We continually try to illustrate that, when working as a consultant, there are a variety of necessary skills needed to be successful. If you want to be a consultant, you have to be able to wear multiple hats and fill multiple roles within an organization. If you’re not sure how to fill that new role, you have to figure out the best approach and the skills needed. The role of a business development manager in an organization is an imperative one. When working as a business development manager, your job is to identify sales leads, pitch goods or services to new clients and maintain a good working relationship with new contacts.
These are some of the building blocks that the entire organization relies on. Without a successful business development manager, you are risking serious issues in a company. Think of this position as a sort of sales position. Although it’s more about finding out what products and services you have that can match up with what the customer needs. This is not just straight sales. As a business development manager, you have to be skilled at walking in and finding the clients’ pain points. Find out what they need. Once you’ve established their needs you then have to think, “Do I have a product or service that will alleviate that pain point?”
In this role you are filling multiple objectives. Sometimes you are selling your services or products. Sometimes you are working to make your clients happy. Sometimes you are working as a project manager. Focus, flexibility, and understanding are key.
You are checking in with customers from start to finish in this position. First, you are identifying the needs and potential sales pitches. Next, you are executing those pitches. Finally, you have to maintain that great working relationship with the clients and deliver on that promise. Because it is a sort of sales position, you really are a point person that clients come to rely on.
If you are working this position as a consultant coming into an organization, you have to be sure that you are properly representing your client as well. This is a multi faceted job that takes skill and understanding. It’s also an imperative one to helping an organization grow and take on new customers and clients.
Is the role of a business development manager one of the most important in an organization? What helps to make this role successful? What do you think falls outside of the qualifications for this role? Let us know what you think, comment below!
