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Frequently Asked Questions about the SBDP

 

Admission

  1. I received an invitation to join. Why should I consider joining the Society?
  2. Why is the Society "invitation-preferred"?
  3. What are the criteria for joining?
  4. If I am not currently a BDP, but aspire to be one, can I join?
  5. How do I join the Society?
  6. What if I don't know any members?
  7. What countries are open for membership?
  8. How can I prompt my employer to cover my dues?

Member Benefits

  1. How can the Society help my career?
  2. What industries are most represented by the membership?
  3. I'm already a member of an industry association. Why join an association exclusively for business development professionals?
  4. I already have a list of business contacts. How can the Society help me?
  5. What tools are available to build relationships within the Society?
  6. How will my professional network improve as a member?
  7. How can the Society help improve my performance, move up the ranks, and/or work for a more dynamic company?
  8. I want to contribute to others in a way that is meaningful to me. How can the Society help?
  9. How is the Society different from other professional organizations?
  10. Why join an organization exclusively for business development professionals?
  11. How will my professional network improve as a member?
  12. How can the Society help improve my performance, move up the ranks, and/or work for a more dynamic company?
  13. I want to contribute to others in a way that is meaningful to me. How can the Society help?


Certification - The CBDP Designation

  1. Why did you create the CBDP certification?
  2. Why the emphasis on training and certification?
  3. How credible is the CBDP designation?
  4. How does the SBDP curriculum differ from other training and methodologies?
  5. How much time will getting my CBDP take?
  6. Can I get credit toward my CBDP certification for work experience or previous training?

System Technical Help

  1. Why does it appear that there are two different login areas?
  2. How do I recover my password?
  3. Who can I contact with support questions?

Admission

  1. I received an invitation. Why should I consider joining the Society? The Society is a globally-recognized group of best-in-class business development and sales experts. We understand the needs of large-target Business Development Professionals and offer programs that help our members connect with each other, build their careers, perfect their craft and lead a life of fulfillment through relationships with like-minded people.
  2. Why is the Society invitation-preferred? Our charter mandates that we serve primarily those who have the same issues, concerns and experiences of partnering with large, complex organizations. No doubt there are talented professionals in every area of the sales and business development profession; however, only a few are working on the more complex opportunities and partnerships which require a very different set of knowledge and abilities. Therefore, we limit our membership to those who have this specialized set of needs and skills.
  3. What are the criteria for joining? The Society is mandated to maintain the specialized focus for which we were formed. Therefore we have developed criteria applicants must meet in order to gain admission. Please see our Admissions Criteria page.
  4. If I am not currently a BDP, but aspire to become one, can I join? Society membership is currently open only to BDPs already working in the profession. We have plans for student and "transitioning professional" memberships, but for now Core and Associate are the only available member types. If you would like to be considered for an additional membership type in the future, please email us.
  5. How do I join the Society? Membership admission is a simple process. To be considered, we prefer that you be invited by a trusted member. The Admissions Committee then reviews candidates for approval. Once nominated, you will have an answer within five business days. If you have not received an invitation from a member, you may inquire with an active Society member or the admissions committee.
  6. What if I don't know any members? If you do not know any active members yet, our charter allows the Board of Trustees to extend invitations directly to individuals based upon certain criteria. We invite prospective members who feel they may qualify to inquire to the admissions committee for consideration. See our Admissions Criteria page for details.
  7. What countries are open for membership?
    All. Since the Business Development Professional’s role is often international in nature, the SBDP is truly a global association. In this “flat world,” we have similar skills, career needs and personal preferences, regardless of where we are based.
  8. How can I prompt my employer to cover my dues? First, check your employee handbook. Most quality employers have an expense policy covering professional association membership, and many BDPs are liberally covered to join associations because it means more business and better people. If this is not the case for your employer, there is a compelling argument you can make for why your Society membership will help you and your employer. (Please email Member Services for details.) Finally, if your employer will not invest in dues for your professional development, that's ok - the investment you make in yourself by joining will pay for itself many, many times over.

