7 key criteria for Business Development success

  1. MINDSET
    • Adopt an ‘I can’, ‘What I have can help’ approach. Great Business Development personnel / people don’t use excuses, they don’t have bad days, they have good days and better days.
    • They have high EQ. They have acquired a thick skin.
    • They learn from each interaction. They evolve, develop and mature further.
  2. WORK SMART
    • Think of where your time is going. Are you spending time on the small clients, racing around for little money or the ones who will bring in a big piece of business for you? Most salespeople get off on small ‘quick’ wins (scattered thinking – running here and there for little or no reward) and don’t have the ‘long haul’ mindset.
    • Think hare and tortoise.  You need to think carefully about the energy and effort needed for each interaction and the outcome that each may bring.
    • Be very considered over your time – it’s your most valuable commodity!
  3. PLAN
    • You will have heard of the sentence failing to plan is planning to fail. It’s true. Planning means you know who to target, when, how much time it will take. You know which potential and current clients will have the biggest positive impact on your bottom line.
    • You know each opportunity and its worth.  Because of this exceptional planning you easily prioritise the most profitable clients and focus on how you can engage with and bring them value to them.
    • You carve off time for research. You know what approach you will take and have practiced and refined what questions to ask and what compelling solution you are putting forward.
    • You plan days, weeks and months ahead.
  4. BE CONSISTENT
    • Carve out time during EVERY day to look for new opportunities with current clients as well as approaching prospects.
    • Great Business Development people are regimented and disciplined with their timeliness and relentless in their pursuit of new clients.
    • They strive for excellence and know that consistent action wins.
  5. TAKE ACTION
    • Just get moving. In studying what successful people do, this is right up in the top 3 activities. They just get on and do stuff!
    • Being in the right place, at the right time has a lot to answer for, so BD people know this.
    • That’s why they get out (or on the phone) early, having meaningful conversations.
    • They are ‘go getters,’ they are ‘hungry’ (not physically), they are driven.
  6. BELIEFS
    • Consider what you value – usually it’s so unconscious you may not even be able to articulate it. For example, if you believe you are not worthy of being successful or you’re not worthy of earning a lot – free yourself of these limitations.
    • You probably have bought into someone else’s limitations – you adopted their limiting beliefs. Let them go!
    • You need to believe in what you are selling and, in your ability, to help someone.
  7. CLOSING
    • All this action means getting business and then account management.
    • Remarkable BD people read the situation and seamlessly assist the client over to buying.
    • They know the language that instils confidence in their solution, when to ask questions and when to be quiet (most of the time it’s all about being quiet).
    • Good BD easily assist clients over the line. They are not backward in being forward.

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What to do

Learn more:

Read our article on Top Ten Trends to leverage for greater sales success >>>

See information on our Sales Accelerator Program here>>>

Watch the latest Business Development webinar >>>

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