Wyatt Tennant
Pronouns: He/Him
Role/Title: Business Development Manager
Office Location: Chicago, IL
Home Location: Detroit, MI
Describe your work as a Business Development Manager in one or two words: Limitless
What does a Business Development Manager actually do?
As a Business Development Manager at Thoughtworks, we are the tip of the spear, having an opportunity to meet with companies daily to introduce Thoughtworks' capabilities, history and expertise – while listening to our client's needs, to best shape a successful partnership. A Business Development Manager has the opportunity to work across all functions of the business as they ensure new business development growth and the successful onboarding of new clients to the Thoughtworks portfolio.
What does your typical day look like?
A typical day for me consists of walking up, coffee, making lunches for the little ones and then diving into day planning and catching up on emails in my home office. Days are typically filled by either prepping for or leading client discussions. When I’m not on Zoom I’m often meeting with other leaders of the business to discuss demand activities, doing account research or taking my dog, Moose, for a walk.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Working with senior executives to shape large, and oftentimes, multi-million dollar, transformative projects can be difficult to ensure buy in and define success across both business and technology leaders at the client. Also, aligning calendars is always hard! When I have so many great colleagues at Thoughtworks to aid in the pre-sales discussion – calendars are always the hardest part, right?!
What’s your favorite part of your role?
Team selling complex deals to senior technology leaders and working with other Thoughtworkers to shape a project.
What makes a good Business Development Manager?
Someone who is confident in Thoughtworks capabilities, knows our place in the market and can position us accordingly with our clients at the outset. A Business Development Manager is able to work with all aspects of the business to ensure the clients needs are understood and the most accurate proposal/engagement is presented. A Business Development Manager is able to listen to both internal and external stakeholders; aligning to goals and ensuring the success onboarding of new logos and client projects.
I love being a Business Development Manager at Thoughtworks because…
It gives me an opportunity to be on the forefront of our discussions with clients, to learn what problems our clients are facing in the market and have a hand in shaping a team to deliver business value for our clients. I love being able to tie real world examples, logos and user experiences to the technology work we are delivering here for our clients and their customers daily. We get to work with amazing technologists!