Business Development Executive at COSEKE

Position Code: BDE

Department: Business Development Executive

Reports To: Head of Business Development and Marketing

KEY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES.

Your duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following Key Result Areas:

1. Revenue Generation
   1. Achieve sales targets by continuously developing new business/closing opportunities ob- tained from Marketing team
   2. Sell company products and services at reasonable profit
   3. Cross-selling company products to existing clients to augment the company’s revenue
2. Market Intelligence
   1. Market research and analysis
   2. Gather customer intelligence information and act on it accordingly in a way that gives the company an edge over competitors
   3. Obtain knowledge of competitors’ products, activities/strategies, clients and market in- sight to adjust sales strategies and tactics
   4. Research and understand COSEKE’s portfolio of products, solutions and services so as to be able to pitch them well to clients and prospects
   5. Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning of Company products to target markets
   6. Use knowledge of the market and competitors to identify and develop the company’s unique selling propositions and differentiators
   7. Actively monitor market trends through personal contact with clients and industry associ- ated meetings/events and seminars; and provide feedback to Country Manager
   8. Identify, do due diligence and establish partnerships with manufacturers of products that are in the company’s line of business
   9. Regularly promote business to optimise its market profile and growth prospects, includ- ing regular attendance at all relevant professional and industry events and activities
   10. Develop and launch products that meet the market needs
   11. Attend industry functions, such as association events and conferences, and provide feed- back/ information on market trends
3. Strategy, Planning and Reporting
   1. Provide strategic leadership, support, coordination and advice to the supervisor and man- agement on Business Development priorities and Initiatives
   2. Develop and implement business development plans in order to win business in the mar- ket
   3. Set departmental Business Development Goals and Objectives
   4. Create and implement a structured plan to achieve set targets and develop a budget to im- plement the plan
   5. Identify business opportunities, craft and implement a sales strategy to exploit them
   6. Assist the Head of Business Development and Marketing in development and execution of strategy and determining the Company’s strategic direction
   7. Report on business opportunities, sales revenue, activity and performance on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually or as required by Supervisor
   8. Report on progress of strategy implementation based on KPIs and recommend strategic and tactical interventions required to achieve set objectives
4. Develop the Company’s SWOT Analysis and submit to supervisor for review and ap- proval
   1. Liaise with Marketing and Public Relations Manager to design and develop Marketing and Promotional content and tools such as brochures, banners, website content, fliers, newsletters, etc
   2. Introduce procedures and processes that improve operational efficiency and effective of Business Development Efforts and Initiatives
   3. Contribute to development of business cases for recruitment of more staff in the depart- ment
   4. Plan, direct and manage all Business Development activities to achieve the departments sales goals
   5. Use professional networks in strategic activities to achieve better Marketing outcomes
   6. Plan persuasive approaches and pitches that will convince potential clients to do business with the company
5. Product Development and Management
   1. Understand all company products and their features and create awareness position them to the company’s selected markets
   2. Recommend necessary improvements to products and/or develop new ones based on the market demand and customer requirements
   3. Liaise with other departmental teams to develop new initiatives, ideas and plans for new product opportunities
   4. Manage/conduct launch of new and existing products, upgrades to new ones and product information/awareness events to different private-sector Organisations and Agencies
   5. Present to and consult with management on business/market trends so as to develop new products, solutions, services and business models
   6. Learn as much as possible about products, services and solutions of the firm and be able to pitch them clearly to clients
   7. Organise business development events like Breakfast Launch, Training, etc to educate prospects about company products and use gathered contacts to follow up and close deals
6. Prospecting for New Business
   1. Generate New Leads/Opportunities and develop, manage and maintain an up-to-ate data- base/pipeline
   2. Promote company products and services and persuade new customers to buy and existing ones to buy more through different channels of communication and customer engagement
   3. Raise the Company’s Profile in the Market to increase visibility and Market Share
   4. Collaborate with Marketing and Public Relations to provide input to development of marketing content for different market sectors through print material, website, newslet- ters, concept papers, proposals, social media etc
   5. Solicit for referrals from existing clients, staff members and personal contacts and ac- quaintances
   6. Prospect for new clients by networking, cold calling, advertising or other means of gener- ating interest from potential clients and turn them into buying and loyal customers
   7. Identify potential clients, and the decision makers within the client organizations
   8. Research and build relationships with new clients
   9. Set up meetings between client decision makers and company’s practice leaders/Princi- pals.
   10. Plan approaches and pitches. Work with team to develop proposals that speak to the client’s needs, concerns, and objectives
