Meet Deni Radović, the Head of Business Development at Walter Code. With over 13 years of experience in business and sales, Deni has been a driving force in the company’s growth.
His journey began in 2011, and since then, he has focused on constant learning and skill development.
Join us as Deni shares insights into his career, the dynamic field of business development, and the innovative strategies employed at Walter Code.
1. Can you share a bit about your professional journey and how you initially entered the field of business development?
My professional journey started in 2011 when I got the first important chance to work in a real business environment and with great people and professionals. My first business role was also related to business and sales and that is the reason why I’m still contributing in this field. In 13 years of professional career so far, I was a part of the entire business and sales organization, where I had the chance to learn and develop myself on a daily basis. It usually takes years to develop your skills, face various client’s problems, communicate with different clients from different industries, complete complex projects, lead the teams, and most importantly to understand how the business is growing and what is the best way to help your existing and potential clients. I took the time to develop my own skills and interests, and I had no doubt that business development is something where I wanted to be involved constantly.
2. What motivated you to pursue a career in business development, and were there any specific experiences that influenced your path?
In my opinion, you cannot work in business if you are not constantly motivated. Motivation can be found in different situations such as working with your clients, building various business relationships, securing the company’s growth, and making your employees happy by providing them with new ways and opportunities for further professional development. In my case, I was always interested in leadership and business organization and getting a chance to work closely with people. Part of growing up in business is learning more about your interests and trying new things to find out which career will be right for you. If you’re motivated, sharp, and interested in working with people, a career in business development might be a fit for you.
3. What attracted you to join Walter Code, and how has your experience been since joining the company?
My experience so far is very positive and I had a lot of opportunities to learn and develop myself in many ways. I have joined the team because we share the same business vision and the mindset of ‘WHY’ we do our business and where we want to be in the near future. Walter Code has great possibilities for its people and we are constantly working to make sure our company is growing and providing various international opportunities to young and passionate people. Our business philosophy is clear, and I just want to support our internal and external growth by keeping in mind that sustainable growth is crucial for every business and its success.
4. From your perspective, what are the key skills that someone in a business development role should possess to excel in their position?
If you are looking to pursue a role in business development, there are several common skills you will need to develop. Setting personal goals to improve these skills can help you be more competitive and relevant for this role.
Here is the list of the skills I would like to emphasize:
Sales skills — while business development and sales roles serve different purposes, they share a few similar tasks and responsibilities. For this reason, basic sales skills can help you be successful in this role.
Negotiation skills — you should be able to negotiate. While they might not be the ones closing the deal, they are responsible for generating leads and keeping them interested as they move through the sales funnel. To succeed in negotiations, you need to be able to think creatively, listen and understand the needs of others, and prioritize properly. If you want to develop this skill even more, just remind yourself that we are negotiating constantly, and many of us are unaware of it. We are negotiating with our children, whether they want to eat or not, or is their favourite toy right for them and their age, and there are many more similar situations in our regular daily lives that can help us understand the essence of negotiations.
Communication skills — without strong communication skills, it will be difficult to achieve success in the world of business development. You have to be able to write and speak confidently and clearly, as well as listen to the responses and concerns of potential clients. The responsibilities of a business development executive include calling prospects, maintaining long-term relationships, and sharing valuable information with those involved in the business.
Management skills — developing a business is a large and complex project. Managing it closely is imperative to the overall success of a company. These skills include more business knowledge, technical competencies, leadership methods, the ability to monitor and manage risk, recognizing opportunities, developing skills for efficient team management, and many more.
Other skills — are ‘nice to have’ skills such as relevant knowledge in Finance, Legal, Collaboration, Research and strategy, Business growth, Marketing, etc., These skills can take you wherever the organization needs support and your involvement. It is completely normal if you are involved in some sales, business, marketing, project management, PR, and other related activities.
5. Can you share the top three skills you believe have been instrumental in your success as the Head of Business Development at Walter Code?
Our core business is very specific and we need to use many skills to make our company stable and ready to face various market trends and challenges. I would say that proper communication is crucial in our business and that is why we are very open and transparent with our employees, clients and partners. Management skills are also very important if you want to do serious business and run your company successfully through complex business environments and situations. You need to use your knowledge and expertise to follow the market trends and make your company stronger and more flexible with a clear focus on delivering only quality services to your clients. Other skills can be beneficial as well, but understanding all business processes/situations and gaining daily experiences with your projects, situations and challenges, can help you achieve your business and strategic goals.
6. Can you highlight some key milestones or projects that you have been involved in during your time at Walter Code?
Project management is also my big passion. I enjoy working with our clients in solving their daily business problems and providing them with great technical and digital solutions that will make their usual business activities much easier than before. I have to say that recently we have implemented lots of serious projects for different startups, mid-size companies, and global market leaders in various industries such as Fintech, AEC industry, MedTech and eCommerce industry.
7. How do you stay informed about industry trends and changes in the business landscape, and how do you apply this knowledge to drive business development strategies?
You always need to be updated with new things and actual market trends. By following them timely you can come up with concrete plans on how to make our company more secure and adjustable in different and challenging times. Also, staying close to the market and our clients is something that helps us a lot to make necessary moves and create a path in the right direction. We are constantly analyzing our current position in the market and preparing ourselves to respond efficiently to potential uncertainties and negative business trends. On the other hand, we are also reviewing and evaluating our best practices as well as the positive stories and how they can be constantly improved and upgraded.
