Business development isn’t just for sales teams

‘Business is all about relationships…how well you build them determines how well they build your business.’ Brad Sugars, entrepreneur and author 

SMEs face a combination of challenges when it comes to driving growth. One of the most difficult hurdles for any growing business will be the limited resources (time, money, and people) they have at their disposal to focus on growth and business development.

So, how can you overcome this?

Well, the first step is to recognise that business development shouldn’t be confined to business development or sales teams. There are lots of people within a business that can contribute to growing new referral relationships, spotting new opportunities, and cross-selling to existing customers.

Consider an Account Management team in a rapidly growing facilities management (FM) business. Those individuals will be working with existing customers day-in-day out, managing existing contracts and projects, which will naturally present opportunities that the business could capitalise on. That could be through a conversation with an existing client whereby they are able to spot the need to provide services that the organisation isn’t currently delivering to the business.

The wider benefits of investing in BD training

With the right support and training, business development stops being a daunting task for those who aren’t in a BD role and becomes a natural habit with a positive return on investment. But the benefits of investing in BD training aren’t confined just to business development and generating new opportunities - it is an investment in the individual and their broader skills and capabilities as well.

A lot of what is covered in BD training focuses on effective communication, building confidence, building effective networks, navigating difficult conversations, identifying and satisfying client’s needs, and improving decision-making. Investing in BD training will also help develop the soft/interpersonal skills that individuals in your team have, which is great for your people, and in turn, your business.

Other useful articles

A common concern many businesses express is, "We don’t have time for business development." If that resonates with you, we’ve recently published an article that may be of interest.

BD training and development with Stephen Alexander: what our clients say 

"They have become an integral part of our business and have significantly contributed to our organic growth, providing ongoing coaching support for our team on effective business development. We highly recommend them to any business looking to enhance its BD efforts."

Alistair Hayward Wright, Hayward Wright

“I particularly liked the tailored approach. I’ve worked with BD teams at several firms, but I’ve never had such specific and targeted support tailored to our firm’s needs.”
Dominic Patching, Berwick Law

Want to find our more?

If you would like to know more about our BD training and coaching support, contact Alex Footman or Stephen Timmins.