Top Qualities to look for when hiring a Business Developer

• by Yazan Rous
• July 8, 2017
• 3 Comments

Finding a remarkable Business Developer can be a hard task. Although most recruiters look for employees with long experience in business development, they may not be the best candidates. Many times they have been doing a routine job for 10 years in a row which is not what you´re looking for. Instead you should seek to hire based on qualities and skills plus experience. Find candidates who are proactive, caring, possess leadership skills and can still be good followers. These are quite rare to find as usually there are not many professionals out there who meet all these requirements.

In terms of education, almost any person, regardless of background, can become a business developer. If you do a quick search on LinkedIn, you will find that the most talented Business Development Professionals have an MBA degree. MBA graduates make excellent Business Developers as they understand how the business operates as a whole. They have a global knowledge of HR, Marketing, Accounting, Strategic Management, Project Management, Logistics, Business Planning and much more.

Not sure you know ‘What does it mean to be a Business Developer?‘ Click to find out.

Now here are the main qualities you should look for when you hire a Business Developer!

They are excellent communicators

As the business world is becoming increasingly service oriented; it would be nice if all the company employees were good communicators. For business developers it’s a must.

Business Developers are great communicators who can easily adapt to their audience. They build rapport quickly and efficiently. Nobody likes to waste time which is why Business Developers build their point straight.

You must always be polite and diplomatic when making requests as a Business Developer. It is strongly recommended using straightforward language when speaking or writing in order to avoid misunderstandings. When dealing with difficult personalities Business Developer must be patient. They must know how to absorb the anger and frustration of the client, colleagues & managers. They are great listeners who don’t jump to conclusions or interrupt the other person while talking. Being highly persuasive and influential is also a required trait. They are constantly looking to improve their communication style.

They are caring and possess a high level of empathy

Great Business Developers always demonstrate interest in the people around them. They are excellent in starting conversations and really interested in learning about the people they engage with. In many occasions they recognize the contributions of people around them and do not care about taking credit for the jobs done.

Their ability to influence others comes from their high level of empathy. As well as being able to put themselves in other people shoes and see things from the other person´s perspective. This attracts people around them because they connect with other people on an emotional level.

They are highly proactive and love taking initiative

Regardless of the company size, a good business developer will not wait to be told what needs to be done. He is always looking to do what it takes to get issues solved.

When a certain project is at risk, they will realize that without being told. Because Business Developer must always think ahead and be ready to jump at the rescue without being asked.

Hiring a reactive person to do business development can be a vital mistake. A reactive employee will rarely take initiative. They prefer to stay in their comfort zone. That is why they will need to be micromanaged and told what needs to be done and how. Closely monitoring them at all times is not quite efficient in regards of time management.

On the other hand, a proactive person is the total opposite of that. They do not like to be micromanaged and told what needs to be done. In their own way they will go to resolve things. In many cases they will often rebel if faced with a manager who tries to micromanage and monitor them.

Proactive business development employees are highly talented employees very often and are in high demand. Retaining them in your company and keeping them away from recruiters´ eyes is hard. They need to be provided with a good compensation package that includes a good salary and a commission system to keep them motivated. Remember that once they receive an invitation for an interview they will most likely get a job offer. You should make sure to keep them happy at work by keeping them financially secure. As long as they get results, let them have their own way.

They drive change

Remarkable Business Developers are often different, they prefer to be unusual. Some may view them as quirky and odd in a good way. They believe that you should not waste your time trying to fit in when you can always stand out.

Unusual sometimes can shake things around. They can make work more fun and even change certain traits of the common company culture. Business Developer should understand that change is often faced with resistance. But nevertheless they are never afraid to stretch boundaries and challenge the status quo in order to bring change.

They know when to back off

Although different and unusual can be fun. But what happens when things get heated? A good business developer will know when to dial it down and be part of the group.

They know when to take a stand and when to back off. Business Developers must always look to strike a balance between their individuality and their role as members of a team. This balance is hard to achieve but they constantly seek to reach it.

They are humble and passionate about what they do

Great Business Developers do not like to be complimented. They only offer genuine sincere compliments so they do not come across as fake. Most of them find that having a strong ego is distasteful. However they are passionate about doing what they love and always look to develop themselves further to become better at what they do.

They speak up when others won’t

Some employees do not like speaking up in meetings. While others hesitate to speak up in private or they simply lack the leadership skills to put themselves in front of others to say what they really think.

Recent training I had about a new product range we are developing is a good example. After the training the trainer told me “You asked a lot of questions during the training, some of which you asked me before and already know the answer to!” I told him “I do know the answers but a lot of the others don’t, and when none of them asked these questions I thought it would help that they hear the answers from you”.

Remarkable Business Developers have an innate feel for the issues and concerns of those around them. They will often step up and raise important issues when others won’t.

They are not afraid to make mistakes and always willing to admit shortcomings

Great Business Developers are not arrogant, know-it-all type of people. They understand really well their strengths and shortcomings. Essentially what this means is that they are comfortable and not feeling threatened about delegating others to fill in areas where they lack. Business Developers should not worry about making mistakes or failing. In return they understand that with every job there are risks and progress depends on taking an extra step forward. It is essential to know You will not be right the whole time and must be willing admit a mistake.

For them making mistakes is part of the learning cycle. When things go wrong, they are always ready to take action to correct them. Later on they will reflect on what happened and learn how to avoid such mistakes in future.

Try- Fail- Learn- Improve- Repeat

They are creative and innovative

A good business developer follows a process. Great business developer improves the existing process. If a process does not exist, they will take the initiative to create it. This is not because they are expected to, but because they can’t help it.

Motivated by continuous learning and committed to continuous development

They love to be given opportunities to work on something new, constantly pushing their learning curve. They are hungry for knowledge and absorb new knowledge like a sponge.

Great problem solvers

They always try to be one step ahead of everyone else and anticipate potential problems. Rather than worrying about the problem itself, they focus on finding solutions. Often they can come up with unusual solutions because they always thinking outside the box.

They think positively and are highly constructive

During the interview, you should always look to identify if the candidate looks for the full or empty half of the glass. Candidates who think in a positive manner are more likely to succeed at work than negative employees. The last thing you want is a negative business developer among your team. In time, this negativity will spread around like a disease and can lead to demotivating the team members.

If you are reading this and have identified a negative business developer among your team or identified a negative employee among your staff, take my advice, let them go. They are probably better off somewhere else. If you cannot let them go, try to isolate them as much as possible from interacting with other team members because their negativity will spread to others.

The reason I used the term ‘Constructive’ after positive thinking is because sometimes positive thinking may imply wishful thinking and hoping. Hope includes uncertainty. Being constructive on the other hand means dealing with uncertainty and removing it. Constructive people know exactly what needs to be achieved, identify what needs to be done to make it happen. They point out obstacles and challenges that need to be addressed and take all the necessary measures to get them out of the way. They never take NO or I CAN’T for an answer and will knock on every door needed until they get things done.

Now that is the type of business developer who you want on your team.

All of these qualities together are rarely found in one individual, but you should always be looking for them all. Do not trust a CV when hiring because they can be tricky and deceiving. Look for these traits in the interview phase instead. Your business development team must be comprised of people who possess these qualities individually or together as a team.