It is a business development manager’s job to secure new clients for their product through advertising, publishing and broadcasting. They work closely with sales teams (and consult the majority of managers on other teams) to come up with ideas and pitches in an attempt to increase revenue and boost sales and opportunities. The majority of their job is to devise and deliver persuasive speeches that will convince other companies and organisations to do business with them. To be able to do this successfully, you have to be enthusiastic and motivated – no one will want to invest if they watch a presentation given by an unsmiling, monotone business developer.
You also need to have a keen interest in current market and media trends, and be passionate about the product so you are able to promote it as best you can. Business development managers must have leadership skills too, they need to be able to set targets and motivate team members so they are able to see them through (in terms of sales/release dates). The needs of customers and clients is susceptible to change, so people in this field need to be able to adapt quickly.
One of the most important qualities for a business development manager is by far: having exceptional presentation, consulting and listening skills. As mentioned before, the bulk of this job role is devising and presenting pitches, if you do not have the skills to do this, you won’t succeed at this job- no one will buy from an unenthusiastic presenter. As a business development manager, you are in charge of making and securing contacts for your company and your project. You need to be friendly and outgoing and able to “make friends” with a wide range of people and personalities. You also need to be able to process information quickly and communicate clearly. Having knowledge of the laws relevant to business and marketing will also aid you if you’re looking to become a business development manager. Personally, my self-motivation and good listening and communicating skills would set me up to pursue this career.
There is no definite qualification to enter this role. A degree in a relevant field (marketing/business) is usually preferred, but most employers look at how much experience you have. Experience and success in positions lower down the ladder in business and sales is something they really like to see and could be the thing that gets you the job. Business development managers earn an average salary of around £45,000. A starting salary is usually in the range of £22,000, and senior positions earn £50,000-£80,000+.
Without business development managers, no projects or companies would have any money or interest in the product they’re making, whether it be a video game or a movie. They make sure the product has an audience, without potential customers, even the best film of the decade will go unnoticed.
More Info:
http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/375_business_development_manager
https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/career-advice/so-you-want-to-be-a-business-development-manager.html
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