Almost every professional finds themselves in “selling” situations at times. As companies or professional firms’ relationships become multi-faceted it’s impossible to stick with rigid roles. Of course, the account manager should be the point person for the sales process but they can’t be involved in every interaction. And every interaction has the potential for business development. All employees in a company should have enough knowledge to handle basic business development situations and instructions on sales next steps.
There are two problems for professionals when they find themselves in sales situations.
- Conceptual – They don’t like the idea of selling. They don’t want to be in a “sales person” role with all the negative connotation that title can carry.
- Technical – They don’t know how to react when an opportunity presents itself.
The conceptual problem is really the hardest to overcome. If professional are averse to taking on a business development role, they will not enact an action plan. Remember that taking on a business development role when presented with it does not mean you are expected to sell. All that is required is to listen and if a business opportunity is identified you can briefly address it. Then it can go to the account manager or sales team. The point is to perform your regular job functions, but have an eye out for opportunities that fall in your lap.
Once the conceptual aspect is accepted the technical part is much easier. Of course that plan will vary from company to company but at its base professionals should have a template for identifying business opportunities. These are most commonly when a client states a business deficiency that the company can handle but currently is not. It also should include up-sell and cross-selling opportunities when they identify gaps in service that could be filled for clients.
When professionals have an eye on business development opportunities the entire organization benefits. Ideally every opportunity that any employee encounters gets directed to the sales force. When the sales force multiplies the eyes and ears looking for business opportunities, the pipeline gets full and more deals close. When done efficiently better opportunities are presented and very little extra effort is involved to uncover that potential.