Successful business development executives increasingly are doing battle in the world of strategic coalitions and selling partnerships. Today getting the jump on your competitors isn't half as crucial as mapping out and employing a focused and unique value offer with particular appeal to most likely compatible allies.

Think about this analogy : Worms are slow, but they are expert at hiding. In the highly competitive sector of birds, all of the birds are up early.

So, in practice, what distinguishes the successful bird from the hungry one is observation and preparation. Smart birds have worked out that worms are most exposed when they are in the act of eating.