The People Side of Business Development Since 80% of Your Success is Having the Right People

by Tom "Bald Dog" Varjan

So, what does it take to create a Championship Business Development Team? You can have the best equipment, the nicest offices, but without committed, accountable and disciplined people you are dead. So, when you advertise for new hires for your business development department, you may want to forget the typical $10 an hour deal most companies offer. As the British say, if you pay peanuts, you'll get only monkeys.

And this is the interesting part of the deal. Since birds of the feather flock together, only monkeys, operating monkey businesses, are looking for other monkeys, so they offer peanuts as a bait and reward. And by a staggering coincidence, and the laws of fishing, your bait defines the type of fish you get. So, for $10-15 an hour you get people whose shoe sizes exceed their IQ. Who, just like ostriches, have larger eyes than brains. All in all, you end up hiring the local potheads, no-hopers and even the village idiot.

Just think about formula 1 car racing. The cars are basically the same. Whether a car comes in first or last is up to the driver.

Organisations are the same. People are the only differentiating factor companies have these days. Everything else comes form the same few suppliers and they are available to each of your competitors.

We have three aspects to consider when creating a high-performance, high-expectation business championship development team.

1. Leadership
2. People
3. Systems

You need people to operate the system under great leadership. People must be in harmony with the company's leaders as to where the company is going and growing. And just every soldier is entitled to have great commanders, every team member is entitled to have a great team leader. At the end of the day, it is the leader who makes sure the team is progressing in the right direction.

You have three considerations with your people.

So, Let's Discuss Your People Here...

Skills: All the skills people need to perform their work.

Awareness: Awareness to the environment including other people and the current situation.

Values: These are people's core values which their beliefs are built upon.

1: These people should do the work for they have both the skills and the awareness, but the values are missing

2: These people would do the work but they just don't have the appropriate skills.

3: These people could do the work if they wanted to but don't do it because of a lack of awareness.

4: These people will do the work because they have both skills, values and awareness.

This model was originally developed by Alan Weiss of Summit Consulting Group. Or at least I first saw it in one of his books, and I believe this is the best representation of how people work in organisations.

And remember! Don't sell harder. Market smarter. Both you, your employees, your clients and prospects will find it more enjoyable, profitable and attractive.

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