Be a great Business Developer

I want to share some new business development tips that might help anyone in a B2B Sales role.

Don’t cold call – no one likes a completely cold call. Once you have identified who you need to speak to, research this person on LinkedIn, Google etc. Try send a very ‘soft’ invitation to connect with them ‘we’re in same sector, let’s connect’ – don’t go in with a full sales pitch on your first connect. Follow their business on LinkedIn as well.

Post valuable content on LinkedIn that will be of interest and value to your target audience and show your business as experts in your field. Think about your target customers and post things that will help them do their job. Give away snippets of free info/tips.

Use your Contacts – the best and often easiest way to win new businesses is often via your existing contacts. Try turning your hit list on its head and starting with a list of who you know in potential target businesses. Then make contact with these people and ask if they could help introduce you to their business or at least point you in the right direction.

Be Patient – Your target customer is only likely to want to speak to you when they are in need of your product or service. Just because they don’t respond to your initial contacts does not mean they are never going to be interested. Just keep in touch on a regular (but not too frequent basis) to keep in their minds. The best sales people will make contact at least 10 times before they give up.

Be Clear and Honest about your purpose. When you do finally make direct contact with your customer – tell them quickly who you are and exactly why you are making contact – don’t pretend you are not selling them something. Be soft and ready to back off if you get negative signals.

Good luck in your sales. Persist and you will achieve.

Here at Copeland we help candidates progress their careers in the automotive industry every day. We specialise in sales and marketing jobs. If you’re ready for your next big challenge get in touch. Start by registering with us here: https://www.copelandselect.co.uk/register/