Business development, dark arts to team sports

In today’s competitive environment, effective business development depends on your entire team representing your brand with conviction and clarity.

Easy, right?

Well… not really. The challenge is that many leaders are not confident business devel­opers themselves, so empow­ering their teams to BD often falls into the “too difficult” category.

Here are a few quick tips for leaders to become more familiar with business devel­opment to create a culture of business devel­opment that empowers everyone in the company to seek out and pursue new oppor­tu­nities.

So what is a culture of business development and how do you create it?

I’ll let you in on a little secret: It’s not a one-page cheat sheet with the key messages you want your team to parrot to anyone who will listen.

Creating a culture of business devel­opment begins with your team having a deep under­standing of and truly embracing your company’s identity — its vision, purpose and core values.

Everyone should be clear about your long-term growth goals and the type of customers and projects you are targeting. And everyone should have the skills to identify oppor­tu­nities and convert prospects into customers – no matter how tenuous those oppor­tu­nities may seem.

With all of these compo­nents, you have the foundation for a thriving and exciting business devel­opment culture.

The dreaded elevator pitch

Even as a leader, it can be daunting to initiate conver­sa­tions aimed at achieving positive outcomes.

How well do you manage to briefly and succinctly introduce yourself and your company? Are you confident your team could do the same?

If the thought of this makes you squirm, it’s time to act!

Oppor­tu­nities to connect can arise unexpectedly – ​​whether in a social setting or a casual encounter, your ability to artic­ulate your role and succinctly introduce your company is critical. The most commonly used phrase for this inter­action is an “elevator pitch” – and no, you don’t have to be in an elevator to do it!

So what are the compo­nents of a good intro elevator pitch?

1. Be concise: You have a maximum of 30 seconds to give a brief overview of who you are (in a profes­sional capacity — we don’t care about star signs at this point!), your role, your company and the challenges you solve or create that you value. Don’t get too specific here, we want to give a brief overview, nothing more.
2. Body language matters: Maintain open and confident body language. Make eye contact and adopt a posture that invites trust and engagement – ​​without crossing your arms!
3. Authen­ticity is key: Be authentic. People prefer to engage with those who seem likeable at first glance rather than being overwhelmed by them.
4. Arouse curiosity: End your intro­duction with an open-ended question to stimulate dialogue. Listening carefully will help you tailor your answers effec­tively.
5. Aim for an outcome: Every inter­action should result in a tangible outcome, whether it’s exchanging contact details, sched­uling a meeting, or identi­fying a potential project — aim to achieve something useful.

The first impression counts

In a world where first impres­sions count, the art of confi­dently intro­ducing yourself and engaging others in genuine dialogue is essential.

If you have the oppor­tunity to make contact, a warm greeting can pave the way for a quicker result as you can tailor your intro (elevator pitch) to your audience and start with more relevant elements about your role or organi­zation.

A heartfelt intro­duction can literally be as simple as: “Hello, I’m XYZ, what’s your name?” Then be curious and ask some open-ended questions to continue the conver­sation. If you attend a networking event, I can guarantee you that you won’t be the only person in the room feeling discouraged. So be brave, break the ice and say hello, you have nothing to lose and every­thing to gain.

You don’t have to know all the answers

You’re in the middle of having a great conver­sation with a new or existing contact and they ask you a question about something you don’t know the answer to — don’t panic!

Don’t try to manip­ulate the answer if you don’t know it. It’s much better to respond with something like, “I’m not 100% on this, but I’d like to introduce you to XYZ person in the office who could give you this insight,” or simply, “I don’t know the answer. “I can’t say that off the top of my head, but I’ll find out and either email you or we’ll meet up and I can discuss it with you.” Either of these reactions can still lead to a positive outcome.

Don’t be discouraged, loose lips sink ships

You may have a nice conver­sation with someone and be well on your way to a positive outcome, but don’t become complacent. Sometimes there are confi­dential things that you should never reveal outside of your organi­zation. Therefore, you need to be clear about what you reveal.

For example, if you are working on a top secret project that is subject to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), it is imper­ative that you keep it secret, no matter how much someone asks you for infor­mation or how much you would like to share your excitement about it . One slip-up and you could ruin your customer relationship, damage your company’s reputation, or even face legal conse­quences.

Another example could be company news that has not yet been announced exter­nally, such as promotions/expansions/layoffs. Unplanned sharing of this infor­mation can be harmful both inter­nally and exter­nally.

But how do you know what you can and can’t say? Again, it is up to the leadership team to clarify this. If you’re not sure, ask your boss before discussing it outside your organi­zation.

Diversionary tactics

But what do you do when someone relent­lessly questions you about something you know you can’t reveal?

Well, there are some easy rejec­tions. For example, you could simply say, “I’m not at liberty to discuss this,” or, “I’m really not sure, but I can put you in touch with XYZ leader who might give you some insight into this matter “For you” and pass the tricky question on to your leadership team, who should be comfortable with diversion of sensitive infor­mation.

No matter what, if you know you can’t share something, don’t share it. It is not worth your reputation or that of your company.

Final thoughts

Basically, your team already repre­sents your company in every inter­action with contacts and customers. Business devel­opment happens every­where and everyone does their part. As a leader, it is your respon­si­bility to ensure that you support and guide them in this important endeavor.

If you start a company where the purpose is clear, culture and values ​​are lived, and your employees under­stand their roles, you will be on the road to success.

By empow­ering your team with the knowledge of what they can and cannot share outside of your company, you are laying the foundation for proactive business devel­opment.

In this environment, every team member becomes an ambas­sador for your brand, driving growth and making meaningful connec­tions. Harness this potential, invest in your people, and watch them transform everyday inter­ac­tions into powerful oppor­tu­nities for engagement and success. The future of your company depends not only on strategies and goals, but also on the collective efforts of a motivated and informed team capable of supporting the success of your company.