What’s it all about then?

You’ll be responsible for the implementation of your company’s growth plan and this means leading the sales team who sell the products.

You’ll identify and implement the best opportunities for your company’s successful growth and your business development plan around the company’s overall market strategy.

Increasing revenue and profit for a line of products or the company in general is the most important bit of the job.

You’ll also be responsible for finding and developing new opportunities by analysing the market in which your company is operating. You will look for opportunities to sell more, sell at a higher margin or introduce a wider portfolio of products to existing customers as well as identifying un-met needs of prospective customers – this could include selling in the added value of  the way your company operates as a supplier compared to rivals.

What might I be doing then?

Your team will be tasked with maximising the profitability of all products within your area of responsibility so you’ll spend a lot of time developing and building collaborative relationships both internally and externally.
You should also expect to analyse what is happening within your own company so that you can recommend opportunities and improvements - this improves profitability and reduces costs so is another vital part of the role.

Your job responsibilities will probably include elements of all of the following:

• Development of key accounts and key markets
• Continual communication with customers, internal and external
• Ensuring that supply and stocks of product are available to meet customer demand
• Reacting quickly to marketplace changes and trends

What will be expected of me?

As a senior manager you’ll be expected to make a major contribution to the profit of your company by ensuring that the products over which you have responsibility meet market expectations and are constantly top of mind with key decision makers at existing and prospective customers.

You’ll be able to prove that you’ve already built strong customer relationships and have excellent selling and communication skills.

What can I expect?

You’ll be expected to have several years of sales and marketing experience and be able to build strong and effective relationships with both customers and also your own colleagues.

Although you’ll be part of a company, you should expect to behave in what is sometimes defined as an entrepreneurial fashion because of the need to be able to act on potential new commercial opportunities quickly when you have identified them.

What about the pay?

This is a position for someone with previous experience and a good track record and this is reflected in starting salaries and bonuses for on-target performance. A base salary of no less than £30,000 is average for such an important role although figures will vary from company to company.

What qualifications do I need to get in?

Experience and a great track record in a sales or marketing position is vital for a job of this seniority –probably at least five years’ experience managing client accounts along with a good all-round education and supporting professional qualifications often obtained on a part-time basis

What about further training?

Your employer will ensure that you are given the opportunity to upgrade and refresh your skills and this might include a course at college or university, a short course covering the same issues or Continuous Professional Development work.

You might want consider taking qualifications from professional bodies either via home study or at college.

You could also consider membership of organisations including:

• Institute of Sales and Marketing Management
• Marketing and Managing Sales Association
• The Chartered Institute of Marketing

Anything else I might need to know?

Yes, don’t confuse this job with that of the Sales Manager as there is a broader aspect to the Business Development Manager’s role - for instance making sure that the public perception of what you’re responsible for is favourable and that you continually measure the impact of what you’re doing.