How to Hire the Right Business Development Manager

Business development is one of the most important aspects of your business. Without business development, you will be left wondering how to fill up your sales funnel with prospects and new business deals.

If you are growing a business, you may find yourself ready to hire a Business Development Manager. After all, there comes a time when every business owner needs to loosen on the reins of new business and client relationships, so they can handle big picture strategy. Here are my thoughts on how to hire the right Business Development Manager for your business.

What does a Business Development Manager do?

Business Development Managers are the connectors of your business. They act as the center of influence (COI), networking with other COIs and business owners to expand your connections. Inherently, they will provide some marketing for your business as they have conversations and will close a sale here and there, but they are primarily there to drive traffic to your business. Business Development Managers help maintain a constant flow of viable prospects to your sales funnel.

Let’s take a look at an event as an example. If your business was to host a happy hour, your marketing team would make all the plan for the event, including the venue, theme, food, beverages, and music. The marketing team would also be in charge of creating and sending out invitations, and managing registration for the event. Your Business Development Manager will invite the guests, work the room, make introductions, and act as the host. They should know most, if not all, of the people in the room. And if they do not know someone, they should make an effort to introduce themselves. Last, but certainly not least, the sales team is your closer. They are following up with people from the happy hour, getting feedback about the event, and—hopefully!—closing new business deals.

What are the Business Development Manager’s job responsibilities?

Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of business development. Business Development Managers (BDM) should not just be a COI for your business. Yes, they must cultivate relationships with new prospects and grow relationships with existing clients. They should be finding the ideal clients for your business and persuading existing clients to buy even more products or services. But, they should be responsible for so much more.

Business Development Managers need to understand your business’ products or services, its competition, and industry market trends. Your Business Development Manager should be involved with researching target markets, identifying new market opportunities, pursuing leads, following up, and engaging conversations. They should collaborate with your marketing and sales teams to build successful strategies. They should also build relationships with other COIs with similar clientele.

Business Development Managers should attend industry events and conferences to learn about market trends and competitors, meet new prospects, build relationships with clients and other COIs. They should be ready and willing to ask for introductions, and offer introductions when there are synergies between two people in your network.

What skills and attributes should a Business Development Manager have?

When looking to hire a great Business Development Manager, the first attributes you should look for are if they are likable and trustable. These two attributes are a requirement when hiring a Business Development Manager. I also recommend that they are self-motivated, persistent, patient, curious, adaptable, and are client-focused. You want to hire someone that can provide value for your clients and be seen as a resource for your network.

In regards to skillsets, here is a list of skills I recommend businesses look for when hiring a Business Development Manager:

• Organizational skills
• Communication skills
• Technical skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Negotiating skills
• Collaboration skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Analytical skills
• Business writing skills
• Creative skills

What experience should a Business Development Manager have?

If you have ever hired someone before, you have probably learned that it is most important to hire someone that fits your culture and has the skills necessary to be successful at the position. With this in mind, their experience is not the be-all-end-all.

As a Director of Business Development for a mid-sized, multi-regional law firm, I can tell you that it is extremely beneficial to hire someone who already has a great network and repour that matches your target demographic based on size, geography, and industry.

Aside from this, you will want to look for someone who understands business and commerce in general, as well as your business and your industry. You will want a person who understands people’s buying patterns, keeps up-to-date with the latest trends, and has a feel for marketing and branding.

I hope this helps you in your search for the right Business Development Manager for your business. What do you look for when hiring a Business Development Manager? Do you know anyone who is a fantastic Business Development Manager? Share your thoughts and tag your trustworthy COIs in the comments below.