Business development may feel lonely at times but you need to be a great team player, working as part of the whole company team. Similarly you must make it clear to the folk you work with that you need their support.
To repeat, business development cannot succeed as a lone wolf function.
What I mean is that while many companies may only have a few, even only one person tasked with the business development role, you must communicate with the rest of your company really well.
Obviously there is the need to understand your products and services.
You’ll know how that is delivered to the customer to first of all win the work and then ensure satisfaction to a level that guarantees repeat orders.
In business development you are always looking for sales opportunities for existing products and services. You are assessing where products and services could be improved, adapted, developed or even imagined in existing markets.
A sometimes overlooked aspect is the need to look for new markets, again adjusting design and outcomes, for instance, to suit the needs of those markets.
Those are just some of the obvious components of the BD role, and all the information that is gathered must be shared with colleagues to assess which opportunities have real merit as far as being able to deliver to potential customers.
You must be part of the team
To do this effectively, good working relationships must be created and nurtured between business development and all parts of the company, from the front desk to the stores and every department in between. You need to encourage open conversation between yourself and every member of staff to get feedback and opinion or information on your business operation , products and potential customers and contacts.
And to stop you pursuing the odd daft idea.
Actually it can be hard to get some members of staff to contribute in that way so you have to be the one to make it absolutely clear that you need, and will value their input, it will pay dividends.