Last week, I joined Tony Gray, BDP his Global Business Development Podcast to talk about what really moves the needle in business development today. We covered a lot of ground, but one question Tony asked has stayed with me:
What are the three most important things someone should focus on to be great at business development?
For me, it comes down to three simple but powerful habits.
Show up. Serve. Share.
These are the principles I’ve built my career on. They work whether you’re in sales, engineering, field service, or finance. If you interact with customers, colleagues, or partners – you’re in business development. And these three habits will help you build trust, grow your influence, and attract better opportunities.
Let’s break them down.
Show Up
The first habit is showing up, and not just in a “book the meeting and be on time” kind of way.
It means being present where your customers are. That might mean attending their plant open house. It might mean popping by their booth at a trade show. Or leaving a thoughtful comment on a LinkedIn post they’ve written. It could be joining their webinars, supporting their product launches, or simply showing up in their world without asking for anything in return.
But showing up isn’t just about being visible. It’s about being prepared. And that starts long before you walk into the building or join the call.
You need to do the work to understand your customer’s world, not just what they buy, but how they operate. Understand their industry pressures, their internal processes, and what success looks like for them. Dig into how your solutions actually help them reduce downtime, improve efficiency, or gain an edge over their competitors. And be honest with yourself about where your solutions don’t fit.
That kind of clarity only comes from doing the work behind the scenes. That means putting in time in the classroom – learning your products inside and out. Not just at the surface level, but deep enough to speak confidently about real-world application, integration challenges, and outcomes.
It also means knowing your competitors’ products just as well as your own. If you’re not aware of where their offerings are stronger or weaker than yours, then you’re not showing up ready to guide your customer, you’re just showing up ready to sell. And there’s a big difference.
When you know both your own strengths and your limitations, and you understand how other solutions compare, you earn the right to have a real business conversation, not just a sales pitch.
And finally, showing up also means creating spaces where your customers feel seen and supported. That might be hosting a roundtable discussion, launching a podcast, starting a community happy hour event, or even just writing articles that help them think differently about a challenge they’re facing. Show up as a builder, not just a visitor.
Serve
If showing up opens the door, serving is what earns you a seat at the table.
To serve is to help – with no strings attached. It’s about solving problems, sharing insight, and making your customer’s job easier without expecting anything in return.
It means being willing to say, “That’s not something we do well – but I know someone who can help.” I’ve done this many times, recommending a competitor when I knew their product was the better fit. Not because I like losing the order, but because I value winning trust even more.
You can’t serve well if you only know your own solutions. That’s why I believe every business developer should understand their competitors’ offerings as well as their own. You have to know where you shine and where you don’t. That kind of humility and honesty sets you apart, and gets customers noticing.
Serving also means helping your customer shine inside their company. Maybe you help them justify a budget. Maybe you frame up a technical concept in a way that makes it easier for them to explain it to their team. Maybe you help them avoid a costly mistake by sharing something you’ve seen before. In every case, the mindset is the same – help them win.
And when you lead with service, people stop seeing you as someone trying to “sell something” and start seeing you as someone who makes their life easier. And that’s when the real partnership begins.
Share
This final habit is the multiplier. The more you share, the more people are drawn to you.
Share your knowledge. Share your experience. Share your network.
Don’t hoard your insights. Don’t keep your expertise locked away out of fear that someone else will “steal your edge.” The truth is, your edge isn’t what you know, it’s how you think, how you help, and how consistently you show up.
Write articles. Post what you’re learning. Share stories from the field. Teach the lesson behind the mistake. Give away the insight that someone else might find useful. People remember the ones who help them learn something or see something differently.
Share your platform, too. Invite customers or colleagues into the spotlight. Bring others along. Elevate the people around you. When you do, your network grows stronger, and your credibility grows deeper.
And don’t forget to share opportunities. Whether it’s connecting someone with a new role, forwarding a lead, or passing along a project that isn’t right for you – make the intro. Be the connector. That’s the kind of generosity that builds a legacy.
Sharing without keeping score builds trust. And trust builds business.
This Isn’t About Sales Tactics. It’s About Building Relationships.
These habits might not sound revolutionary. They’re not hacks. They’re not part of a clever script or pitch. But if you commit to showing up, serving, and sharing consistently, “not just occasionally” your reputation will grow, your relationships will deepen, and business will start to come to you instead of being chased.
You’ll get invited into conversations earlier. You’ll be asked for your opinion more often. You’ll be referred when someone needs help. You’ll stop being seen as a vendor and start being seen as a trusted advisor.
And here’s the best part: you don’t need to be in sales to do this.
If you work with customers in any capacity – support, engineering, purchasing, logistics – this mindset will help you stand out and make an impact.
Because business development isn’t about your title. It’s about how you show up.
Final Thought
You don’t need to be the loudest voice in the room. You don’t need to have the slickest deck or the biggest booth.
You just need to be the most helpful.
Show up with purpose. Serve without expectation. Share with generosity.
That’s how you build trust. That’s how you create opportunity. And that’s how you grow your influence in a way that actually lasts.
Now let me ask you something. Where are you today?
Are you really showing up in your customer’s world? Are you serving without expectation? Are you sharing your knowledge and your network in a way that helps others win?
Drop a comment or send me a note – I’d love to hear which of the three habits you’re focusing on this year.
And if you’re already doing all three… keep going. You’re building something worth noticing.
