As business owners or managers, we want to improve our organization and increase the opportunities for market growth, customer understanding, and profitability by building strong business partnerships and customer relationships.
That’s exactly what a Business Developer does!
But why should you consider strengthening this area in your company? What’s their profile? How can they connect with customers? These are some of the questions we researched, and we summarize them for you in this article.
The rise of business development professionals
Business development aim is to improve the company by enhancing sales, profitability, partnerships, and strategic decision-making with a 360 impact on the organization in the short, medium, or long term.
Investopedia says, “successful business development impacts every department within a company, including sales, marketing, manufacturing, human resources, accounting, finance, product development, and vendor management.”
Indeed, the World Economic Forum, in its Jobs Report 2020, forecast that in 2025 there will be some job positions rising in demand, and Business Developer professional is in the top 10 at the 6th position, even though it’s still a niche, it’s becoming more relevant in several businesses such as tourism.
Which skills should you look forward to in a business developer?
Nowadays, we´re more aware of the need to develop complex and soft skills to thrive professionally, but which skills would you look on a business developer?
In terms of hard skills, a business developer should master CRM systems, sales acceleration tools, and automation tools to systematize the process. On the other hand, regarding soft skills, they should be able to read people and understand how to communicate with customers and partners depending on their personality.
In case you’re looking for a list of skills that a business developer may have, you can use this short list from the Business Developer School:
- Research
- Communication
- Negotiation
- Organization
- Learning agility
- Creativity
- Problem-solving
- Business acumen
- Project management
- Strategic thinking
Customer research is a must for BD’s success
Something obvious after the pandemic is that our customers have changed, and it’s imperative to rediscover them to reconnect with them. Thus, business developers need to adapt to identify the pain points and their speech based on the personality of their clients.
The DISC Method is an excellent tool for learning about people’s profiles and personalities to find out the sources of stress a client, or staff, is experiencing or the type of connection a client is looking forward to.
Graphic by John Pyro
For more information about the DISC profiles, please check this link: www.discprofile.com.
Building meaningful personal relationships
Understanding, connecting, negotiating, and influencing people is the working tool a business developer needs to work on.
For example, it’s essential to remember that “a third of the world’s adults reported feeling lonely in 2021,” according to Trendwatching, which also suggests companies start focusing on this aspect. Thus, nowadays is crucial that business developers connect on a human level with people, helping them feel less lonely.
We were used to meeting people in person, and we’re beginning to do it again. Still, we also need to adapt to a digital environment to network, for example, at online events. Indeed, this type of event serves as the first filter for curious people because someone that registers ad attends an event is because it has an interest in the topic.
Yet the best way to bring down walls with people is to be authentic at a personal and business level. Forbes claims that new generations look for authenticity when evaluating products and services. Not in vain; many companies have been using influencers to strengthen their brand awareness, but what if business developers are your best influencers? They have all the knowledge needed for it.
As you can see, business developers are a helpful asset for improving our business; they are our upfront face to close deals with partnerships by negotiating the best conditions for our company to ensure the best quality of service or suitable for our customers, taking in mind improve or keep our profitability. On the other hand, they can research, prospect, and connect with our customers, significantly impacting our sales.
Nowadays, business developers are a must-have for our companies, and hopefully, with this article, you can identify or refresh some information about them. Did we miss mentioning something? Let us know in the comment.
Would you like to download the infographics? If so, please click on here
Sources:
- https://thebdschool.com/how-to-learn-business-development/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/090815/basics-business-development.asp
- https://johnpyron.com/6-benefits-of-disc-profile-assessment/
- https://thebdschool.com/business-development-trends-for-2022/
- https://www.cegos.es/las-profesiones-actuales/profesiones-comerciales/business-developer