What is Business Development?
The business development area integrates functions closely linked to marketing, acting as a bridge between product strategy and the sales force. From this position, we drive sales by facilitating the placement of products defined by product marketing.
We analyse and select the most appropriate target audience, deepen our technical knowledge of the solutions, and draw up a clear roadmap that guarantees their effective arrival on the market through go-to-market initiatives.
What are its key functions?
Some time ago, a manager I had said something that perfectly sums up the answer to this question: ‘Make things happen.’
Our main objective is to drive demand generation, capture revenue and lead the market entry strategy. Our key functions include identifying new business opportunities, defining and evolving the value proposition, managing partner funds and monitoring business plans.
In addition, we play an essential role in training general sales, engineering, and specialist sales teams, as well as in effectively communicating commercial initiatives in different sectors, territories, and value segments.
What are the benefits?
Mainly, it helps with product sales (in my case, related to the job). The sales force sees us as a support profile where we can delve deeper into meetings with clients about the most appropriate solution for their needs.
On the other hand, we help product marketing identify the strengths and weaknesses of the products we are bringing to market, thus helping to determine the best roadmap. Finally, I would highlight that, from an engineering perspective, we also help to unblock and defend proposals that are technically defined and appropriately priced.
Overall, I believe it is a cross-cutting and fundamental area in the sales process for products chosen by Telefónica Empresas.
What professional profiles are involved in this?
Those of us who are dedicated to business development in the People area at Telefónica are mainly telecommunications engineers. There are also some people with less technical backgrounds, such as marketing, as we complement each other perfectly.
To what extent can the development of new technologies affect Business Development?
From my experience, I believe that the advancement of new technologies has a decisive influence on business development. It is not just a question of incorporating more modern tools, but of transforming the way we identify opportunities, design value propositions and interact with customers.
Technology allows me to analyse data in greater depth, anticipate trends and adapt commercial strategies with agility. It also opens the door to innovative business models and more personalised interaction with different market segments.
In short, I believe that the intelligent adoption of technology not only accelerates growth, but also strengthens competitiveness and the ability to differentiate oneself in an increasingly dynamic environment.
How do business development and sales differ?
And here’s the big question…! We get asked this a lot, but although we work together and complement each other, they are not exactly the same.
In business development, we have a more cross-functional role: we understand the customer and their needs, but we also have in-depth knowledge of the product portfolio, with a level of technical detail that is not always part of a salesperson’s day-to-day work.
In addition, we organise events, prepare materials such as infographics, brochures and value propositions, and maintain a direct relationship with manufacturers and key market players. All this makes us multifaceted professionals who help make sales work more effective. In short, each area contributes its strengths: sales focuses on closing opportunities and we focus on opening paths and providing strategic support.
