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Sales development is the act of developing a person in the act of sales. Sales, which can be done individually or as part of a team, is where a person sells a product or service to a buyer. It is often thought that selling is the same as marketing but there is a distinct difference - marketing exists to promote a item by making it attractive to a potential buyer and, through this, may inactively produce a sale. On the other hand, a sales person actively speaks with a potential customer, showing directly how their goods or service can help the customer by providing them detailed information. The best sales person is someone who works in conjunction with their customer and acts to solve the customer’s wants and goals with the product or service to be sold.

Sales is an integral part of modern work models. Not only does the sales person sell a corporate item or service, they also labor to generate new business opportunities and find customers for their company, thereby sustaining and developing their business’ customer base and reputation. Sales is often the public face of a business so it necessary that proper new business development training is provided to the sales person so that they can excel in their selling role but also know how to be the best advocate possible for the goods and the corporation.

There is a variety of techniques a company can use to connect with their customer. Direct sales - where the business interacts directly with their customer - is probably the most recognized. The most familiar direct selling techniques are door-to-door selling and telemarketing; in both cases the company directly connects with the buyer at home or at their place of business to inform them about the product. Another form of direct selling is ‘consultative selling’ whereby the business interacts directly with the buyer but first starts by collaborating with the customer about what goods or services they need and creating answers in collaboration with the buyer. Businesses also traditionally sell goods through retailers - so called ‘middle men’ - and through mail order, while the rise of the world wide web has given businesses a new field in which to deal with prospective customers. As can be seen, there is a large variety in the way businesses contact, connect and potentially sell to a customer, which has increased the significance of sales development.

Sales development focuses on the assortment of methods a sales team can use when directly talking with the customer, so integral in these days of direct selling. Although there are a assortment of particular methods tailored for different ways of selling, the main thought behind exceptional sales practice is five-fold: analyze a buyer’s needs, offer solutions to the buyer, discuss the advantages of the merchandise, overcome any questions the buyer may have and close the sale. This practice can sometimes be shortened to a three-part methodology: prospect the customer, present to the customer and finish the sale.

Sales development courses are widely available with many training institutions and expert businesses offering courses that you can take in person or via correspondence or the internet. Many large businesses have also developed their own in-house sales training programs. There are also a plethora of books available on the topic.

Good sales development will always emphasize the need to ask customers questions in order to better provide them solutions, will always emphasize the importance of understanding your goods and will include motivational material, as selling is a high-pressure occupation that not only requires a lot of self-motivation but also deals with a lot of rejection as well.

Incentive programs, what they’re for and how to use them are also included in a lot of sales development. These ’sales incentive programs’ or SIP’s, are a method used to encourage a sales agent and lists specific goals for achievement, which aims to focus selling activity.

Training in new business development will show you self-motivation, leadership and great interaction talents and, as such, would stand any person in good stead for any leadership role outside of sales, as well as within.