Difference Between a Business Development Manager and a Sales Manager:
What’s the difference between a business development manager and a sales manager ?
The answer is confusing because in many organizations both are used for same profiles. But there are many differences between Business Development Manager and a Sales Manager. Before answering the question I want to make the answer little bit simpler and I want to ask an another question to make this question simple.
What is the difference between business and sales? Simple both are not the same at all, in fact sales is a small component of business. Here are the differences between a business development manager and a sales manager -
1. Business development manager focuses on both long term and short term results while sales manager focuses only on short term sales goals for example weekly, monthly and annual.
2. Business development manager develops new business for a company while sales manager develops sales people within a company for example hiring and training of sales people.
3. The role of business development manager is strategic while the role of sales manger is tactic.
4. Business development manager works according to the vision of the company while sales manager works for revenue generation.
5. Business development manager sets the prices of the products and services while sales manager sales products and services according to the prices set by the company.
6. Business development manager is also responsible for marketing activities while sales manager is responsible for sales activities.
7. A business development manager can play the role of sales manager but sales manager can not play the role of business development role.
Hence business development is broader concept than sales and it is strategic and it is related longer term outcomes, although short term outcomes are not excluded from business development.
What are the other differences between a business development manager and a sales manager?
Here's a view - these distinctions are fine for getting a sense of priorities and focus, perhaps in support of building organisational structures, role descriptions, recruitment etc. But in my experience the distinction rarely exists in reality. Great salespeople have strategic insight and a grasp of how to expose the next hidden opportunity in addition to understanding how to close deals. They may need resource and support to do so but these are not, in my experience, a specialist closer or business developer - they are more likely to be relationship people, product managers, process and operational experts and Execs.
ReplyDeleteThis may point to a richer issue about everybody in the business being a seller.