Business Development Manager Job Description

A company’s business development manager is always on the lookout for new opportunities to grow the business.

She balances tasks in marketing, distribution and product development with meeting with prospective clients, making presentations and writing contract proposals. A solid understanding of economics and finance, along with communications skills, are highly desirable in candidates for business development manager positions.

There is no college degree geared toward landing a business development management position. In fact, there is little formal training available that would lead directly to being hired for the job. Seasoned business development managers learn through experience and by being successful in other sales positions. However, most employers require their business development managers to prove at least four years of successful sales experience.

At its core, the business development manager position requires someone who is self-motivated, capable of making sound judgments under pressure, able to establish a rapport with clients, subordinates and upper management and an excellent presenter.

If you are interested in becoming a business development manager and have the sales experience required, here are some subjects you can brush up on to get ready for a job interview:

Sales Prospecting

The online course Sales Training – Sales Prospecting for Beginners covers the basics of the topic, including how to identify your target audience and how to inspire your sales prospects to be excited about your services or products. The course also offers instruction in how to build relationships with clients and how to enhance existing client relationships.

Pitching

Many people who are comfortable talking one-on-one, or even in small groups, find themselves nervous the first time they attempt to present in a formal setting. The course Pitch for Success: Story in Presentations is designed to help you overcome your fears of presenting to groups of people. The course offers several techniques to help you relax by engaging your audience with basic story elements.

Forecasting Sales Targets

A business development manager should know not only how much revenue a company is bringing in, but how much it can bring in. In fact, forecasting sales targets and ensuring the sales team meets them is a large part of the job. The online course How to Budget and Forecast for Your Business can help you learn how to do just that. Taught by business planning expert and Stanford MBA holder Tim Berry, the course draws from his experience as an entrepreneur, educator and consultant.

Identifying Marketing Campaigns

As a biz dev manager attempts to find more distribution channels for her company´s products and services, he is also called upon to identify opportunities for marketing campaigns. The online course Zero Cost Marketing Strategies: Official Primer Course offers information on how to conduct marketing at no cost to your company. Instructor Dan Hollings, who has managed million dollar campaigns himself, has tested every principle he shares in the online course.

Other roles of the business development manager include consulting with senior and mid-level management on ways to develop new services, products and distribution channels in light of current business trends; attending industry trade shows and seminars to gather information on creative and market trends; and maintaining a sound knowledge of the company’s image and other media libraries and working with company image licensing teams to acquire additional licenses as needed.

What skills would you like to learn before applying for a business development manager position?