Mike Walker is one of Avatar International’s Associate Directors, with over 30 years within the IT and Tech sector, Mike has an abundance of industry knowledge and experience. One of his main roles within the company is Business Development. Establishing new relationships with potential clients within the cybersecurity and IT world that Avatar can work with. But is it really as easy as being a good salesman? Some would argue that Business Development managers are the glue holding Business to Business organisations together, as without the ‘connector’ there would be no link. I sat down with Mike to find out about how his path led him to Avatar International and gained some valuable insight into the knowledge needed to secure big relationships, plus the three important questions to ask when striking up a new lead - and why sometimes it really comes down to just people understanding people.
Hi Mike, can you tell me a little bit about your background and how you ended up in Business Development and then as an Associate Director with Avatar?
Let me try and make this simple, I began in IT in the very early 90’s a very different environment to now, but before this I worked for the civil service when I left school, and then in 1990, after having taken time out to study computing in Northampton I started working in IT, mainly data-based systems development. I progressed quite quickly through a number of design, analysis and project management roles into business support and development – which was probably in the early 2000’s. I had various roles in Tech and Business Development for a range of companies, French, German, Dutch and American, and back then I only ever worked for one British company! Following this I took some of that business development knowledge and started a property business in 2003 and blended that knowledge with the emerging house technology marketplace – which I ran for 13 years, finally selling in 2016. I built a career freelancing to various tech / proptech companies – which lead me to becoming an Associate Director with Avatar.
Why do you enjoy Business Development?
There are many reasons; it can be very rewarding financially; but there is also an element of creativity whereby you are given a goal and it’s up to you on how you choose to achieve it. The BD role varies from company to company of course, and that can be both challenging and rewarding. as well – I have worked for companies in Business Development roles as varied as Savills, (global real estate services provider) to much smaller SME’s, to organisations that were developing niche products in the Internet of Things (IoT) arena, to working for government departments – so it’s the variety where you can apply those skills that attracts. By nature, I habitually take on the challenge of learning new skills and tech businesses are constantly changing, fuelling that habit amply!
What motivates you in your work?
I like to feel as though I’m moving forward and doing a good job! I’m not very good at coasting through my roles and I never have been, I need to feel as though I am on an incline and achieving something in that manner. Preferably a manageable 45 degree incline! So business development in its various forms naturally fits in with that. The other thing I like is people – Business Development is really all about communicating and understanding others – I would say 99% of business development is all about the people!
What qualities do you think makes someone a good sales person?
I think the ability to spot where a piece of business is beneficial not only to you as the seller, but also to the client as the receiver. Sales or Business Development is not something you do to someone, its finding someone with a need and helping them satisfy that need. Feeling like I am helping others is a big motivator – so someone who feels rewarded upon helping others. You need to enjoy helping people and solving problems. You also have to be pretty systematic, determined and be able to face rejection at a rate of 90% ‘no’ to 10% ‘yes’. This will be a big factor. This is a pretty realistic level for a salesman/BDM and if you can prepare for this mentally you won’t be disappointed!
Do you think its vital for someone looking to go into business development to be an expert in their industry of selling and why?
I think lots of business propositions are very common, but as per the previous ‘good salesman’ question you will need to add value to your clients, and so specific domain experience can only be a positive – especially for an organisation like Avatar, where we aren’t trying to be ‘all things to all men’, but focus on the sectors we understand and specialise in so that our clients can benefit from our own experience.
How has your background prepared you for your current role with Avatar?
Apart from a mass of diverse experience, both as a technician myself and working with the business elements of technical companies – the range of personalities I have dealt with over the years has prepared me for the varied characters I face daily when working for Avatar. I pride myself on being able to communicate with people at a very high level but also junior technicians – I have an empathy now from the years of experience and working my way up through all the levels of seniority which has prepared me to be able to find common ground with just about anyone.
What is the most satisfying deal you’ve ever achieved?
Tempting to say the biggest one isn’t it?! However, the one that springs to mind was more of a relationship development over a period than a one of deal, much along the lines of the Avatar ethos. I was approached by a pre-revenue company whilst I was an account manager for a database software company. They needed development software but didn’t have any money – but what they did have was a good business plan. I supported them and convinced my employers that we should make this investment – well, we received our first order (which was around 100k!) within 1 year. After 4 years the account was turning over around 5 million a year. What was satisfying was believing in this company from the start and sharing their vision and helping them to achieve this.
Can you describe the process you follow for business development?
I would say having worked for large corps in the US, I have received a surfeit of what people may call ‘formal BDM methodologies’ – in all honesty I retain a tiny amount from each course I have done and all of that collectively becomes my own personal methodology. It is a simplistic structure, that is very heavily focused on the question ‘is this a good fit?’. It’s the early stages of engagement that will make the decision for me. It’s the ‘fail fast’ concept, which especially in the tech sector is even more important – none of us have got time to waste.
How do you turn a lead into a long-term relationship?
With any first contact, however that is initiated, there must be a level of personal understanding. If two parties both see value in what they are trying to achieve they are more likely to be successful, you have to ask ‘is there a trust that can be built?’ ‘Is it viable?’, and ‘does it make financial sense?’. Those 3 questions you can answer in the first one or two meetings. I tend to work on the personal side, because with the correct group of motivated people you can solve a multitude of problems.
And finally, if you were to go back in time and start your BDM career journey from the beginning, is there anything you would like to tell yourself/change?
In retrospect I would be telling myself not to do a lot of things – but that is how we learn, probably more so than what we learn by our successes. I think if anything, I would probably give myself the experience I have now but save myself 30 years of acquiring it!
A final note from Mike…
We are in a very interesting time right now from both the technology side and the human element of business, moving into a hopefully one day post pandemic world, and all of what I have said previously will become more important as we develop the new paradigm moving forward.
Written by Aimee Martin, Executive Assistant at Avatar International
