Are you considering an internship as a Business Developer? Great decision! Businesses offer numerous business development opportunities. You will learn key skills and develop qualities that are essential for the rest of your career.
What is the job of Business Developer?
What is Business Development?
One Business Developer holds a generalist position. This Swiss Army Knife must develop a company's sales through the winning new customers. It pursues several objectives:
- Identify target markets, also called customer verticals (e.g. transport companies with 50 to 500 employees);
- Set up a commercial strategy : define what actions should be taken at what time;
- Execute, implement this strategy to obtain appointments: sending e-mails, attending trade shows, prospecting by telephone, looking for partners;
- Normally, Business Development stops where Sales starts: when contracts are negotiated.
It is therefore normally complementary to Sales, which refers to the commercial activities taking place thereafter in the chronology of the sales cycle: for example at the time of negotiating and closing contracts. But in practice, it's confusing. For example in the Akimbo Bootcamp to become a BizDev, you are trained in all stages of sales.
More generally, business development refers to commercial activity that increases the performance And the profitability of a company. In startups, Business Development is particular in that it promotes the use of innovative tools and means, and that it is more operational only in a large group.
What is the role of a Business Development Intern?
An intern in Business Development has several roles within a company. In the first place, it will help to execute the company's commercial strategy, that is, it develops the company's sales and turnover using multiple channels (e.g. telephone, emails, LinkedIn, lounges...).
At the margin, it can also help manage a client portfolio. The Business Development intern therefore has the same role as another employee, but on more missions.
What are the missions of a BizDev intern?
A Business Developer covers many sectors within a company and has several missions. Its main mission is to set up a prospecting strategy in order to identify new potential customers. In addition to learning to master the prospecting strategy, he develops good sales knowledge, which allows him to sell products or services to his customers.
Prospecting is often a fundamental part of his tasks, but it does not represent everything. A Business Developer also often manages a portfolio of existing customers and establishes a relationship of trust between them and the company.
In summary, a Business Developer can perform a multitude of tasks:
- Prospecting potential customers;
- Sale products or services to its customers;
- Management and development of a client portfolio ;
- Establishment and management of sales process ;
- Develop a commercial strategy And the Business plan ;
- Negotiation contracts;
- Promotion of his business.
Why do an internship in business development?
An internship in business development will allow you to improve your commercial skills. In contact with customers, at the end of your internship, you will have many moreinsurance against your interlocutors. An internship in business development will provide you with skills, especially in terms of negotiation And of customer management.
Finally, this internship will develop in you many qualities that are valued in business as a sense of organization, a Relational ease or even a certain adaptability which will inevitably be useful to him in his future, both professionally and personally. Business development, even in times of crisis such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, is never put at risk. A business will always need to develop and grow.
In case you hesitate between an internship and a Alternate Business Developer, you can see the difference by going to our article on the subject.
What are the qualities of a good business developer?
How do I get an internship in BizDev?
Although many people think that all businesses need a business developer within them, it is important to note that some companies need one more than others (such as startups).
A trainee business developer must have the same qualities as a good salesperson. Thus, a successful intern is comfortable on the telephone, knows how to convince his interlocutors and has good communication. To stand out from other candidates, show your recruiter that you have a taste for challenge, risk and that you have an excellent relationship.
How to be a good Business Developer?
First of all, a good Business Developer has perfect knowledge of his market and its players, its product or its service. This knowledge allows him to prospect and identify the company's right commercial policy. Thanks to his innovative spirit, he is able to analyze the terrain, to detect new opportunities and market trends allowing him to increase the company's turnover.
Persistent and ambitious, he ensures the smooth running of the business plan that he put in place beforehand. He never builds on his past achievements and makes the best of his failures. Its primary objective is to increase the company's sales. And to do so, he will know how to seize the opportunities that will be available to him.
It is through theExperimentand that a Biz dev becomes efficient. Thanks to her, he will be better and better able to make the right decisions and manage his time. An effective comic has an eye for detail. He is aware that organization is the key to a job well done. His great sense of organization allows him to juggle between the multiple tasks that are given to him. An effective Business Developer is one who manages to manage his time, to prioritize his actions and to successfully manage and implement the project.
A good comic book should also always remember goals to be achieved.
