Sales is a science, not an art—and it's not magic.

Proven sales playbooks have existed for years (including mine!).

Success in sales hinges on strategy, execution, and the right people—specifically, the invaluable contributions of Business Development people or BDMs. Their role is integral to the company's revenue performance.

BDMs focus on identifying new business opportunities, building relationships with potential clients, and developing long-term growth strategies for a company.

Sales roles has evolved significantly over the years, with companies adopting different approaches to sales structure and roles.

When I started my sales career, I worked for a Telco, and our roles were called account managers, but we didn't just manage accounts. It was a mix of managing accounts and trying to break through new logos. We do it in a full cycle, from prospecting, researching, initiating, and developing the account to closing.

When the startup revolution emerged, particularly with SaaS companies, a specialised approach to outreach became essential.

SaaS companies needed to reach hundreds—sometimes millions—of clients to succeed. This led to the rise of SDRs (Sales Development Representatives), inside sales representatives focused solely on prospecting. Unlike sales executives (quota-carrying salespeople) who close new deals, SDRs reach out to new leads, qualify them, and move them down the sales funnel. It's primarily a numbers game of securing meetings for the AM (Account Manager) who carries the quota.

With the rise of AI, sales roles are now being threatened.

My POV, in the not so distant future AI can replace sales teams when:

• The problem and solution are simple with 1-2 decision makers involved.

• The problem and solution are complex with 1-2 decision maker involved.

• The problems and solutions are simple with multiple decision makers involved.

However, complex problems and solutions involving multiple decision makers require a great business development professional- a deal maker.

Closing million-dollar deals requires specific traits and skills.

Over my 25-year career working on complex deals across telco, media, and IT—ranging from $2M to $40M in revenue—I've learned what traits are needed to make these major deals happen. And I don't think AI can do it. Let me know if you find one!

Here are the key traits of great Business Development professionals:

1️⃣ Great BDs are street smart, creative and yet analytical thinker.

A combination of quick thinking with intellectual depth. Be able to process complex information rapidly to make sound decisions with changing situations. Read the room and see political and power themes in both external and internal organisations.

2️⃣ Articulate and skilled communicator.

Able to effectively engage with internal teams (pre-sales, engineers, finance, PMs, lawyers, executives) and external stakeholders across client or partner organisations, from executives to engineering and legal teams.

Runs Strategy and Pit-Stop reviews with internal stakeholders. Know how to run sales forecasts based on client conversations.

3️⃣ Courageous and creative in deal negotiations.

Push the envelope on what is possible and be willing to make bold requests from clients. Never give anything for free.

VS

❌ Average BDs give discounts too quickly.

Lack a clear pricing strategy and fail to have proper pricing discussions during the qualifying stage.

4️⃣ Great BDs are GSD (Get Shit Done)

—a term I first heard from former Ruckus CEO Selina Lo. Great business development people are action-oriented, focused on execution, and reliably deliver results. They don't just talk about deals—they make them happen no matter what. The buck always stops with them. They don’t wait for PMs or engineers to update them, they hold account development synch meetings and drive the internal process to make things happen.

5️⃣ Very structured and skilled at running deal processes.

Structure is underrated in salespeople. You need someone who excels at shepherding all stakeholders—both internal and external—through each phase of a deal (ideation, pitching, negotiating, structuring, closing, implementing). Great salespeople are passionate about mining prospect lists, mapping key relationships, and understanding the client's political landscape.

They excel at framing negotiations strategically and organising internal prep meetings before client or partner presentations. In contrast, unstructured salespeople create internal chaos through poor planning and lack of consensus on external commitments.

❌ Average BDs are Disorganised and unstructured.

They act impulsively, fail to send follow-ups, and communicate poorly internally—leading to unnecessary meetings and organisational chaos. They have a "cowboy mentality" make unilateral decisions—striking deals or committing to terms with external parties without internal discussion or approval.

6️⃣ Sales forecast accuracy—avoiding both sandbagging and over-forecasting. The ability to provide accurate sales projections is essential for maintaining trust within the organisation, ensuring teams can plan effectively, and presenting a clear, reliable picture to investors. Accurate forecasts help drive informed decisions and demonstrate a strong handle on the business's performance.

7️⃣ Great BDs are Part-lawyer. Detail-oriented and understands commercial terms and contracts.

They catch potential problems hidden in unexpected places and enables thorough analysis of commercial and contractual implications.

VS

❌ Average BDs make too many assumptions about what is important to the other side and just give a lot of terms away. They just want to close the deal at all costs losing on price and value for the company versus thinking through what is actually good for the company.

8️⃣ Act like a CEO. Accountable and Put the company first. Like all employees, you want your business people to put the company first.

VS

❌ Average BDs don't think like an owner. Poor business developers fail to think like business owners. They treat company resources carelessly and give away extra value in negotiations with excuses like "it's only 20% off" or similar rationalisations.

9️⃣ Work well with others across the organisation.

They are not reactive and defensive when challenged. Can motivate team members to support the account initiatives and foster a winning mindset.

🔟 Pragmatic and focused on the big picture.

Identify what truly matters, apply the 80/20 rule, and close the deal efficiently. Don't get hung up on minor details unless they serve as negotiation leverage.

Know when to walk away—great BDMs recognise that not every deal should happen. Sometimes the best outcome is letting a deal go rather than forcing it through (in example, winning a 20M deal with negative margin).

1️⃣1️⃣ Understand client and market needs.

Deeply grasp what clients truly want (not just what they claim to want) and stay aware of market trends that could affect either party's leverage and needs.

1️⃣2️⃣ Have tenacity and endurance.

Complex deals require persistence through lengthy negotiations. Poor dealmakers often cave near the finish line, giving up significant value just to "get it done." Great dealmakers maintain their resolve throughout the entire process.

1️⃣3️⃣ Relentless persistence. Great BDMs know when to keep pursuing an opportunity, even

if it means repeatedly following up until they get a response.

What are your thoughts after reading? Is it valuable to you if I create a free 5 day email course on how to develop these skills and traits?

If you're interested, let me know by voting below. I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you for being here, and I’ll see you next week.

Ren

PS. I'm running a free ⚡Lightning Lesson in a few weeks, "Build Your B2B Sales Pipeline in 30 Minutes". Watch out for the invite!