   11. Participate in pricing the solution/service
   12. Handle objections by clarifying, emphasizing agreements and working through differ- ences to a positive conclusion. Use a variety of styles to persuade or negotiate appropri- ately.
7. Lead Nurturing and Engagement
   1. Identify and analyse needs of prospects and work closely with technical team to deter- mine suitable solutions
   2. Develop customer value propositions for company’s products, services and solutions
   3. Prepare and deliver sales presentations on Company products, services and solutions to new and existing clients and answer their questions to help them make an informed buy- ing decision. This is to be done in coordination with Technical, Projects and Customer Care team members
   4. Requirements gathering, analysis and documentation
   5. Participate in product demonstrations and proof of concepts
   6. Meetings with customers to identify and exploit business opportunities
   7. Create and deliver persuasive business presentations
   8. Negotiate profitable deals with prospects and handle objections
   9. Develop a rapport with new clients and set targets for sales and provide support that will continually improve the relationship
   10. Grow and retain existing accounts by presenting new solutions and services to clients
8. Proposal Development
   1. Proposal Development―Pre-qualifications, Targeted/customized Sales Proposals, Bids, RFPs, RFQs, Quotations, Proofs of Concept (POC)
9. Key Account Management and Building Client Relationships
   1. Develop new, positive and lasting business relationships and maintain existing ones based on mutual trust and confidence
   2. Schedule and attend client meetings, ensuring that number of meetings meets targets as set by supervisor/management
   3. Discuss and agree with clients on terms of dealing on all opportunities
   4. Lobby, negotiate and close deals
   5. Analyse the needs of clients, help them scope their work and conceptualize ideal solu- tions
   6. Constantly or regularly follow up with clients on available opportunities
   7. Understand needs of clients and recommending suitable products or solutions
   8. Devise strategies for repeat purchases, client retention and referrals
   9. Actively engage or get involved in providing customer service to retain clients once a sale is achieved. This is to be done in close coordination with Client Relations team
   10. Contacting lapsed customers and re-establishing them as an existing customer
   11. Present new products and services and enhance existing relationships
   12. Arrange and participate in internal and external client debriefs
10. Team Support/Collaboration
    1. Build & maintain effective working relationships with peers, team members & members from other departments
    2. Work closely with marketing team, sharing knowledge, discussing ideas and helping the team to achieve targets
    3. Develop strong and effective working relationships with the account management teams
    4. Timely and effective communication with other team members including those from other departments
    5. Supervise and manage performance of Business Development Executives
    6. Mentor and coach Business Development Executives and setting sales targets for them
    7. Assign work to Business Development Executives while encouraging them to take per- sonal initiative
    8. Conduct performance appraisal for self and subordinates and provide regular, construc- tive feedback and reinforcement regarding performance
    9. Manage team performance, promoting cohesiveness and taking corrective action where necessary
    10. Follow up on leads provided by Marketing team, staff in other departments, referrals and convert them into sales
    11. Work with technical team and other staff to meet customer needs
11. Professional and Personal Development
    1. Acquire necessary knowledge and skills to enable better execution of duties either through self-sponsorship or requesting for training facilitation from the Company in con- sultation with the supervisor
    2. Attend industry and partner events like courses, seminars, webinars, conferences, etc to improve on product knowledge and be able to position them better
    3. Identify the skill gaps that need to be filled both by you and your subordinates and make recommendations to Management with a plan for training or coaching
    4. Support, coach and mentor subordinates or new team members
    5. Work with staff to create individual development plans addressing employee and business needs, encouraging employees to seek or participate in learning opportunities
12. Compliance with Organizational Policies
    1. Execute your roles and responsibilities in accordance with the Company’s ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System by implementing existing procedures or coming up with new ones that are deemed to contribute to continuous performance improvement
    2. Ensure all internal and external publications and marketing materials are consistent with Company corporate branding and culture
    3. Practice and maintain a professional/company dress code and neat personal appearance at all times during working hours

Education / Knowledge / Experience Needed:

1.  Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or related field
2.  At least 2 years’ experience in marketing with demonstrated ability to deliver consistently strong measurable results through lead generation and qualification
3. Experience with database, digital/content, and direct-response marketing
4. Prefer experience with Business-to-Business (B2B) Marketing
5. Experience with Google Analytics or other web and digital analytics tools a plus

Skills Required:

1. Good analytical skills, including using data and reports to review performance results, extract insights, and make recommendations for action
2. Business and financial acumen to recognize and quantify strategic opportunities; data analysis capabilities, building detailed business cases
3. Proficiency Microsoft Office suite especially Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel