Business Development

As we move into leadership roles, business development (BD) becomes our responsibility.

Many of us find that BD is intimidating. We are more comfortable leading existing projects than finding new ones. We might feel uncomfortable in a “selling” role. It might feel “braggy” to tell people how awesome we are.

It helps if we can make BD a regular part of our routines. Consider setting a weekly time block for BD on your calendar; many of us can get so involved with current projects that weeks or months can go by without doing BD, unless we have something scheduled.

Don’t make it simply transactional; lots of business comes from building relationships and developing a reputation for competence and being good to work with. Check in with potential clients to see what they anticipate their needs will be, and show them how you and your team can help them solve issues.

Don’t get frustrated if there is no immediate sale. Get on people’s radar as a potential solution, so that when there is a need your company can fill, they think of you and are comfortable reaching out with a question or an RFP.

(image generated using Midjourney)