The role of the company’s business development director has been called “the most dangerous job in the industry” because of the short life span, stressful and complex work.

However, it is one of the most important positions in the company. The success of a business development director affects future growth and stability. They are hired for strong professional qualities – leadership, organizational thinking, creative thinking – which will make them qualified for handling high pressure. But having these skills is not a character requirement. Oftentimes, organizational leaders place unrealistic expectations on those who take responsibility, who may not have the qualities necessary to be a good leader.

Business leaders need someone with an enviable Rolodex that, in addition to being able to write plans, pitch companies, lead, manage clients where necessary, and gain the respect of the team, can quickly bring in client accounts. This misconception that the company needs someone,​​​​​​​​​​ and the type of person who really needs a sales job for the company, creates a relationship that fails.

According to the 2018 Marketing Agency Growth Report, 35% of companies find it difficult to find employees for the job, and 12% believe that one of their biggest problems is retaining employees. To prevent high turnover in this situation and to better understand what makes business development professionals successful, consider surveying business development professionals for the following business development skills:

1. Understand people marketing techniques and methods

As a marketer, you know the famous statistic: buyers complete up to 57% of the decision-making process before contacting a supplier. With an increasing amount of information online – whether from brands, competitors or previous customers – consumers are more educated than ever.

But do your customers know and understand what this means? At one point, the seller controls the information. Now, they need to work as consultants, providing customized solutions for consumers and their challenges.

Business development professionals should be able to learn techniques to help them build trust with consumers and help them through the marketing process through education and qualifications.

2. Believe in Inbound Marketing

Many companies still rely on cold calling and email, referrals and networking to generate high quality leads. While these can be valuable sources of business development, the best agents understand the role of marketing in attracting, reaching, and developing the best prospects for companies to reach them. They are responsible for it.

Michael Gass, founder of Fuel Lines, often cites statistics from a CMO survey that found that 80% of respondents found their supplier, not the other way around.

Your business development manager should support and in some cases make the company’s marketing efforts, and they should give the same attention they lead without getting involved.

3. Ask important questions and listen carefully

“The most successful business developers are the ones who ask good questions,” said Dave Currie, president of The List.

Prospects already know about your company, your services, and the competition, so business developers need to be able to take the conversation seriously, not just repeat what the prospect already knows.

4. Set goals and create an action plan

Great marketers understand that they need meaningful, meaningful goals and a solid plan to achieve them. This helps to solve some of the various problems faced by representatives in an organization. An established plan helps clarify work, tasks and priorities. Without this, other members of the group will not buy or support the sale plan. For many people in the industry, marketing is an unknown (and unreliable) job, without the support and encouragement that a new entrepreneur can get, it will be difficult for them to join the team and make progress.

5. Be curious

According to an article by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic in the Harvard Business Review, people with a high level of curiosity are good at dealing with complexity and complexity—they are better at “providing simple solutions to complex problems.”

This is a skill Peter Levitan believes every business developer should have, especially as the marketing and business environment becomes more complex and competitive.

“We can train business development professionals with marketing skills, skills to understand our industry, and the needs and pain points of potential customers. However, we cannot train people to be smart,” said Levitan. “This means that we are curious about our people and our culture, our company, the work and the type of customers, and importantly, to understand the true value of our sales concept. Most importantly, those who want to know things that make relationships stronger, that’s great sales people.”

6. The ability to create a brand

Companies understand the importance of building a brand, creating a unique and valuable market position, and creating awareness and value for customers—but they don’t do it for themselves. This means that many companies are not different from other companies: they offer the same service, describe themselves in the same way, sell to everyone, and do not explain their value.

Karla Morales-Lee of the Art of Business Development believes it’s critical to hire someone who understands the importance of building in attracting and selling leads.

Other than this, you must read “Common Sales Interview Questions And Answers That Will Help You In Getting The Job” to know more about salesperson and related skills in almost the same field. 

7. Set realistic expectations with customers

A business development representative should be well versed in organizing and managing prospects so that your company can exceed them. This can be done when you have to present the plan – commit to “tomorrow,” since it is not ideal for your team to take three days to develop a plan – but it is an accurate description of what it’s like to work with you and your company. This person should be able to communicate your company’s values, attitudes, and culture to help potential clients understand what it’s like to work with your team and whether your ideas are a good fit.

8. Deep understanding of the company’s business

Although some disagree with this, many believe that the person responsible for representing your company in the referral or “know you” should understand the company’s business and the services you are selling. Now, if the owner of the company can do the “approachable” job and only needs a salesperson for lead generation and qualification, it’s not worth it. And it may not be necessary if you are willing to spend the training time and budget to teach the person and give him the right time to improve.

Business developers not only help customers make marketing decisions, but also help customers make business decisions. They should have a good understanding of the general business strategy, executive concerns and challenges, customer acquisition and retention, and financial processes important to executives. They must be considered as business advisors who can help clients solve business problems through the services your company provides.