Do you really need a Business Development Manager?

There is a growing trend among businesses to employ a Business Development Manager (BDM). This trend is also gaining ground in healthcare organizations as they too have started employing business development managers. But who really is a business development manager and what does he/she do?

A BDM is a relatively new job designation which has come to replace the marketing officer of old. However, the job of a BDM goes beyond just marketing. The BDM oversees a team of individuals and together, they are charged with the task of growing the organization as a business concern.

In smaller organizations like small entrepreneurial hospitals, the BDM works more or less alone. He/she is essentially responsible for hospital growth. This is achieved through networking with potential business partners, developing new business opportunities, speaking with clients, presenting his organization’s core capabilities/unique products to a variety of audiences and ensuring that sales targets are met.

The BDM is usually a shrewd but well informed employee who spends time between strategizing in the office and meeting clients in the field. He/she spends time scanning the external business environment for opportunities which the internal competencies of the hospital can exploit. The BDM is also abreast of governmental, social, technological and economic changes that can impact on the hospital operations.

A BDM must also know how to leverage social media to attract new business to his organization. Social media is the ‘new thing’ in advertising today. A BDM should be able to effectively engage the online audience and pull them to the hospital.

Back to our question; do you need a business development manager in your hospital?

The answer is ‘YES’ because:

• ·        You simply don’t have the time to do all the work that is needed to market your hospital
• ·        You may not possess the skills necessary to carry out the functions of a BDM
• ·        In the current business world, you need a little bit of aggressive marketing to push your products far ahead of the competition and only a good BDM can do that for you.