Business Development: Sales by Any Other Word

Why do we avoid calling ourselves ‘sales’ people? Is ‘sales’ a dirty word or are our preconceptions of the archetype it evokes just not how we see ourselves. Does a stigma still exist around the word?

Is business development, income generation, company growth revenue generation a more acceptable way of describing one of the fundamental activities that supports our reasons for being in business?

The fact is we are all sales people in one form or another. Whether it is using the skill of selling ourselves, our personal brand or our business offering we all have an inner sales person.

The best sales people are those who make it look effortless.

Research, planning, profiling, targeting, preparation, contact and connection are all tools that many of us use every day in our professional capacity. The sales process is no different, in fact it is identical in the way it uses this approach to making connections.

The difference is a top sales person will make the right connections and leverage them when the time is right.

We are operating in a fast pace and competitive world, where disruption is affecting every vertical business line and professional services activity we recognise. No longer do lawyers just practice law, nor do accountants and architects simply deliver their specific area of professional expertise.

The professional services sector now expects the professional players to sell their services as much as they practice it and many professionals now find that income generation has become part of their measurable business objectives and bonus criteria.

Yes, even the oldest professions in the world are being forced to sell their services in line with defined quotas and income projections. In many legal firms it is now expected that partner-level applicants will present their income projection plans as part of their application for the position in question and then be expected to deliver this income stream as part of the criteria for success.

It seems that the responsibility for business development has now slipped into our job specs without some of us realising. Now we must deliver income to survive.

The Fear Factor

Does fear hold us back?

This strikes fear into many yet injects drive and motivation into others. It’s the fight or flight response.

Where selling what you do professionally does not come naturally or fit comfortable with your existing portfolio of expertise then you need help.

One would not be expected to sign off a set of audited accounts without the appropriate training and qualifications nor would you expect to be represented in any legal situation by someone who sort of knew how to do it and was asked to have a go.

Selling is part process and part skill. The combination of the two requires a fine balancing act with an injection of self-awareness and confidence. Too much enthusiasm and directness can appear aggressive or even arrogant yet too little will be ineffective against the competition.

So who guides the professionals to acquire the skills to generate income for their services and what type of skills are required? It’s not likely that these professionals will be sent to sales school yet that’s exactly what they are competing against: highly skilled sales professionals who know how to push forward and pull back at just the right moment.

Should your firm not employ skilled business development professionals then it is likely everyone at partner level onwards will be expected to assume this role.

Bringing in income is a tough task. To perfect your pitch and identify your modus operandi it requires taking a few steps back and thinking through your talents and skills armoury.

Selling effectively requires a few basic learned and developed skills, if you are not lucky enough to have a natural talent for this type of activity. It requires being aware of people and situations around you, developing the art of good listening, perfecting your attention to detail, researching around the target account and finding affinity, then understanding your talents and skills and using them with focus.

Balance this with a strong belief in what you do and what you can offer your client and this match is an opportunity to open a conversation. Timing and an appropriate approach, with a well prepared business case of why you are best placed to provide the service and you have the basics for the art of successful selling in a professional services environment.

Does the art of matching a professional service to a prospect’s specific need seem such a daunting task or simply something that if you had guidance and support you could master effectively? Essentially it’s simply selling.