Group Business Development Manager

Overview of duties:

• Generate revenue through sales and account management across the Company Group’s offerings.
• Act as a point of contact for existing and potential customers within assigned territory
• Identify local business opportunities and challenges
• Generate leads through networking and marketing initiatives
• Report on regional sales results (weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually)
• Present our products and services to prospective customers
• Identify customer needs and recommend product solutions
• Work closely with salespeople and other internal teams to meet individual and group sales quotas
• Answer customer questions about features, pricing and additional services
• Cross-sell products, when appropriate
• Collaborate with sales representatives from different territories and income streams to share best practices and support a cohesive sales approach
• Collaborate with the marketing department to prepare common strategies
• Monitor sales numbers and marketing metrics
• Address potential problems and suggest prompt solutions
• Participate in decisions for expansion
• Suggest new services/products and innovative sales techniques to increase customer satisfaction
• Calculate business trends, like monthly sales rates
• Analyse market trends
• Forecast quarterly and annual revenue
• Prepare and review the annual budget for the area of responsibility
• Monitor competition and follow current developments
• Learn the products and services offered, including the sales terms (e.g. special features, return and warranty policies)
• Organise regular client meetings to discuss their requirements
• Resolve problems and handle complaints in a timely manner
• Identify new potential customers
• Supervise sales account representatives
• Stay up to date with new features and product launches
• Manage a portfolio of accounts to achieve long-term success
• Develop positive relationships with clients
• Report on the status of accounts and transactions
• Prepare and deliver appropriate presentations on products and services
• Create frequent reviews and reports with sales and financial data
• Ensure the availability of stock for sales and demonstrations
• Negotiate/close deals and handle complaints or objections
• Collaborate with team members to achieve better results
• Send requests for proposals (RFP) and/or tenders
• Go the extra mile to drive sales
• Provide feedback to income streams in terms of product/service performance, client requirements and client complaints to assist income stream to enhance their offerings

Required Qualifications:

• BSc/BCom degree
• Post graduate qualifications will be an advantage

Experience and Knowledge required:

• Work experience as a sales representative
• Experience in consulting and IT industry
• Experience with CRM software
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills
• Resilient with a proven track record in sales
• Ability to gather and interpret data
• Organizational and analytical skills
• Ability to measure and analyse key performance indicators (ROI and KPIs)
• An ability to gasp clients’ needs and to increase customer engagement
• Hands on experience in sales and an ability to deliver excellent customer experience
• An ability to deliver projects and answer inquiries on time
• Business acumen with a problem-solving attitude
• Thorough understanding of marketing and negotiating techniques
• Fast learner and passion for sales and people
• Self-motivated with a results-driven approach
• Aptitude in delivering attractive presentations, proposals and RFPs

Key Responsibilities:

Strategy  

Assist with the formulation the Group BD Business Unit Vision, Mission & Strategy, in support of Client Vision, Mission and Strategy. Responsibilities include:

• Provide input to and participate in the strategic sales planning and offering development planning with all company income streams
• Develop strategic account management plans for key accounts
• Develop strategic growth plans for group business development
• Assist GBD director in defining sales strategies across the group
• Track the implementation of the sales strategies
• Report on progress of strategy

Business Development

Drive opportunities within existing and new industries and client environments in collaboration with execs. Responsibilities include:

• Stay abreast of industry trends / technologies and gear the business unit strategy accordingly
• Explore industry specific partnerships with organisations and/or governing bodies that complement company’s services offering
• Define domain and industry specific competencies that will ensure that company remains relevant and indispensable as a preferred service provider.

Sales

Account management, in collaboration with the respective business unit execs, should define the sales strategy, key focus areas and joint KPIs for the relevant service offerings and target markets. Responsibilities include:

• Grow new client base through participation in marketing, marketing events, networking and other initiatives to close deals with new clients and to build an account base
• Define sales approach and supporting collateral that clearly defines the business unit’s service offering
• Formal packaging of Company service offerings
• Input to Company’s group marketing function regarding content and positioning of service offering
• Active participant and member of the BD sales forums
• Source the information required for statements of work, purchase orders, and/or CAS numbers
• Liaise with business units regarding strategic leads and opportunities
• Assist the general manager and/or business unit executive in the preparation of sales proposals and supporting documentation

Legal

• Responsible for the vendor registration requirements and the registration/renewal process if and when required
• Ensure that master services agreements (MSAs), professional services agreements (PSAs) and/or master contractor agreements (MCAs) are in place and up to date at all times
• NOTE: Business unit director oversight and signatures required on all MSAs, PSA, MCAs and SLAs
• Final approval of all any proposals, service request (SRs), statements of work (SoWs) and/or forms of orders (FOOs). Key focus on the legal and finance considerations of any commercial agreements between Company and a client
• Draft proposals, service request (SRs), statements of work (SoWs) and/or forms of orders (FOOs) to be submitted to general manager for review
• Manage the legal contractual/commercial processes with regards to new projects and/or renewals of existing contracts
• Contracts renewal and governance implemented (audit trail of signed copies of legal agreements)

Relationship Management

• Internal – build relationships with the Company income streams to understand their business, offerings, clients, strategies and ensure a high level of understanding of their business to assist in generating revenue for these income streams
• External – build relationships with prospects, partners,  Company’s account and key account stakeholders to secure recurring business across all income streams
• Liaise with company’s account management stakeholders that are actively engaging and managing the expectations of the client base that are core contributors to the business unit’s income statement. Additional responsibilities include:
• Provide business unit structure support that will create a leadership culture based on influence, trust relationships and clear directions.
• Focus on relationship with the broader executive committee members
• Focus on relationship with support services including HR, finance and business enablement
• Focus on relationship with business unit team including business unit general managers and business unit operations managers
• Focus on client relationship from a strategic and contractual perspective

Financial Management

In collaboration with business unit exec, develop and drive achievement of business unit budget with a top-line (revenue) focus. Responsibilities include:

• In collaboration with exec ensure profitability of Company
• Review monthly business unit forecasts and liaise and report on mitigation actions with execs regarding potential shortfalls/deficits per client account
• Ensure final approval of rates to be presented in proposals from account management executive
• Debtors management – invoices older than 60 days requires the input and assistance of the business unit executive to resolve
• Responsible for the overall invoice management, rates, forecasts, and cash flow of the am business unit
• Assist the business unit executive when preparing the budget
• review rates to be presented in proposals
• Monitor the invoice age-analysis reports that are prepared by the finance department and implement the relevant actions to ensure that the outstanding invoices are recovered
• Ensure that the finance department is aware of any fixed billing schedules (if applicable)
• Review the invoices prepared by the finance department to ensure that the information is accurately reflected
• Submit the invoices through the relevant channels and/or systems to the authorised client recipients
• Follow up with the relevant client stakeholders regarding the status of the invoices.
• Prepare monthly Revenue Forecasts.

Competencies: 

• Financial acumen (able to understand basics financial statements, cost management and performance indicators)
• Strategic thinking (able to design and execute mid and long-term for the business)
• Sales, negotiation and brand awareness insight (i.e. build and sell the Company brand)
• Strategic thinker with “bigger picture” mindset
• Interpersonal Management Skills (ability to build relationships and connect with individuals and a team, establishing trust and respect)
• Professionalism
• High levels of integrity, trust and loyalty
• Confident, open and direct approach
• Urgency and assertiveness
• Ambitious and vigilant
• Excellent communication skills
• Structured and detail orientated
• Strong administration skills
• Sales and negotiation skills
• Ability to work under pressure (regarding time & responsibility)
• Entrepreneurial drive and insights