In the World of Sales and Cold Calling, Where Does Professional Business Development Fit In?

When you need to outsource in order to qualify leads and exceed top-of-funnel demand, finding a professional business development firm that acts as a partner could be the ticket to meeting your goals.

Professional business development is not broad-range telemarketing with a “smile and dial” approach.

However, it is an extremely successful method for certain businesses that need certain criteria to be met.

How to know if professional business development is right for you.

1. Is your product, solution, or service complex?

A complex product or service requires a longer sales cycle and a significant investment. Because of the nature of the sale, it is appropriate and necessary to reach the highest level decision maker within an organization who is responsible for the business solution being presented.

Calls with executive decision makers require someone who is able to have a peer-to-peer, in-depth conversation in order to uncover the business pains that might be alleviated by your product, solution or service.

If your product or service is complex and requires a conversation where the caller can speak knowledgeably and answer industry-related questions, you require the experience that you get from a professional business development firm.

2. Do you need callers who can directly represent your organization?

You can expect callers who work in business development to directly represent you and your organization when qualifying leads.   

They will have spent the time necessary to research subject matter, industry terms, and other information in order to effectively engage in meaningful interactions with executives on the phone.

Complex sales require more than a simple yes or no discussion.

If you need a caller who can truly speak knowledgeably on your behalf, then it’s worth the investment into professional business development to get the right people to have those conversations.

3. Are you looking for a partner to help you reach long-term goals?

When you hire a professional business development firm, you will be hiring more of a partner than a vendor. They should be brought in on your long-term goals as well as your plans to measure them.

Complex, high-ticket sales require a long sales cycle, so it’s important to be prepared to invest time as well as money.

An experienced business development firm will have their own proven methodologies to bring to the table and should be prepared to work closely with you to set goals, both short and long-term, and modify the program when necessary.

Bringing on an experienced, outsourced partner will give you access to expertise and proven systems that consistently fill your sales pipeline with qualified leads.

What can you expect from an experienced professional business development firm?

Hiring a professional business development firm is a solid choice for sales that are complex, and require callers who can directly represent you at an executive level.

Jim