In this episode, Eric sits down with Tony Gray from the Global Business Development Association to completely reframe what business development really is—and why most companies get it wrong. Tony explains how he built the Business Development Body of Knowledge after years of struggling to "break into BD," why traditional labels like B2B/B2C/B2G are less important than intent and trust, and how purpose, empathy, and truth literally create the brain chemistry that drives deals. He breaks down the difference between sales and true business development, shows how untrained teams cause massive revenue leakage, and shares practical tactics like open-book BD certification, community-led growth, and agile proposal methods that stop relying on overworked SMEs and start producing cleaner, clearer, more winnable bids.
Key Takeaways
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Trust is the first principle of BD – purpose, empathy, and truth drive the brain chemistry that leads to real, lasting relationships and referrals.
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Everyone in your company is a business developer – if your team can't spot customer pain points and route them back to leadership, you're leaking revenue.
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Community-led growth beats going solo – partnering with aligned experts and building niche communities gets you into new markets faster than cold outreach alone.
Learn more: https://federalhelpcenter.com/ https://govcongiants.org/
Encore Funding: https://www.encore-funding.com/
Tony's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-gray-mba-bdp/
Website: https://www.gbdassociation.org/
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