Tips for business development reps. Read this interview with Daniel Andersen, Account Executive at Basware, and learn practical tips for success!
Are you a fresh business development representative looking for some tips? We got you covered. In this Ask the BD article, we interviewed Daniel Andersen. Daniel is currently based in Amsterdam and works as an Account Executive for Basware. He also worked for companies such as Salesforce and Tesla.
He’s been working as a Business Development Representative for five years now across a multitude of companies. Specifically, Daniel helps companies emerge in the Nordic markets to build successful relationships with clients.
Daniel is now ready to share some tips for business development reps to help you organize your work, improve your mindset and get results.
In this interview with Daniel Andersen, we ask about the challenges Business Development Representatives face. Also, as the skills required to succeed, and the tasks they do on a daily basis.
Keep on reading and learn more tips for business development reps!
How did you learn about business development?
Initially, I sat at a company where I was facilitating inbound and outbound sales, and that’s how I learned about the distinction in how you sell. So, whether you’re being reached out to, or you’re reaching out to people.
And I found an interest in reaching out to people to understand what their needs are. As a Business Development Representative, you have a quota to attain.
How do you define business development?
In my line of work, a philosophy I’ve used (as more like a lesson) is:
“You should not be afraid to fail”.
Daniel Andersen BDR at Basware
Because you’re learning by doing and success will come for those who persist. So, having the courage to continue taking 10 No’s hoping that the 11th will be a “Yes”. If you persist with your strategy and learn how to reflect on your learnings and add that to your strategy, then you will be successful.
Read also: 101 definitions of business development
Where do you find information on business development?
I learn business development from various sources. I follow John Barrows on LinkedIn. There’s a book called “Fanatical Prospecting” by Jeb Blount. I also use LinkedIn’s learning sources or word of mouth from others.
As a business development representative, you connect and network. So, use that network. Also, record yourself and listen back to how you’re sounding. Then, understand where you can improve. There are also great YouTube vlogs that can help you understand how to be a better business development representative.
What’s your favorite thing about working as a Business Development Representative?
You have so much creativity. There are so many ways to attempt to reach your targets. A business development representative has all the tools at their disposal. This can be calling or emailing first. One tip is to try webinars to break down doors. Align with marketing to do some campaigns.
The fact that there are so many available tools that you can use to your advantage means:
“Okay, one thing doesn’t work, we can always use another strategy”.
Daniel Andersen BDR at Basware
So, there’s always a new way to try to help the company prosper by helping your clients be successful.
What do you do to solve problems in business development?
To overcome these hurdles, I use my network as most business development representatives would. Maybe ask your manager. Ask them what might’ve been helpful in the past. You can also sign up for newsletters. Maybe you’ll come across articles or forums where people have asked the same questions.
Through your network, you can get some inspiration and start to creatively think about these things. And if not, it’s always nice to review your own work.
Does it make sense? Am I doing the proper work? Think about what you’ve done in the past. It’s not that I have a set guideline in place. It’s more about what feels comfortable with a given scenario. It really comes down to what you’re comfortable with.
Read also: Overcome challenges in business development
What are some skills that business developers should have?
They need emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. Understanding who you’re calling and what language they speak. What are their pain points? And from there, build your script around them.
The second thing adding to that is preparation. You need to know before you go into a call what is your goal. Maybe use an upfront contract, describe how the call will go, what you aim at reaching, and if that sounds good to them. Be mindful. Also, be curious.
What does a normal day in the office look like for you?
On Monday morning, I check what’s been happening over the weekend with events, news, updates, and developments. Later, I have meetings with my manager to see how we’re forecasting for the week to come.
How we’re setting ourselves up for success? Then, what numbers do we aim for? How do we aim on getting them? What about fallbacks?
And then I prepare my call list and my emailing process for the following day. If I’m working in retail, I know that I have to call 15 to 20 people in retail tomorrow.
From there, I know that my script is ready, my email templates are ready and I know how to approach that. In between, there might be meetings and alignments. On Friday, I see if I’ve hit my numbers.
What is your advice to someone starting out in business development?
Someone starting in business development, above anything else, should have a growth mindset. They should be asking “How can I develop and who can I ask for that?”. The moment that you take a “No” as a “No, not now” then you’ll have a great time as a business development representative.
It can be a stressful job because you’re pursuing numbers. But, be creative. Be bold. Be curious.
Read also: 20 tips to be successful in business development
You can use the tips from this interview with Daniel Andersen as a guide in order to succeed as a business development representative.
To learn more, join our personalized learning platform and become a business development pro!
