to the client’s office — if you’re younger than 30, you likely don’t know what that is. Pay phones were still commonly used as smart phones certainly weren’t around yet.
About four years ago I left business development to work with creative agencies to introduce and help them on board excellent BD talent who could move the needle for them. During this time I’ve met most of my former BD competitors / piers in the space while placing many of them into their next great career stop.
These connections have reenforced my thinking and experience in the discipline. While technology and the business environment may have changed, the fundamentals remain the same.
Here are the top characteristics that I believe make a business developer great:
- He/She is a seasoned hunter who has a keen ability to define, research, approach, reach, diagnose, negotiate, and close target clients
- He/She has great contacts from his or her past but doesn’t rely on or promise them as THE solution. In your life, how many friends have you readily purchased Amway from? Clients typically view former colleagues / their new sales rep in the same manner.
- He/She has excellent questioning skills for uncovering where opportunities and objections are with clients
- He/She has strong capabilities for pivoting — during a deal to manipulate the offering and win the business; after a major win to capitalize on that success (i.e., Who else or what industry could use a similar solution?); or after a loss (i.e., What competitor could potentially by our proposed solution?)
- Internally, he/she works with the management team to gather necessary targeting/portfolio information that best supports success and best practices
- He/She keeps an ongoing open line of communication with management via reporting, forecasting, and ongoing dialog. This helps to prevent any surprises and keeps everyone engaged on the micro successes of a single unified BD process
- He or she has supreme abilities in story telling and explaining complex solutions using easily digestible terms
- He/She does not necessarily need to be super technical but they know when to request support from colleagues and subject matter experts
- The business developer understands how to steer targeting toward a long-term vision by following a migratory path that unlocks a dream portfolio / client list one win at a time
- This individual is senior and experienced enough to command the respect and ear of the company’s management team. The business developer’s recommendations are heard and appropriately acted upon
Recently, I have been considering returning to the agency world in my former role of business development. I’m always up for a good discussion on this topic. What else have you found?
The same goes for other business developers. Reach out. Say hello and let me know what you’re seeing out there today.