Which one is the CLOSEST to Business Development?

strategic planning is the key to a successful businnes, i think it all boils down to strategic planning, how will you come up to a good CRM, operations, marketing and sales if you haven't plan everything. Starting a businness requires a lot of planning and strategizing, analyzing which one would work and which one would not.

1. Stratigic planning.
2. Marketing.
3. Operation.
4. Customer Relationship Management.

My ans is E. Staregic Planning 

I think all of them share the same importance. But if you want the very very closest I would say Sales (and marketing of course). At the end of the day business development means more sales & more customers in one word.

* Prior to answer the question, I too have a question in my mind. If Business or Business strategy will result in a failure, Who will be the first to be fired by the Entrepreneur??? SALES & MARKETING..... am i right?

I think every factor is important from Sales to CRM........ But the Sales & Marketing personnels are the core factors who can bring success from a weaker strategy even......

The discussion is open ........ Good Luck

Employee which is directly intractive with the customer is the key of Business Development . Its depend customer to customer. But basic rule remains same.

It may me Sales person, marketing professional or what ever

The Most Important of above are Sales and marketing. Lets take an Example of Small company who has limited resources So which are the essential resources who could run your business, indeed are Sales and marketing Team. When your company grows bigger your customer base also increases So other departments can add up into Business Development later.

E. Strategic planning, because without planning, the others are useless

Marketing 

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 

Because we can reach to the customers easily and quickly and this very important factors in this jobs

Depends how you define the term business development and at what stage of a business you refer the term to.

However the basic of any business is the blue print, which would be planning. This term usually would encompass all aspects that you have mentioned related to business development.

I would say CRM and maybe a little marketing. Unfortunately BD are usually views as a part of the salesforce and are limited to only that...