Tips for business development reps. Read this interview with Daniel Andersen, Account Executive at Basware, and learn practical tips for success!
Are you a fresh business development representative looking for some tips? We got you covered. In this Ask the BD article, we interviewed Daniel Andersen. Daniel is currently based in Amsterdam and works as an Account Executive for Basware. He also worked for companies such as Salesforce and Tesla.
He’s been working as a Business Development Representative for five years now across a multitude of companies. Specifically, Daniel helps companies emerge in the Nordic markets to build successful relationships with clients.
Daniel is now ready to share some tips for business development reps to help you organize your work, improve your mindset and get results.
In this interview with Daniel Andersen, we ask about the challenges Business Development Representatives face. Also, as the skills required to succeed, and the tasks they do on a daily basis.
Keep on reading and learn more tips for business development reps!
How did you learn about business development?
Initially, I sat at a company where I was facilitating inbound and outbound sales, and that’s how I learned about the distinction in how you sell. So, whether you’re being reached out to, or you’re reaching out to people.
And I found an interest in reaching out to people to understand what their needs are. As a Business Development Representative, you have a quota to attain.
How do you define business development?
In my line of work, a philosophy I’ve used (as more like a lesson) is:
“You should not be afraid to fail”.
Daniel Andersen BDR at Basware
Because you’re learning by doing and success will come for those who persist. So, having the courage to continue taking 10 No’s hoping that the 11th will be a “Yes”. If you persist with your strategy and learn how to reflect on your learnings and add that to your strategy, then you will be successful.
Read also: 101 definitions of business development
Where do you find information on business development?
I learn business development from various sources. I follow John Barrows on LinkedIn. There’s a book called “Fanatical Prospecting” by Jeb Blount. I also use LinkedIn’s learning sources or word of mouth from others.
As a business development representative, you connect and network. So, use that network. Also, record yourself and listen back to how you’re sounding. Then, understand where you can improve. There are also great YouTube vlogs that can help you understand how to be a better business development representative.
What’s your favorite thing about working as a Business Development Representative?
You have so much creativity. There are so many ways to attempt to reach your targets. A business development representative has all the tools at their disposal. This can be calling or emailing first. One tip is to try webinars to break down doors. Align with marketing to do some campaigns.
The fact that there are so many available tools that you can use to your advantage means:
“Okay, one thing doesn’t work, we can always use another strategy”.
Daniel Andersen BDR at Basware
So, there’s always a new way to try to help the company prosper by helping your clients be successful.
What do you do to solve problems in business development?
To overcome these hurdles, I use my network as most business development representatives would. Maybe ask your manager. Ask them what might’ve been helpful in the past. You can also sign up for newsletters. Maybe you’ll come across articles or forums where people have asked the same questions.
Through your network, you can get some inspiration and start to creatively think about these things. And if not, it’s always nice to review your own work.
Does it make sense? Am I doing the proper work? Think about what you’ve done in the past. It’s not that I have a set guideline in place. It’s more about what feels comfortable with a given scenario. It really comes down to what you’re comfortable with.
Read also: Overcome challenges in business development
What are some skills that business developers should have?
They need emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. Understanding who you’re calling and what language they speak. What are their pain points? And from there, build your script around them.
The second thing adding to that is preparation. You need to know before you go into a call what is your goal. Maybe use an upfront contract, describe how the call will go, what you aim at reaching, and if that sounds good to them. Be mindful. Also, be curious.
What does a normal day in the office look like for you?
On Monday morning, I check what’s been happening over the weekend with events, news, updates, and developments. Later, I have meetings with my manager to see how we’re forecasting for the week to come.
How we’re setting ourselves up for success? Then, what numbers do we aim for? How do we aim on getting them? What about fallbacks?
And then I prepare my call list and my emailing process for the following day. If I’m working in retail, I know that I have to call 15 to 20 people in retail tomorrow.
From there, I know that my script is ready, my email templates are ready and I know how to approach that. In between, there might be meetings and alignments. On Friday, I see if I’ve hit my numbers.
What is your advice to someone starting out in business development?
Someone starting in business development, above anything else, should have a growth mindset. They should be asking “How can I develop and who can I ask for that?”. The moment that you take a “No” as a “No, not now” then you’ll have a great time as a business development representative.
It can be a stressful job because you’re pursuing numbers. But, be creative. Be bold. Be curious.
Read also: 20 tips to be successful in business development
You can use the tips from this interview with Daniel Andersen as a guide in order to succeed as a business development representative.
To learn more, join our personalized learning platform and become a business development pro!
