Corporate Business Development Professional

Introduction

This course focuses on the tools and techniques required to develop a new business. Without them, sales will stagnate and profits will drop. The course also addresses ways to maximize the company's profitability by fostering relationships with potential players and key decision-makers in the market. By attending this program, business development professionals will acquire what they need to create and implement promotional drives in order to spur the company's market prospects and design cost-effective yet innovative options to boost sales.

Course Objectives

• Define the main functions and best practices in Business Development (BD).
• Recognize the importance of redefining business processes to match the ever-changing market and customer requirements.
• Produce clear sales and marketing differentiators to neutralize competition (value-based proposition).
• Design and use financial ratios and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure their operations' effectiveness.
• Use leadership, negotiation, and power proposals to leverage their business and lead the key account team.

Course Outline

Day 1

Business development: overview and best practices

• Business development: definition and scope.
• Account analysis and qualification: an overview.
• The new landscape of account management and BD.
• Understanding the buy-sell ladder model.
• Client classification: building an ideal client profile.
• Understanding and working the customer loyalty ladder.

Day 2

The business planning process

• Using the STAR business planning process:
• Strategic analysis.
• Targets and goals.
• Activities.
• Reality check
  • Conducting customer surveys to identify important service criteria.
  • Preparing an account development plan.
  • Building client chemistry with F.O.R.M.

Day 3

Creativity and problem-solving

• The need for thinking skills.
• Mental structures of college students.
• Stages in problem-solving and decision-making.
• The human brain.
• Understanding the two hemispheres of the brain.
• Critical thinking.
• Lateral thinking.
• Mental blocks to creative thinking.
• Brainstorming.
• The six thinking hats.

Day 4

Effective negotiation skills

• The definition of negotiation.
• Some negotiation philosophies.
• The difference between persuading and negotiating.
• The five stages of the negotiation process.
• The critical rules of negotiation.
• The phases of the purchasing decision.
• Establishing the relative importance of differentiators.
• Influencing decision criteria.
• Vulnerability analysis.
• Workshop: completing your negotiation plan.

Day 5

Building and leading the business development team

• Stages in team formation.
• Building a high-performance team.
• Defining team roles.
• The team motivation mix.
• Management versus leadership.
• Practices of exemplary leaders (industry practices).

Writing business proposals that sell

• Writing a typical business proposal.
• Formatting tips and tricks for winning proposals.
• The process of developing successful project proposals.
• Workshop: creating your own project proposal.