8 Personality Traits of Every Great Business Development Expert

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So, what business development skills do you need to truly make a difference for your organization? According to small business leaders and marketers, you should focus on improving these traits to generate more leads and build stronger customer relationships.

Negotiating

Negotiation is at the heart of any business deal. Through excellent negotiating, you’re able to get better outcomes for both parties through effective communication.

Humility

It’s important not to let your ego get in the way of doing what’s best for the other person, whether it’s a customer or an employee. Ego says, “I am right,” even when we are wrong. Humility says, “I am not sure on that one, let me find someone who is.” One response turns people away, the other draws them in.

Adaptability

Despite the desire to get “repeatable” sales results, business development is rarely a cookie-cutter experience. A development plan will rarely survive in its original form as new insights show up. A really great business development person can adapt on the fly and adjust their results as needed.

Follow-up

Cold calling and mass-emailing prospects is easy. What’s harder is achieving genuine follow-up. You shouldn’t just send an email once per month that asks if someone is ready to buy. Instead, check in regularly to see how your prospects are doing. Ask questions like, “How did you do in the race you mentioned during our meeting?” or “How did your daughter’s 6th birthday party go?” Trust grows when you start by truly working to solve their problems, instead of leading with a sales pitch.

Relationship-building

There is no greater ammunition in a biz dev arsenal than relationship-building. Developing a business that is thriving and scalable requires strategic partnerships, which are built on a strong foundation of relationships. Focus on building new relationships while nurturing and strengthening existing ones.

Listening

Taking the time to truly listen to clients and employees is an integral piece of running a successful business. Listen to understand.

Building trust

People buy with their hearts and how they feel, not with their minds.  That’s why biz dev professionals must be able to communicate with customers in a way that builds trust. If you talk more than you listen, people may not view you as being sincere.

Storytelling

Good business developers must be able to effectively communicate the company’s story — and transfer their energy and emotion to the prospect in the process.

Link to full article https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/marketing/business-development-skills