Member Benefits

  1. How can the Society help my career? Career advantage is a major focus of the Society. It is our primary goal to raise awareness among employers and our members to the highest level of professionalism, in order to give our members a distinct edge when they become candidates for promotion or new hire.
  2. What industries are most represented by the membership?
    Naturally, many of our members come from the professional services, large consulting and IT arena. Some, however, many are from less obvious areas such as other services, healthcare and manufacturing where their clients' purchasing processes and decisions are highly complex.
  3. I'm already a member of an industry association. Why join an association exclusively for business development professionals? In order to drive new business, most of us wisely join the industry groups we work with. However, until the Society, we had no world-class group to call our own. Nearly all business roles have a related professional association where members can improve themselves, their career, their profession and their community. This is because most professional associations are so valuable to their members. SBDP is specifically set up to provide unique value to you, the true large-target Business Development Professional.
  4. I already have a huge list of business contacts. How can the Society help me?
    Society members have an instant network of supportive, like-minded people who can and will assist with client introductions, career changes, connections or problem-solving. The Society is here to ensure members have maximum opportunities to develop their careers.
  5. What tools are available to build relationships within the Society?
    The Society has built several innovative programs and continues to add new functionality to enhance relationships among members. Our flagship program is MySociety, a proprietary private social networking tool that helps members understand each others' experiences, learn about each other and make quick connections as they seek information and contacts through our network.
  6. How will my professional network improve as a member?
    The members of the Society are selected based on their achievements and experience. One of our guiding principals for new member criteria is that we "are like, or want to be like" our fellow members. We all know there's nothing like solid relationships to enhance our personal and professional lives, and with our state-of-the-art social network, the pathway to those relationships has never been more robust.
  7. How can the Society help improve my performance, move up the ranks, and/or work for a more dynamic company? Let's face it. At some point in your career, you will be competing with the “best of the best” for a limited number of world-class sales and business development assignments at a top company. We believe it is crucial to have a number of relationships at those companies in order to achieve the greatest number of suitable opportunities from which to choose. SBDP provides you with the ability to create those relationships by networking with people you would never have otherwise come across.
  8. I want to contribute to others in a way that is meaningful to me. How can the Society help? As part of the Society's commitment to enhancing the profession, it is our mission to demonstrate the compassion and generosity of our members. Business Development Professionals are some of the most generous and ethical people you can meet, and many have been blessed to have had great careers in corporate sales and are passionate about contributing to others. The Society is developing a one-of-a-kind contribution mechanism through its Business Development Leadership Foundation (BDLF) which promises to be the first "custom giving program" of its kind. For more information, contact the Foundation.
  9. How is the Society different from other professional organizations? The society is the only global organization dedicated to the Major Accounts-level BDP. We are not for everybody or even all sales or BD professionals; rather we are focused on serving those who are exclusive to large organizations. There are excellent associations in the marketplace for such professionals, including the SMEI and the NASP, where issues of importance to this segment are more focused.

Certification - The CBDP Designation

  1. Why did the Society create the CBDP certification? There are many advantages to creating the standard for expertise in the profession. In the past there have been no real credentialed programs available to us, outside perhaps an MBA, which is difficult and time-consuming to obtain and not always relevant to Business Development Professionals. You need the best methodology training available. Certification demonstrates your deep expertise and education in the science and art of complex sales. It is designed to give you an edge and differentiate you from other sales and business development professionals.
  2. How credible is the CBDP designation? The Board of Trustees is responsible for the quality and credibility of the CBDP Designation, and are absolutely committed to building and enhancing the credibility of the certification. The Society actively markets the value of CBDPs to BDP employers and through various other avenues. Our number one priority for certification is to ensure its value to members, and we know that value is directly reflected in the receptivity of employers, clients and colleagues.
  3. Why the emphasis on training and certification? SBDP education program is created to provide members with practical information, relevant insights and experiential learning that will enhance their businesses and enrich their lives. Until SBDP, there were few ways to obtain training in complex sales and business development. Our program is specifically designed to serve members and their career needs.
  4. How does SBDP training differ from other methodologies? Think of our program as an "Complex Sales University" with a unique and practical focus on organizational behavior, political environments, relationship dependencies and financial and purchasing processes. At the core, most selling methodologies are very similar, and the Business Development Professional Method brings the best program approaches together into a world-class learning program that will carry members far into their careers. Our goal is for our members to help themselves and their employers to better compete and win more business while building more profitable, and enjoyable client relationships.
  5. How much time will achieving my CBDP take? Training has been specially designed to meet the efficiency demands of our members. We take your time seriously and intentionally streamlined the curriculum to focus only on subjects most relevant to you. Unless you qualify out of parts of the curriculum, SBDP Level I training can be expected to take the full two days at our annual conference. Also efficiently designed, preparation and renewal can be done remotely at your convenience.
  6. Can I get credit toward my Certified Business Development Professional certification for work experience or from previous training? Our curriculum is considered unique in the industry and we prefer all candidates for CBDP to experience the sessions. However, credit could be granted for previous work, especially if a member were considered an expert or facilitator in a different sales methodology, or if his/her years of experience would make the course redundant. This determination is made on a case-by-case basis by the Board of Trustees Education Committee.

System Technical Help

  1. Why does it appear that there are two different login areas? For your security we require login for the MySociety section and again for access to Member-only areas such as Forums and your Profile page. You may use the same login information for both.
  2. How do I recover my password? Login pages have a password recovery function which allows you to receive a password via email and change it on the site.
  3. Who can I contact with support questions? We are available via email anytime or during business hours by phone. The fastest way to get web support from us is via email.