What to expect from Business Development

Are you a creative agency looking to hire a Business Development professional? Having held various related roles, I wanted to share my thoughts on what to expect.

What you want first is someone that helps create a culture of business development. That means that this individual somehow makes it so all other employees understand business development, why it’s important, and are always looking to help. This could mean that they are watching marketing trends, helping grow current clients, networking for new relationships, and especially participating enthusiastically in new pitches. Too often, pitch is seen as extra work to do.

What is FAIR to expect from a new Head of Business Development:
✅ Helps to create a culture of business development
✅ A process for proactive outreach, inbound opportunities, pitching and tracking
✅ A refined brand story and pitch deck
✅ Target definition
✅ Marketing content or ideas for content
✅ Close collaboration with Marketing
✅ Real, quantifiable opportunities for the agency after 6 months
✅ Full transparency on efforts, results, and learnings

What is NOT FAIR to not expect from a new Head of Business Development:
❌ That they do any of the above alone. If they don’t have the full resources of the agency behind them, (people, time, and money) then you can’t blame them if you aren’t winning.
❌ RFPs, meetings, or project opportunities before they are fully onboarded
❌ Uploading their best contacts into the database on Day 1
❌ Less than a 30 day onboarding period
❌ Winning pitches without proper preparation, rehearsal, and team casting

What did I miss? Reach out with questions.