8. Building strong relationships is crucial in business development. Can you share a specific example where relationship-building skills significantly contributed to a successful partnership or deal?
Fully agree, building strong relationships is crucial in business nowadays. If you don’t understand people, you don’t understand business. Walter Code is trying to build long-term and trusting relationships with our employees and clients, because it is the only way to show people that you care about them and their professional success. I have great examples of how fantastic things can be done if you have a friendly relationship and a normal working environment with your clients and partners. Walter Code managed to help its clients achieve their dreams and business goals by providing them with friendly and professional consultancy services in different market situations and business(product) lifecycles. By supporting our clients in many ways, we are showing them that we are the same team and that we work together in order to write successful business stories.
9. What is your approach to developing and implementing strategic business development plans for Walter Code?
When it comes to developing strategic business development plans for our organization, I’m trying to achieve the following:
– to help our clients and their businesses to grow
– to provide the best possible opportunities for our employees and their personal development
– and to make our company and its portfolio better than a year before
There are also other factors and parameters which I evaluate before making my business plans and strategic approaches. The only thing that matters in our business is to do your best every day and use your knowledge and expertise to bring something new to your organization and to the clients as well.
10. In the ever-evolving tech industry, how do you ensure that your business development strategies remain adaptable and innovative? Can you share a situation where Walter Code’s adaptability was crucial to success?
Technology is evolving literally on a daily basis and my business strategy is defined based on the newest trends and innovations together with the company’s readiness to be flexible and adaptable to it. Walter Code is investing a lot in its people and their expertise. Our people are our main force and without them, we couldn’t have done great things and achieved important milestones in the past. In order to continue this positive trend, we have decided to invest even more in our people and their expertise. Our goal is to involve them in the most challenging and complex projects in the IT industry, together with a concrete plan to expand their technical knowledge with various educations, certifications, and knowledge-sharing sessions. I strongly believe that knowledge can’t be taken from anyone and that only people can break boundaries between industry and technology. There are a couple of great examples where our teams managed to solve the most challenging project situations by using various technical approaches and the newest technologies. Nowadays, companies need to innovate or they will be left behind — in case companies do not have internal resources and relevant technical competencies, bringing Consultants in can be vital for integrating new technologies.
11. How do you measure the success of your business development initiatives?
There are no winners in business. Business is a long-term run, and you need to work constantly on its improvements and new initiatives. When we are talking about successful stories, yes, they can be used in your future activities and projects. More experience and knowledge you gain through your career means that more possibilities and initiatives can be taken and successfully finalized in the future. If we want to be successful in our business, we need to go towards building trust between partners, listening to our clients, adding value, and solving their challenges.
12. Every role comes with challenges. Can you discuss a specific challenge related to your role as Head of Business Development and how you navigated through it to achieve a positive outcome?
There’s no question that running a business comes with challenges. While some problems might be unique to a particular industry, others are extremely common, no matter what type of business you are meeting. Overcoming these problems can position your business for faster growth and stability. To put your business on the path to success, learn how to work through some of them:
Finding the right customers — The first step to solving this challenge is to narrow down your target customer segments. Conduct market research, find relevant prospects, and start organizing your work which will bring added value to your future partners by defining your sales approach and business strategy.
Culture of feedback — Business Development is all about relationships. The client’s feedback is very important and will help to build trust and improve the processes.
Deliver what you promise — This is a very common problem for all kinds of clients. You simply need to find a way to deliver everything that you define during the sales process. Organizing additional sessions with the client in order to prepare and confirm requirements for development is a good foundation to make life easier for your development team.
Communication between the teams — It is crucial to define the communication channels and collaboration tools in order to establish representative communication between the development team and the client’s team. Aligning the team in order to work towards shared goals — that’s the art of business development.
Time vs Budget approach — these two items are very important for a company. You need to organize processes internally and externally, so it is crystal clear what is the right thing to do for a successful external project or general long-term collaboration. Just make sure the teams are on the same page and deliver things on time and on budget.
Time management — Managing your time appropriately can be difficult, and getting distracted with small tasks can take away your time which you need to spend working on company and business growth.
13. Moving into more technical aspects, how do you integrate data analytics and similar innovations into your business development strategies?
At Walter Code, we aim to put out software that improves the quality of work processes and that brings additional value for the different industries. From data analytics and collection apps that improve efficiency and supply relevant information with ease, to BI software solutions and VR-based apps for fast-moving clients, we connect the incredible potential of technology with the market.
These new trends are also a part of our business strategy where we want to leverage the latest technologies and frameworks to create solutions that meet client’s unique requirements and deliver exceptional user experiences.
14. Can you discuss your proficiency in utilizing CRM tools and other technology platforms essential for business development?
As a serious company, we need to use serious sales, business development, project management, and collaboration tools and platforms. Personally, I have my preferred tools which are being used mostly for sales and lead generation activities. Project and collaboration tools for better managing complex projects and agile development are crucial, especially if we want to establish a transparent delivery process for our clients. Also, certain collaborative design tools for building meaningful products are something that always brings added value. By using all these tools, we are showing our expertise, knowledge, and flexibility with the main focus to provide the best possible services and showcases to our clients and partners.
In conclusion, the captivating journey in business development with Deni Radović unveils a tapestry of strategic insights, resilience, and visionary leadership. Deni’s commitment to fostering innovation, building meaningful relationships, and navigating the dynamic landscape of business development has been nothing short of inspirational.
Gratitude to Deni for sharing his insights in our Walter Humans series. Stay tuned for more captivating stories in the future!