New business development is the act of developing a agent in the act of sales. Sales, which can be done individually or as part of a team, is where a person sells a item or service to a buyer. It is usually believed that selling is the same as marketing but there is a distinct difference - marketing exists to advocate a item by making it of use to a potential customer and, through this, may inactively produce a sale. On the other hand, a sales agent actively speaks with a potential customer, demonstrating specifically how their product or service can help the customer by providing them detailed information. The best sales person is someone who works in conjunction with their customer and acts to solve the buyer's needs and goals with the item or service to be sold.

Sales is an integral part of contemporary business models. Not only does the sales agent sell a business item or service, they also labor to generate unique business opportunities and generate clients for their company, thereby supporting and growing their business' customer base and reputation. Sales is often the public face of a company so it necessary that proper sales development is provided to the sales agent so that they can do well in their selling role but also know how to be the best advocate possible for the goods and the company.

There is a range of approaches a company can use to connect with their client. Direct sales - where the company interacts directly with their client - is probably the most familiar. The most recognized direct selling approaches are door-to-door selling and telemarketing; in both cases the company directly connects with the buyer at home or at their place of business to tell them about the goods. Another way of direct selling is 'consultative selling' whereby the company interacts directly with the buyer but initially starts by consulting the client about what goods or services they need and creating answers in collaboration with the buyer. Companies also often sell goods through retailers - so called 'middle men' - and through mail order, while the rise of the net has given companies a new medium in which to work with prospective clients. As can be seen, there is a large variety in the way companies contact, connect and potentially sell to a customer, which has increased the necessity of sales development.

New business development focuses on the assortment of methods a sales agent can use when directly talking with the client, so necessary in these days of direct selling. Although there are a assortment of particular techniques tailored for different ways of selling, the main psychology behind exceptional sales practice is five-fold: analyze a customer's needs, offer solutions to the buyer, discuss the advantages of the item, overcome any questions the buyer may have and close the sale. This philosophy can sometimes be condensed to a three-part methodology: prospect the customer, present to the customer and close the sale.

New business development courses are widely available with many training colleges and expert businesses offering courses that you can take in person or via correspondence or the internet. Many large companies have also developed their own in-house sales development programs. There are also a plethora of books available on the topic.

Competent Sales training will always emphasize the need to ask clients questions in order to better offer them solutions, will always emphasize the necessity of knowing your merchandise and will include motivational material, as selling is a high-pressure job that not only needs a lot of self-motivation but also deals with a lot of rejection as well.

Incentive programs, what they're for and how to use them are also included in a lot of sales development. These 'sales incentive programs' or SIP's, are a tool used to motivate a sales teams and lists specific goals for achievement, which aims to concentrate selling activity.

Sales training will show you self-motivation, direction and exceptional interaction skills and, as such, would stand any person in good stead for any managerial role outside of sales, as well as within.