Choose the right business development course to increase new-business conversations, pipeline quality, and new-logo wins.
Business development is the part of selling focused on winning new customers. Our business development courses help identify likely buyers, open conversations, create interest, and develop early-stage opportunities before a formal sales process begins.
It is different from account management and different from later-stage opportunity management. If there are too few first meetings, too little qualified pipeline, or too much reliance on existing customers, business development is usually where improvement is needed.
This page helps you choose the right business development course for your role, your objectives, and the type of new-business challenge you need to solve.
Who these business development courses are for
These courses are suitable for people and teams responsible for creating and developing new-business opportunities, including:
- Business Development Directors and senior Business Development Managers who are responsible for improving new-logo growth, strategic targeting, and the overall effectiveness of a business development function.
- Business Development Managers, BDRs, and SDRs who are responsible for prospecting, outreach, first meetings, and developing early-stage opportunities.
- Internal sales and telesales teams who are carrying out new-business contact, qualification, and appointment generation under more traditional job titles.
Why business development often underperforms
Business development is difficult because prospects are not waiting for the conversation, there is no established relationship, and poor targeting or weak positioning quickly leads to wasted effort.
- Outreach activity is high, but response rates are low.
- First conversations do not convert into real opportunities.
- Salespeople speak to the wrong people or fail to engage senior decision-makers.
- The pipeline looks busy but lacks quality.
- Teams rely too much on existing customers and too little on winning new ones.
Effective business development requires more than persistence. It requires better targeting, stronger messaging, more confidence in early-stage conversations, and a repeatable method for moving from contact to opportunity.
Which business development course is right for you?
| If you need to... | Recommended course |
| Build more pipeline through better prospecting and initial targeting | Sales Prospecting for Business Development |
| Get through more often, gain attention faster, and create opportunities by phone | Build Business by Phone |
| Improve conversations with senior decision-makers and win a hearing at a higher level | Sales Conversations with Senior People |
| Use LinkedIn and other social channels more effectively to identify prospects and start relationships | Social Networking for B2B Sales |
| Improve the planning, management, and execution of a whole business development role or function | Business Development Management |
The five business development courses
Sales Prospecting for Business Development
For people who need a more reliable method for identifying likely buyers, making relevant approaches, and converting contacts into authentic engagement.
Build Business by Phone
For people who need better results from telephone outreach. Learn how to gain attention, create interest, handle resistance, and turn calls into productive next steps.
Sales Conversations with Senior People
For those who need to engage directors and senior decision-makers more effectively. Learn how to get attention, establish relevance, and win a serious hearing.
Social Networking for B2B Sales
For people who want to use LinkedIn and other digital channels more effectively to find prospects, start conversations, and develop relationships that lead to opportunities.
Business Development Management
For those responsible for improving the effectiveness of business development activity overall. Focuses on planning, targeting, management discipline, and stronger execution.
What makes these courses effective
- Delivery by the course author.
- One-to-one and group options.
- Practical application between sessions.
- Workplace actions designed to embed new habits and routines.
- Flexible delivery that makes shorter, more frequent sessions practical.
The objective is not just to improve knowledge. It is to improve new-business behaviour, increase the quality of early-stage opportunities, and produce better commercial results.
Delivery options and fees
- Self-led learning from £295
- Scheduled virtual classroom courses from £595
- Per session one-to-one delivery: £150
- Per session group delivery: £450
- Training takes place in a virtual meeting
- Fees exclude applicable VAT
Face-to-face one-day business development courses can also be delivered in the UK and EU, while longer programmes can be delivered more widely by arrangement.
Frequently Asked Questions About Business Development Courses
What is business development training?
Business development training helps people improve how they identify likely buyers, open conversations, create interest, and develop early-stage opportunities that lead to new customers.
How is business development different from sales training?
Business development training focuses on winning new-logo business, especially prospecting, outreach, first meetings, and early-stage opportunity development. Broader sales training may also cover later-stage conversations, negotiation, account management, and closing business.
Who should attend business development courses?
These courses are suitable for Business Development Directors, Business Development Managers, BDRs, SDRs, internal sales teams, telesales teams, and anyone responsible for generating qualified new-business opportunities.
Are these courses suitable for SDRs, BDRs, and telesales teams?
Yes. Many SDR, BDR, and telesales roles are effectively business development roles under different job titles. The courses are relevant wherever the objective is to create new business conversations and convert them into qualified opportunities.
Which business development course is best for finding new customers?
That depends on the main constraint. If the issue is prospect targeting and outreach, Sales Prospecting for Business Development is usually the best fit. If the issue is telephone effectiveness, Build Business by Phone may be more suitable. If the issue is reaching senior decision-makers, Sales Conversations with Senior People may be the better choice.
Can business development training improve pipeline quality?
Yes. Better business development improves who you target, how you approach them, and how effectively you move from initial contact to a real opportunity. This usually improves the quality, not just the quantity, of the pipeline.
Are the courses delivered virtually or face-to-face?
Most business development courses can be delivered virtually, one-to-one, or in groups. Face-to-face delivery can also be arranged for one-day courses in the UK and EU, with wider delivery possible for longer programmes.
Performance guarantee
All of our business development courses come with a performance guarantee. Applying the methods and principles taught should provide at least a fivefold return on the cost of the course. See our full guarantee pledge here.
Need help choosing the right course?
If you want help selecting the best business development course for your role or team, telephone +44 (0)1392 851500, use the contact form, or email info@salessense.co.uk.
