- Contacting potential clients to establish rapport and arrange meetings.
- Planning and overseeing new marketing initiatives.
- Researching organizations and individuals to find new opportunities.
- Increasing the value of current customers while attracting new ones.
- Finding and developing new markets and improving sales.
- Attending conferences, meetings, and industry events.
- Developing quotes and proposals for clients.
- Developing goals for the development team and business growth and ensuring they are met.
- Training personnel and helping team members develop their skills.
- research and identify new business opportunities - including new markets, growth areas, trends, customers, partnerships, products and services - or new ways of reaching existing markets
- seek out the appropriate contact in an organisation
- generate leads and cold call prospective customers
- meet with customers/clients face to face or over the phone
- foster and develop relationships with customers/clients
- understand the needs of your customers and be able to respond effectively with a plan of how to meet these
- think strategically - seeing the bigger picture and setting aims and objectives in order to develop and improve the business
- work strategically - carrying out necessary planning in order to implement operational changes
- draw up client contracts - depending on the size of company, this task may be completed by someone else or agreements may not be as formal
- have a good understanding of the businesses' products or services and be able to advise others about them
- ensure staff are on board throughout the organisation, and understand the need for change and what is required of them
- train members of your team, arranging external training where appropriate
- discuss promotional strategy and activities with the marketing department
- liaise with the finance team, warehousing and logistics departments as appropriate
- seek ways of improving the way the business operates
- attend seminars, conferences and events where appropriate
- keep abreast of trends and changes in the business world.
If your business development role is more sales orientated, you may also:
- help to plan sales campaigns
- create a sales pipeline
- negotiate pricing with customers, and suppliers in some cases
- increase sales of the business
- carry out sales forecasts and analysis and present your findings to senior management/the board of directors
- develop the business sales and marketing strategy.