The Business Development Executive's role has been described as the following: 1. Sales professional. 2. Marketing and pre-sales professional. 3. Sales, Marketing and related PR-Communications professional. 4. A Project Leader. The Business Development Director's role has been described as 5. A sales and marketing expert. 6. A COO / Manager of change and administrative development. 7. A General Project Manager / Director. 8. A capable Strategist, with special focus on the combined application of Sales, Marketing and related PR-Communications and B2B alliances. For SMEs no.8 generally proves to be the most useful fit. The importance of Business Development professionals for the SME sector is becoming more widely recognised. Their appointment, role, responsibilities, liabilities and remuneration are a source of frequent debate, but for SMEs they are more frequently being employed as multi-skilled professionals in preference to a sales professional, a marketing professional and perhaps an external PR-Communications firm. In most small enterprises the core management team should comprise the Company Secretary, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Marketing Officer/Business Development Director. There are up to 30,000 medium-sized companies (10 to 250 employees) in the UK. Arguably Business Development Directors (BDDs) are already playing a vital role in a large proportion of these SMEs, especially in the newer industries such as hi-technology and new media. So, how do you find the most suitable Business Development professional for your Company? A lot of appointments are still made through the 'old boys' network', a somewhat unscientific approach to what will be a key role within the Company. The pitfalls are obvious: no systematic matching of skills/experience/qualifications; little reference checking; and no opportunity to short-list suitable candidates for comparison/assessment. Often this results in a short-list of one! In the past I have been a Key Speaker and chaired panels on Business Development and was asked how Directorates find a good BDD. Engaging a BDD is, in some ways, similar to the process of finding a good Non-Executive Director. Seek a professional with a background of success in a similar sized business, with applicable skill sets. Don't be blinkered in seeking someone solely with experience of exactly the same industry sector and role. A good BDD must be able to understand quickly your company's aims, objectives, products and services, have access to any/all research and become privy to/part of the Directorate's development planning. Look for independence of spirit, but avoid appointing someone who wishes to work independently and for more than one client; a BDD must be 100% focused on developing your company. Don't appoint the 'salesperson-with-attitude'. Appoint a strategic thinker with a proven track record of implementing marketing, PR and communications initiatives and projects. Avoid being impressed by someone from a big name Corporate. Do they have the multiple skills and mindset which will be required to deal with the many aspects of a project and also the ability to work solo as well as with a small team on a low budget?
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