How Much Skill Do Business Developers Need?

What is Business Development?

Some big voices on Linkedin proclaim the BDR role is doomed.

What they may fail to consider is Intent Tresholds.

In 2011, Aaron Ross, pioneered the Business Development Representative (BDR) job description and published tactics for this role in his popular book, "Predictable Revenue."

BDRs are typically entry-level roles for junior Business Developers prospecting for new opportunities.

Some top voices look at the BDR role with a myopic view.

They say BDRs don't have necessary industry knowledge.

They are partially right.

It just depends on Intent Thresholds.

Intent Treshold is the amount of value a prospect needs to receive before they have sufficient trust to declare intent to buy a product.

More complex products typically have a High Intent Treshold (HIT)

Less complex products typically have a Low Intent Treshold (LIT)

Industry Knowledge is critical for successful HIT prospecting....

A Korn Ferry study found that industry and product expertise are some of the most critical skills required for successful prospecting, especially in HIT markets. These skills are followed by the prospector’s ability to empathetically listen to the prospect and provide a solution with maximum ROI.

A 2014 Forrester study found that:

• 70% of executive buyers claim prospectors are not prepared for the questions they ask.

• 77% of executive buyers claim salespeople don’t understand their issues and where they can help.

• 78% of executive buyers claim salespeople do not have relevant examples or case studies to share with them.

So, it's probably no surprise that Chief Growth Officers, the pinnacle role of the BD profession, have these stats...

• Top Career Path = Operations 43%
• First Job = Operations 52%

Operations provides these key success factors for BD...

•       Technical knowledge of the product and competitor products
•       Knowledge of the industry history, trends, and key participants
•       A network of high-quality industry and prospect relationships
•       A strong social media presence and valuable content portfolio

So, is the BDR role doomed to disappear?

I don't think so. It just depends on the Intent Treshold.

HIT markets will continue requiring entry-level Business Developers with deep industry knowledge.

Many won't come straight out of school. They will come from operations, project management, customer success, etc.

LIT markets will be able to leverage automation to empower their young BDRs with more knowledge and faster freeing them to provide the second most important thing buyer's crave...

Human empathy.

Tony Gray, BDP
Author of the Business Development Body of Knowledge

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