Insights

This insight is one of the better understood principles relating to the difference between traditional sales and Business Development. Simply put, if your objective is to develop business with [...]

As professionals in Business Development we have to take responsibility for the nature of our relationship with our customer. Prevent issues from becoming negative issues by negotiating and [...]

Stop and take a moment to think about the kinds of questions you ask your prospects. Is your tendency to ask long, overly-focused questions or short, open-ended questions? As a Business [...]

Salespeople often rely too heavily on their company’s products, services and accompanying solutions. They believe just because they have something to offer, someone must need it. Since [...]

In Business Development, most of us think you have to establish a prospect’s need for your product or service. But there’s a significant hurdle that must be tackled first: the real [...]

One of the basic rules of psychology states, "If you are working harder to help someone than they are working to help themselves, you are in fact the problem."

If we do not understand how and why people buy or have a process to disqualify opportunities early, we tend to rationalize a reason why the person did not buy from us. On a fundamental basis, [...]

Traditional sales people labor under an unfair burden and disadvantage. Psychologically, they believe that when approaching a potential customer, they have to prove the value of their product or [...]

Prospects and individuals in general are self-centered and really only care about themselves. Given the opportunity, they are happy to discuss every detail of their world, situation and [...]

During a conversation with a prospect, if you sense something is incorrect or feel you are being misled or denied information … trust your feelings. First, identify and understand what triggered [...]

By nature, technical professionals are driven to solve problems. So, it’s not surprising that many Business Development Professionals focus their efforts on uncovering technical problems. [...]

Often, when we encounter problems in the role of Business Development, it’s because we’re working on the symptoms of the problem, rather than the real problem. Getting to the root, or [...]

Along with your purpose in Business Development, your ability to stay emotionally detached in interactions with prospects and clients is a critical component to your success. Emotion impacts both [...]

In his poem “If”, Rudyard Kipling shares examples on how to relate to others and exhibit grace, class and humility. People are comfortable with and instinctively trust those individuals who they [...]

Credibility, confidence and courage are three interwoven factors essential for Business Development success. These key elements make us powerful, efficient and effective in the role. Any one of [...]

This insight has implications for both the Business Development Professional as well as the prospect. If you are not a decision maker you will have a hard time bringing up and discussing money. [...]

One of the defining characteristics between amateurs and Business Development Professionals is their early pursuit of “no.” Business Development professionals have moved beyond fearing rejection [...]

When responding to bids or RFPs there is a key point to understand: you are automatically a part of someone else’s process. That may be either the prospect’s process or a competitor’s bid-shaping [...]

Learning what pains you solve in Business Development begins with an understanding of how and why people buy. Unfortunately, most of us fail to understand what ultimately motivates the buyer’s [...]