ANDhe business developer has become an essential profile when it comes to help companies achieve their goals and even go further. In many cases, whoever holds this position also acts as a sales developer. But we are not dealing with a commercial, but must meet a series of essential skills in a business developer that allow you to explore paths different from the usual ones to achieve the objectives set.
It is responsible for thoroughly studying the market, as well as potential customers and suppliers. All this with the aim of establish long-term relationships that increase the profitability of the business.
In the sales area, it is up to the developer to do the work of research, prospecting and qualification of leads to then close the sale.
As you may have already realized, what is needed in these cases is a profile with multidisciplinary skills and knowledge. The developer must know about marketing, technology, design, leadership, etc.
Since your job is not easy, it is essential to select a candidate who has the right skills to fulfill this mission. Let's see what they are.
Table of Contents
Communication skills as one of the essential skills of a business developer
The communication skills they are essential for the vast majority of professionals, but even more so for someone who works in the field of sales and business development. because it will have to be in direct contact with very different profiles and you must know how to adapt your form of communication.
The Verbal communication is essential for the business developer. Without it, it would be practically impossible to close a sale or reach a commercial agreement. But there are other aspects that must also work.
We have first of all written communication. It is essential, because many times the first contact between the professional and a potential client or supplier is through an email. You have to make sure that it is correctly written at a grammatical and spelling level, and that the main idea is exposed clearly and simply.
There is also the non-verbal communication, which is as important as the previous ones. The professional must have good management of his body and avoid certain gestures that may be a barrier to communication. On the other hand, it does not hurt that you know something about non-verbal language and can interpret it when you see it in your interlocutor. This will let you know if you are more or less far from convincing the other party.
Ultimately we have the active listening skills. Because communicating doesn't just mean sending out a message. You have to pay attention to what the other party says and know how to take advantage of it.
organizational skills
We pointed out at the beginning of this article that the business developer must assume different tasks and responsibilities, as well as be in contact with different people and entities. This can make your day to day very complicated if you are not an organized person.
The first thing you need to know how to do is organize your work time, establishing an order of priorities in the tasks that must be tackled. We are dealing with a professional who usually enjoys enough autonomy in their work, so you can't depend on others to tell you what to do at all times. You are ultimately responsible for establishing your routine and sticking to it.
Organizational skills also include ability to set goals. A business developer must set their goals consistently. This will help you better manage your time and know how to manage your effort.
Negotiation skills as one of the essential skills of a business developer
When a sale or an agreement with a supplier is closed, it is because there has been a previous negotiation. It is very rare for a customer to purchase a product the first time, without refuting absolutely anything. And the same thing happens with a supplier, if you are trying to get a discount, it is strange that this one gives in from the first.
Negotiating implies seek solutions that are beneficial to all involved. Being aware that both parties will have to make some resignation.
A sales developer with good negotiation skills has the ability to positively influence others, giving them more opportunities to reach a deal.
Traditionally, good negotiators were identified with people of strong character who were not willing to make concessions. Today we know that those who show a more open, flexible and empathetic way of being are more successful.
When looking for a professional to fill this position, it is much better to choose someone with good persuasive skills rather than a person with a strong character.
Customer orientation
Also related to the sale of our product or service, we are customer-oriented, which allows us to put the customer and their needs at the center of everything, in order to be able to fulfill all their requests.
In order to achieve this, it is very important to know our client and to know what are the needs that we can satisfy, being able to meet their expectations.
When looking for a professional in the business development area, it is important to find a balance in customer orientation, since we need someone who meets the needs of the client but also those of the company.
Creativity as one of the essential skills of a business developer
Part of the sales developer's job is to look for opportunities and fix problems. To carry out both tasks it is much better to have large doses of creativity.
the creative professional don't just do the same thing all the time, because you know this is going to lead to results you already know about and may not want. Therefore, let your imagination run wild and try to find new ideas that lead to different conclusions.
Creativity is the basis of innovation, and the latter should be one of the most important objectives to be achieved by any company.
Orientation to results
Part of the job of a business developer is to make the company grow, that is why the results orientation competence is important in this job.
A business developer has to have the ability to set goals, develop a plan and follow through to achieve them. That is why professionals for this type of position must have this skill well developed.
Strategic thinking as one of the essential skills of a business developer
Strategic thinking is a skill that allows us to anticipate needs. A business builder with good strategic thinking skills can spot opportunities that others are missing. Even before they become patents in the market, which is an important source of competitive advantage for your company.
Adding creativity to this ability that we are analyzing, we can be in the presence of a person capable of having a long-term vision of the business and to contribute new ideas. This translates into an increase in sales and even a reduction in risks.
business skills
A good product or a good service is useless if it is not capable of attracting the attention of a potential customer. To achieve this, the presenter must have good business skills. Being able to arouse interest and generate a desire to buy in the other party.
The business builder not only thinks about what the company could sell but how it could do it. To do this, they must have in-depth knowledge of both the products or services themselves and the brand's customers.
Data analysis skills
Technology plays an essential role in the day-to-day life of business developers. These professionals must know how to handle tools such as specialized software, but they must go a little further.
Computer tools provide a lot of information. However, not all of them have the same utility. The expert must be able to dive into the data and look for those that can really be important to develop their work.
Furthermore, the business developer should be proactive when it comes to technology. Locating those solutions that can be more effective and help the company to achieve its objectives.
The better you know how to deal with data, the easier it will also be to get to useful information such as the ROI or return on investment. These metrics will allow you to justify your decisions and present your arguments in front of your superiors.
Passion for learning as one of the essential skills of a business developer
We find ourselves in an increasingly changing environment. The skills that today are essential for a professional could change in the future, complemented by new ones.
In addition, it must be taken into account that new tools will continue to appear and new ways of working will continue to be developed. So, the business developer cannot settle for their current skills and abilities.
It is important that it is a person with desire to excel and always willing to continue training and learning, because you will need it if you want to continue being a good professional.
Pressure Tolerance
Nowadays pressure tolerance is an important skill for many jobs due to the changing environment in which we live. This competence reflects a person's ability to carry out different tasks in highly demanding situations.
When looking for a business development professional, an important skill to keep in mind is pressure tolerance, since you will face high-stress and demanding situations where you will have to perform your tasks flawlessly.
How to know if we are facing the perfect business developer?
The skills necessary to assume the position we are talking about are not always innate in the person, can be developed with the right training and experience.
It is possible that candidates applying for the position do not have 100% all these skills, but you have to know how to see the potential in them to assess whether we are dealing with the right person.
You may not be an expert in non-verbal language, or you may not handle the latest generation tools very well, but these kinds of things have a solution.
The ideal business builder is one who gets a high score on these skills, but it is just as important to pay attention to his attidude. What we are looking for is a person who is passionate about the work to be done, curious, eager to learn and humble. If he has these traits, you can be sure that it will not be difficult for him to develop those skills or abilities that he may lack right now.
With a good integration process in the business, the new employee can become one of the most valuable.
Hirint is a platform for the evaluation and selection of people, which through intelligent assessments filters and classifies candidates according to their fit with the vacancy. With Hirint you can identify the skills of any of your candidates and their level of development.
Come to the side of the competition selection, book a meeting with us HERE.
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