Many of you are considering a career in Sales & Business Development. And for good reason: Sales, Business Developers and Account Managers jobs represent 30% to 40% of job offers in Tech.
What is the daily life of a Business Developer in Digital?
We are asked the question (almost) every day: while the enthusiasm for these jobs is strong, the information available is often contradictory, even erroneous. Especially since the title “Business Developer” is often used incorrectly to designate all positions related to business development. In reality, two Business Developer positions are often very different. Likewise, do not confuse Business Developer and Sales Manager. For example, they will change based on:
- the nature of the service marketed : Software, Hardware, Advice...
- The type of interlocutor : it is not the same to discuss with CEOs than with Marketing Managers or restaurant owners
- The length of the sales cycle and your autonomy over its various phases
- The tools used on a daily basis...
Hence the importance of getting as much information as possible and learning to ask the right questions: if you are reading this article, you are on the right track 👍. And who knows, maybe you will then apply to Akimbo Bootcamp to become a Business Developer.
Why this enthusiasm for Sales & Business Development positions?
Ask the question to Business Developers in office. They will tell you about:
- The very strong impact they have on the company's activity
- The strategic dimension of their job, in front of the customer
- The attraction for the challenge
- The possibility of working in a job with a strong relational side
- Attractive remuneration
What does all the missions of a Business Developer, Sales or Account Manager have in common?
Easy: generate turnover. All of its actions are aimed at this objective.
His time will then be divided between:
Acquiring new customers (hunting)
That's 0 to 90% of the time.
- Creation of prospect files: redesign of existing lists, use of tools to extract public data on Linkedin, extraction of trade show participants, contact satisfied customers to obtain recommendations: 0% to 30% of the time.
- Prospecting by telephone: 0% to 80% Some time
- Prospecting by email sequences: 0% to 40% of the time
- 💌 Response to current emails, Follow up with prospects, monitoring the industry (fundraising, press releases), review of its KPIs: 10 to 30% of the time
- 🎣 Management of incoming opportunities : 0% to 80% of the time
- 🔎 Qualification prospects: 10% to 30% of the time
- 💰 Closing, signing deals: 0% to 80% of the time
- Product demos: 0% to 50% of the time
- Customer appointments (including preparation): 0% to 80% of the time. Often reserved for more senior positions (“Account Executive”, “Sales Managers”), with a few years of experience. Depending on your performance, you will evolve towards these responsibilities in 6 to 18 months
- Sometimes, project management, especially if your solution falls into the category of complex sales: 0% to 30% of the time
Follow-up of new customers
- To offer new services (Cross sell) or increase existing budgets (Up Sell): 0% to 80% of the time. These are essentially Account Manager positions but this mission often also falls to Business Developers. Sometimes, you will be asked to win new customers and then follow up on them, which will take up a good part of your time.
- 🧲 Search for new partnerships, for example to develop sales brought by distributors: 0% to 100% of the time (especially for Business Developers in startups with more than 80 employees)
Other projects
- Research new customer acquisition channels, prospecting on social networks, feedback from other teams, participation in the reflection on the company's commercial strategy, creation of landing pages, debrief of won and lost deals: 10% to 50% of the time.
⚠️ If you have paid attention to the percentages, you understand that some Business Developers do not do “cold hunting” while others will spend 80% of their time doing it.
Every Business Developer has a typical day
You got it: Business Developers positions correspond to very different realities: if you join a structure that generates a lot of incoming requests, your mission will be to convert them into customers. On the other hand, you may be asked to do 70% cold calling, especially for junior positions, with no required prerequisites and poorly paid. Don't worry, there are more interesting jobs to get 😉.
For Sales and Account Manager positions, it's simpler: the main responsibility of a Sales is to “close” (convert a lead into a customer) and that of the Account Manager to develop the turnover of existing customers. Again, these job titles are sometimes mistaken for “Business Developers.”
⚠️ Always ask for details about the organization of the Sales team and prepare a list of specific questions before your interview. Don't take the answers you get at face value, Challenge them !
Finally, keep in mind that while the Business Developer profession is growing, the vast majority of the market remains dominated by traditional industries and sales positions. In the old fashioned way. So be careful, even if there are superb opportunities to seize in ambitious and growing technology startups.
↪️ It's up to you to aim for an opportunity within a company with high potential that will open up opportunities for growth, management and skills development.
An example? Dimitri Dugne was the 1st Business Developer of a young startup (Wedoogift) 4 years ago. He is now Head of Sales and leads a team of around thirty Business Developers. And he is also the mentor of a student from our training 😊.
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