The field of business development seems to have gained some newfound popularity in recent years and for good reason. There is a lot a person can learn about themselves when they work in the world of making connections, closing deals, and generating new opportunities. There are a lot of different ways you can use your consumer insights and experience in this field and commit them to your personal brand.
But it’s easy to get caught up in the process without realizing that being entirely focused on client work can cause you to lose sight of what drives you as an individual. If you want to make sure the measure of your career success is directly tied to how well those relationships are aligned with your goals, then there might be some things you should consider. Merrill corp business cards are an important part of this equation.
We’ve put together this list of five signs that you are in love with your business development career so you can tell whether or not it will work out before you invest too much time and energy into it.
1. You are driven by your clients’ needs.
One of the biggest problems with being entirely focused on business development is that you can sometimes lose touch with what is important to your personal brand and what the best route is to take. While giving great insights on new opportunities or connections through your network can be useful, try not to do this at the expense of taking care of yourself first.
Regardless of how much you might enjoy working with big businesses and gurus, that’s still only part of who you are as a person. If you tend to focus on helping your clients achieve their next goal without thinking much about what is around the corner for you, then looking closely at your business development career path might be a good idea..
2. You are always looking for opportunities in every conversation.
You can sometimes be caught up in the hustle and exhilaration of making $100,000 in one month when you’re on a business development call with your client. It’s easy to get carried away and lose sight of what is important to your personal brand. Your goal should always be to find a way to build something useful and useful for them, not just search for every small opportunity that looks good. If you are constantly focused on how many new connections or opportunities you’re creating, then it’s likely that career advancement will never be your top priority.
It’s important to make sure that the constant flow of new connections and information are still useful well into the future, or they will end up hurting you instead of helping. You need to have an awareness of what’s going on around you so you can take charge of your own future.
3. You are constantly looking for a new client.
If your entire day is spent looking for a way to help other people without stopping long enough to breathe, then it might be time to take a closer look at where your priorities lie. This doesn’t mean that making calls or sending out proposals is a bad idea, but if you don’t have time or energy to do something for yourself, then things will quickly start falling apart.
You need to find ways to inject a little more balance into your business development career, even if it’s just making the time to have some lunch with a few close friends or plan a date night with your partner. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the hustle so much that you forget why it’s important for you to be successful in the first place.
4. You find it difficult to say “no”.
There can sometimes be too much of a good thing, and that certainly applies here when we’re talking about building up your business development career. You’re much more likely to be successful with your personal brand if you are selective about what work you do and the clients that you choose to work with. If you’re finding it difficult to tell a potential client no or refuse an invitation that would take away from some personal time, then it might be time to take a step back and look at the situation.
5. You are constantly looking for ways to automate tasks in order to minimize “hassle”.
Everyone wants to minimize the amount of work and hassle that comes into their lives, but it’s less about handling your tasks than it is about your own productivity. You should never try to be someone that you’re not or use shortcuts in order to pass your work onto somebody else. The best way to ensure the success of your personal brand is to take charge of every single aspect that you can.
