Sales, marketing, business development, lead generation: with so many different roles and so much overlap – it’s easy to get lost on where to start when building a sales and business development team.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that business development specialists usually deal with activities at the top of the sales channel, while sales staff usually operate further down the sales cycle, where they focus on closing deals.
Therefore, the first thing to do is to summarize the company’s performance at both ends of the sales process:
– Are you closing deals fairly consistently?
If your sales team has developed into a well-oiled sales machine, but is struggling to fill its sales funnel with qualified leads, it may be time to invest in a separate set of business development (or sales) representatives.
-Are you finding a lot of solid sales leads?
If you have been successful in your prospecting and search process, but your sales department is struggling to handle all the leads generated, it may be time to hire additional sales representatives.
Since sales and business development representatives often work side by side to achieve company growth goals, you should develop a plan to find the right people for your team.
For example, you can focus on candidates whose experience shows that they work well in a collaborative environment. You can also ask current team members to participate in group discussions and offer their opinions.
As you prepare your plan, this brief summary of key attributes will help you think about what you should look for when hiring sales and business development talent.
