To thrive in the “new normal” of Business Development, every component of your individual BD process must be both efficient and effective. What may have enabled you to win opportunities in the past may no longer be working. Now is the time to take stock and to do a personal review to ensure your roles and goals are still aligned.
Roles
“Roles are what you do. Self is who you are. In the end, roles are nothing more than hysterical activity on the way to the grave.”
As you evaluate your current role, perform a personal SWOT analysis: what are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? Develop a good understanding of whether you are a BD specialist or generalist. Are you just identifying and qualifying opportunities, or are you responsible for all the components of generating the proposal, etc.? Be sure that your current role is aligned not only with your strengths, but also with your goals.
Goals
“Personal and professional. They are different.”
The best people in BD are goal-driven, self-managed professionals. They have both short and long-term personal and professional goals and plans. Without goals and plans, it is very difficult to evaluate your present or future positions. How else can you measure whether or not your current position is assisting you in getting where you want to go in both your personal and professional life? If you don’t have goals, it’s probably a good time to sit down and go through a goal setting and planning exercise. Click here to download the MBDi goal setting and planning form which will provide you with a framework to create your goals and plans.
Tolls
“There is no free lunch. Success in any role in life requires a toll to be paid. Be prepared to pay full price one time.”
Once you have completed the role and goal assessment, and you are convinced that the role is a good fit for both your strengths and future ambitions, then it’s time to put together the implementation plan. Work out what additional skills or resources you need to meet your goals and make the financial or time investment to acquire them. Paying the toll also relates to the on-the-job time investment you make to succeed in the role.
Winning business in this changed environment requires significant adjustment from the way you won business in the past. “If you are in a hole, you need to stop digging and take a look around. Business Development has been an easy role for many over the past decade, but things have changed dramatically over the past 2 years. The days of easy money will not be back anytime soon. Now is the time to ensure you are in the right role, one that is aligned with and will help you achieve your personal goals. Once these are in alignment, then pay the toll once and make every effort to guarantee your personal success.