Is it true that the skills of business development are common skill for sales and marketing manager?

In true professional sense, Business development skills are to develop and improve all the functional areas of the business unit to enhance the business qualitatively and quantitatively.

Marketing & sales is only one of the functional area of any business entity.

Is it true that the skills of business development are common skill for sales and marketing manager?

Dear Shoukat Ali Malik

Thank you very much for raising a pertinent question. Often there is confusion and the terms Marketing , Sales and Business Development are inappropriately used. I sincerely hope the following helps in havng a clear understanding of the terms and connected activity.    

When it comes to promoting or growing a business, there are certain words that people like to use interchangeably. But it’s just not right. The confusion often begins when a person is hired for marketing services, but quickly learns that the expectation is really to make sales calls and bring in business:

There are certainly professionals who handle both roles in a firm - and handle it well - but it can't be assumed that the skills and strengths for business development and marketing are interchangeable. Plus, the goals for marketing and business development can be different even if the end result is new clients.

The following questions help to clarify further

Q: Is marketing the same as business development?  A: No, each requires different skills and strengths.

Q: Is marketing the same as public relations?  A: No, but they are close cousins.

Q: Should we focus on business development or sales?  A: Both.

In an ideal world, your firm's marketing, business development and media strategy are integrated - sharing the same messages that lead to…yes, SALES. But achieving that ideal world won't happen if just one person is left holding all the hats. It requires effort from the entire firm. Just to get things rolling, you may even need an outside perspective.

Let us now look at each activity to further clarify

Marketing is… 

• your promise to the market, crystal clear

• your key differences, tested and validated

• your market position, solidly established

• your ideal clients, qualified and loyal

These above mentioned four things come into being when marketing is done well. Marketing is not just about logos, ads, newsletters and holiday cards. Firms with a well-defined market position garner a higher premium fee per partner and manager than firms that compete mainly on price. These firms have clearly defined the value they deliver - and their ideal client base - and they share those marketing messages consistently in their marketing tools

Business Development is… 

• your consistent focus on generating leads

• qualifying leads as good potential clients

• your consistent focus on nurturing prospects

• converting prospects to clients

Once you know who you really are and what you stand for (through marketing strategy), then you go out and gather the people who want what you've got. You take your criteria for ideal clients and match it with the leads you encounter through business development tactics like trade shows, networking, social media and referrals.

You identify their pain. Then you share your market promise and key differences either in person or through your marketing stuff (brochures, newsletters, sell sheets, website content, seminars).

Because sales cycles are longer these days, you need to keep nurturing those qualified prospects with additional touches. Keep your marketing messages consistent, share stories of similar clients who have benefited from your service, develop relationships with others who will refer business. A lead nurturing software solution can assist in tracking the progress of your efforts and keep everyone informed on whether a prospect is just warm or is ready to buy.

Sales is…..

Selling involves communication with a prospect and existing customer. It is a process of developing customer relationships, discovering customer needs, matching the appropriate products with these needs, and communicating benefits and ‘You Appeal’ through informing, reminding and persuading. The activities include but not limited to

·         Managing a sales territory

·         Identifying and targeting new business

·         Personal selling, Identifying and targeting new business

·         Exploiting new areas of opportunity

·         Defining call objectives, Time/territory management & Journey Planning

·         Planning and prioritizing  meetings

·         Sales Milestones, Identify various milestones that lead to your objective

·         Sales Situations & Selling Styles

·         Sales Strategies, Self-Analysis

·         Sales Preparation & Research

·         Sales presentation skills and stages in the sales process

·         Structured Sales Model

·         Sales People with the wrong approach

·         Getting Attention & Opening the call

·         Prospecting and Business development

·         Sales presentation skills and stages in the sales process

·         Opening the Call, Investigating customer needs – asking the right questions

·         Analyzing your Offer, How to answering customer objections

·         Handling Customer objections effectively, Preparing answers

·         Closing the Sale in a professional manner, Gaining Commitment

·         Key Account Management

·         Customer Service

·         Personal Action Plan

Following is a  recent advertisement for an “all rolled in one” position of Marketing Business development and Sales Manager. I wonder if all these capabilities could be easily found in one person!  

1-preparing ,developing &executing the business plan and strategies after studying the market to achieve the sales target and enhancing the company’s corporate image

2-Maintaining the existing portfolio of clients and developing a wider customer base (especially fleet customers)3-Collecting, studying & analyzing market intelligence

4-Creating, executing new practical successful ideas for sales promotion according to studying bracket target customers &evaluating ads &campaigns

5-Leading marketing &sales team work

6- Negotiating with mother companies to indicate the annual order & sales target in addition of all other required reports or communications with that companies

7- The incumbent will also be required to ensure that company maintains brand leadership in the

market place & increase the market share of the company

good luck

amrut desai

Yes, since business development main sujects are sales and marketing but on the other hand business development needs more skills in leadership, communication and entrepreneurship as well as managerial skills.

Not all skills, but some of them are common between all three roles.

When you say "skill", it is a different thing. It cannot be acquired to both and everyone out there, but it can be common to someone. We have different skills. It is your ability or the ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance. Business development and sales and marketing are two different thing. They can be synonymous to each other if your main goal is improvement.

1. Sales and marketing are changing, demanding higher level skills rather than new ones. Retaining marketing and sales people with these skills is critical, since effective sales and marketing is a major lever for competitiveness.  

2. Business development comprises a number of tasks and processes generally aiming at developing and implementing growth opportunities within an organization. It is a subset of the fields of business, commerce, and organizational theory.