When Business Development and Sales Want Different Things

In many organizations, business development and sales are supposed to work together.

Same customers.

Same revenue goals.

Same scoreboard at the end of the quarter.

But underneath the surface, they’re often operating with very different time horizons—and that difference quietly creates conflict.

Not because either side is wrong. Because they’re trying to solve different problems.

Sales Lives in the Present

Sales carries immediate pressure.

Quotas.

Forecasts.

Month-end numbers.

Deals that must close now—not someday.

That urgency shapes behavior. It has to.

Sales is measured on what converts today, not what might pay off next year.

Speed matters. Timing matters. Momentum matters.

Without that urgency, revenue stalls.

So the “close now” mindset isn’t a flaw.

It’s a requirement of the role.

Business Development Lives in the Future

Business development operates on a different clock.

Longer cycles.

Early relationships.

Unclear timing.

Opportunities that may take months—or years—to mature.

The work is quieter and often invisible:

• building trust before a project exists

• understanding direction before budgets are set

• staying present without forcing a decision

Business development is measured less by this quarter’s close and more by next year’s pipeline quality.

Without that long view, growth eventually dries up.

Where the Friction Shows Up

Because the timelines are different, tension is almost inevitable.

Sales may wonder:

“Why are we spending time on something that isn’t closing?”

Business development may wonder:

“Why are we pushing so hard on something that isn’t ready?”

Both questions are reasonable.

Both perspectives are incomplete on their own.

One protects today’s revenue.

The other protects tomorrow’s revenue.

You need both. But they don’t naturally agree.

The Real Risk Isn’t Disagreement

Healthy tension is normal.

The real risk is when organizations force one mindset to dominate the other.

If everything becomes short-term:

• relationships weaken

• trust erodes

• pipeline quality drops

• growth becomes unpredictable

  
  

If everything becomes long-term:

• urgency disappears

• opportunities stall

• revenue timing slips

• execution suffers

  
  

Either extreme creates problems.

Balance is what creates stability.

What Alignment Actually Looks Like

Alignment doesn’t mean removing tension.

It means clarifying roles and respecting timing.

Sales should be exceptional at:

• converting real opportunities

• creating momentum

• closing with confidence

  
  

Business development should be exceptional at:

• creating future opportunity

• deepening relationships

• positioning the organization early

  
  

When both sides understand where one ends and the other begins, friction turns into flow.

Pipeline improves.

Forecasts stabilize.

Growth becomes more predictable.

The Bigger Lesson

Organizations don’t struggle because sales or business development is broken.

They struggle because time horizons are misaligned.

Short-term pressure without long-term investment leads to volatility.

Long-term vision without short-term execution leads to stagnation.

Sustainable growth lives in the space between the two.

A Simple Question Worth Asking

Are we protecting this quarter…or building next year?

The healthiest organizations do both—on purpose.