The business development executive of an enterprise carries the responsibility of maximising opportunities related to business growth and profitability. Emphasis is placed on formulating detailed business strategies to withstand competitors and work towards developing tailor made solutions to suit the needs of their clients. The business development specialist draws on both internal and external resources to challenge existing processes and infrastructure. This is particularly evident in the technology arena where millions are invested in research and development. Solutions must be elevated to benefit the relationship between the technology supplier and the client.
Recently appointed Divisional Manager of New Business Development at Siemens Enterprise Communications, Sylvia Khabele, has been charged with the responsibility of further strengthening the strategic functioning of the company. “Business development plays a pivotal role for any enterprise wishing to reflect a positive growth strategy, as well as to support the ever-changing needs of their current and potential clients. With advancements in technology the world is now able to communicate and interact with a touch of a button. Bridging the technology divide of companies who have not fully understood the value of converged technologies to advance their business performance is my primary objective. Technological inequality places constraints on a business's growth potential,” says Khabele.
Communications companies are no longer limited in terms of the products and solutions they supply to their customers. They now offer converged telecommunications services that are integrated into the customer's own business processes. This results in an increased need for leaders in the industry to adapt their offerings to suit their customers' business requirements.
“Successful business development often requires a multi-disciplinary approach beyond just a product sale to a customer. It should encompass a holistic solution enabling the customer's strategic vision for their company. As such, it should regularly be revisited and modified to be relevant in changing times. Creativity in meeting new and unforeseen challenges is necessary to keep an enterprise on a path of sustainable growth. Company management face the challenge of identifying and extracting business benefits from their ICT assets, be that in stand alone or converged infrastructure. New business development at our company is intent on leveraging voice, video and data across an open and unified communications platform. These solutions can all act as catalysts to generate greater profitability for our customers,” says Khabele.
The strategic component for the concept of business development is directed towards identifying opportunities to grow with the customer. Khabele believes in creating partnerships and alliances to further support the marketing programs of companies in the service, consumer or business to business sectors. “I see myself as a change agent. I am leading my division to research and assist in both the back and front end structures of the organisation. We review current portfolios and generate a new potential client base to expand our market presence in South Africa through the sales channel. Added to this task, we also interface with all other channels on customer sites and redefine their value propositions. I believe in constant communication and transparency in relationship-building with our customers and partners.”
Although most businesses can see the advantages of streamlining processes and improving systems, they are cautious because of the cost implications, concerns over disruption, and a lack of understanding of proposed technologies. The test is for businesses to embrace change and take advantage of the tools that will deliver success via technology platforms.
Khabele concludes, “The challenge for workers in the field of business development is to have receptive and open-minded business leaders, who are not fearful of change. Through recent partnerships with Enterasys and SER Solutions from the Gores Group, business development opportunities now lie in the data portion of the market as well as voice. The rapid growth in demand for unified communications is creating huge opportunities for South African businesses.”