Finally, the Business Developer covers many dimensions that revolve around the sales profession such as marketing or communication, and has Some financial concepts. Since he has great responsibilities, his sales manager expects him to be persistent, innovative, able to work in a team while managing his stress and to be able to adapt to all types of situations.
How do I become a business developer intern?
Skills required
First of all, the position of Business Developer requires an excellent understanding of the business world. The comic book has big commercial skills and master the multiples strategies useful during the execution of its missions (prospecting, sales strategy, etc.). In order to best sell your products or services, skills in negotiation and valuation of products/services are essential.
Because of the great diversity of his tasks, the comic book can be perceived as an entrepreneur. He manages projects, manages teams and builds customer loyalty. Managerial and administrative skills are therefore also required. To carry out his missions successfully, he knows his market and its players and manages, step by step, the smooth running of his business plan.
To communicate best with his interlocutors, he has good communication and great interpersonal skills. Her ability to communicate well plays a role in her effectiveness and results. Other essential skills for the comic book profession can be highlighted such as the ability to listen, an innovative spirit, rigor, and the ability to synthesize and analyze.
Training, studies and experiences required
Becoming a Business Developer, and especially in the digital field, means joining a job in the midst of a revolution. The co-founders of Akimbo share this observation and it is for this reason that they founded this first Sales & Business Development school specialized in Digital.
In France, there are only a few university courses that prepare for this profession.
Akimbo you offers training : the Sales & Business Development Bootcamps. These courses prepare you for Sales and Business Development jobs.
Ce 2 month bootcamp brings you the commercial skills essential to the job of Business Developer (training & coaching, interview preparation and networking with its 250+ partner startups).
What is the salary for a business developer intern?
The Salary for a BD intern is not fixed. It varies according to the company, the duration of the internship, the level of skills and training.
However, the gross salary for business developer intern positions in France can range from around €12K unto €25K fixed per year, not including the variable (+30% to 100%)
Our advice for finding an internship
Finding the internship that really suits you in a short period of time is not easy. First of all, start by prioritizing your job search on recognized sites such as JobTeaser, LinkedIn or Welcome To The Jungle. This will prevent you from wasting time with internship offers that are not verified and do not provide enough information about the position. Before applying for an internship offer, do some introspection.
What are your motivations, your ambitions? What do you expect from your internship, from your company? What are your soft skills, qualities and skills? : Here are some essential questions to ask yourself before applying for an internship offer.
An internship offer, in order for it to deserve your attention, must contain several pieces of information, be clear and precise, include a Minimum care in his presentation. Consult reviews And experiments so that you are not negatively surprised on your first day of internship. As soon as you are certain of your choice, do not wait any longer and apply!
In other words, to find an internship, you must:
- Focus on missions related to your past experiences and your training;
- Take advantage of your network while developing it;
- Realize and care for spontaneous applications ;
- Use platforms where internship offers are verified such as LinkedIn;
- Define before the start of your internship search your motivations, your skills And your expectations ;
- Find out about the type of business you are interested in;
- Show yourself available for recruiters.
Thanks to the training offered by Akimbo, you will have skills that arouse the interest of recruiters when looking for your internship.
How to recruit an intern: Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, etc.?
Before recruiting your new intern, it is necessary that you ensure that your candidate has the skills and the Soft Skills appropriate for this position. In particular, he must know how to prospect, make quick decisions and manage stress. To check if he is capable of it, you can have him perform scenarios or case studies. Conduct several types of interviews to be sure that your candidate is a good fit for the position.
Several tips can be given to you to recruit an intern effectively:
- A desire to Pass on your knowledge ;
- A temporary need for help in your team;
- The search for a Potential future collaborator ;
- Take advantage of a A fresh look about his business and his products/ services.
Many candidates are present in Paris and want to join a Parisian company or startup. But don't forget that competition is tough in Paris when it comes to recruiting a business development intern. Broaden your field of vision and show your influence over a wide territory.
Depending on the city, the competition is not the same. In Rennes, many companies want to have a Business Developer intern but in Lyon, few offers are posted for this type of internship. So take into account the level of competition in your recruitment!
Akimbo trains the Business Developers of tomorrow. Thanks to our courses, our “students” develop skills, qualities, Soft Skills essential to the comic book business. That's why recruiting them will really benefit you. So, contact us as soon as possible to recruit one of our Business Developers!