Who actually is a business ‘developer’?
You’ve been promoted and are now allowed to do Business Development. Congratulations! …sort of.
“Business development.” It’s an odd job title when you think about it. Who actually is a business ‘developer’? No one you know has specifically trained for this role. Yet you, a supposedly business-savvy chosen one is expected to “develop” business.
How do you bring in work? You don’t know. And so you sit at your desk.
Business Development can be a daunting experience, and one that comes oddly midway through your career out of nowhere, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Why do so many companies still see business development as something that is reserved for later in your career? Maybe because people don’t know they have permission to do business development; all of your working hours need to be billed to clients.
We see the perpetuation of the pyramid model – where the further up the pyramid you move, the more you are allowed to say and do, and this pertains to business development the most.
We want to turn this on its head and believe in a ‘wheel and spoke’ method, where the business needs sit at the heart of all communication. It is a flat communication hierarchy whereby, as a business, you recognise that you are building the leaders of the future — investing in people, as they say.
Nurture talent from a young age, to allow everyone to find their own voice (not a repeated elevator pitch). Think about developing a culture where you mentor and guide, giving the whole team the opportunity to opt-in.
How can you encourage others to get involved? Here’s a few pointers:
1) Give them a brief, talk to them sooner rather than later about BD. Tell them as a business what you want to achieve and the clients you want to work with.
2) Give people time in their day to develop and afford them time to do BD. Let them know what they can do with this time, and what BD actually is. It is ok to go to a seminar, to do some research. Encourage creativity, discovery and generally nosy behaviour.
3) Help them develop their own voice, mentor them and guide them in developing professional relationships. You were not born knowing how to do BD – remember, this is learnt behaviour.
4) Explain the benefits for their careers and the business. Encourage them to build their network. Their friends now could be a future property developer. And they could be the future leader of your business.
5) As a business owner you may want to retire – what’s your exit strategy? Have a plan and communicate it. Building a good team who can take on the responsibility of BD and move the business towards its goals will make your business more sustainable, and your later years far more relaxed and enjoyable.
Getting business development right isn’t easy, and it’s made even harder by the fact that no one knows what it really is until they’re chucked in at the deep end. Creating an office culture where BD is celebrated and as many people as possible are engaged in it, is good business in itself.