13 reasons why your young professionals should build BD capabilities right now

suitmanPlease share this with anyone responsible for BD performance in your organisation, or anyone responsible for graduate development

Pay-off: you’ll start at the right place at the right time and your business will have an important competitive edge
Investment: 2 mins

When’s the right time for your younger professionals in your organisation to start learning how to develop business?

Right now.

Why?

Because:

  1. they can add more value to the BD process and your business immediately
  2. they are ready, hungry and open to learn
  3. time is on their side to develop the capabilities
  4. they can practice them on and off the job and learn with each other
  5. they’ll be strong and ready for when their BD responsibilities increase, building good habits from the outset
  6. they’re more likely to step out of their comfort zones at this stage in their career
  7. you’ll future proof your business
  8. they have big networks and they talk
  9. they’re smart and can spot and connect opportunities
  10. their peers in your market today will be tomorrow’s decision makers
  11. they’ll rapidly become stronger assets to your business
  12. it will help you develop a BD culture over time
  13. you will leverage your talent better to enable your business to thrive

Are you bringing this to your organisation?

And if not, where should you start?

Four capabilities to begin with

There are four major assets and capabilities to prioritise developing right now:

1. A BD mindset that drives your graduates to proactively open dialogue with contacts and customers to explore their world and explore opportunities to add value (either to their business or businesses of people they know)

2. An active business network – which they have at their fingertips

3. An increasing ability to think and talk basic business – starting with the level of ‘getting by in business conversations’ and progressing over time to conversational fluency

4. An ability to relate to people conversationally understand how they think and understand them deeply enough to help them make valuable decisions that they are happy with and that will impact them positively

On paper, these might seem obvious. But how effectively are you getting them to do this in practice?

Have you helped them overcome all the psychological roadblocks that if not addressed early will grow and become even more limiting to your business over time?

Have you provided them with the options and tools that work for them personally, and that they are comfortable enough to use?

Have you supported them to find solutions rather than just told them how to do it?

Are you supporting your graduates and young professionals to rapidly develop these ‘big four’ in the right ways?

Get this right from the outset

To get this right start here.

And please help me get this solution in to the right hands by sharing the post with your graduate scheme or BD/sales leaders. Many thanks.

Contact me.

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