Biggest Challenges Faced By A Business Development Representative At William Blair Investment Management
Ramon's biggest challenge as a Business Development Representative is patience, a crucial virtue given the inherent uncertainty in sales; the interviewee describes needing "to remain in your seat, just continuing to apply and adhere to a process" and highlights the importance of viewing periods of waiting as "a season of prep" rather than complaint.
Patience, Persistence, Discipline, Sales, Business Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ramon Gonzalez
Business Development Representative
William Blair Investment Management
UCLA '00
n/a
Economics
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Sales and Client Management
Video Highlights
1. Patience is crucial in business development, as success often requires persistence and consistent effort despite uncertainty.
2. The long-term nature of the business development process necessitates a strategic approach focusing on process control and continuous self-improvement.
3. Developing patience and resilience are key skills to manage uncertainty and maintain motivation during periods without immediate results in a sales or business development role.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
The biggest challenge for me was being a late bloomer in this sales, prospect, and business development role. I would say it's patience, but I think that's true for a lot of young people.
When you're coming into a role and you see the outcomes available to you long-term, whether it's growth in seniority or income potential, you want it to happen today. A lot of these things require patience.
One of the greatest challenges is to be patient. It is certainly a virtue in the world I do. There's a lot of uncertainty about when a deal will close; you have no control over that. But you can control the process and the journey, the day-to-day, having discipline, and being consistent.
Repeatability is key, and it comes with this virtue of patience. You just have to be persistent, tenacious, and know that things will eventually work out. Patience is very important, and it's how you approach it during the process.
Are you complaining or frustrated, or are you using the opportunity to continue developing yourself? You use it as a season of preparation, not a season of complaining, because you just don't know when things will crystallize.
So, the realization of the outcomes, the uncertainty, the duration, and how it's going to look – I think that's the greatest challenge. It's to remain in your seat, continuing to apply and adhere to a process that has worked for you, and just stay with it.
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