Business development executive is an important role to have in a company. This is because this position can have an influence on increasing company revenue.

Therefore, the BD executive position is very important for the progress of a company.

So, apart from increasing profits , what are the actual duties and responsibilities of a business development executive ?

What is a Business Development Executive?

A business development executive is a senior manager whose job is to support business growth. It can be said that BD executives are high-level sales professionals .

How can BD executives help profit growth in the company? This is done by finding new customers for the company and selling additional products or services to existing customers .

This means that the role of the BD executive is very crucial for companies that have ambitions to expand their company, such as opening new branches or creating a franchise program .

BD executives are not only tasked with approaching one party. They can also approach business-to-business, business-to-customer, even non-profit organizations.

Tugas Business Development Executive

A business development executive has 3 main tasks, namely:

• identify new sales leads
• pitching products or services
• maintain good relationships with existing customers

Apart from the main duties, there are also several tasks or responsibilities that are usually carried out on a daily basis by business development executives, including:

• conducting research on organizations or individuals online which can be done via social media
• research the needs of other companies and find out who is part of the purchasing team and has the right to make decisions
• contact potential clients via email or telephone to plan meetings and schedule product or service pitches
• create plans and supervise the new marketing team
• attend conferences, meetings , and also events created by industry

Business development executives need to face various challenges in sales . If the pitching is successful and the sale is successfully approved by the client, there are several things you need to do, namely:

• prepare presentations in the form of PowerPoint and also sales displays
• contacting clients to inform them of new product developments in the company
• make quotations and proposals
• carry out negotiations and re-negotiations via telephone, email, or in person
• develop sales goals for the team and ensure they stay on-track
• conduct training for team members and help team members to develop skills

Business Development Executive Qualification

Are you starting to be interested in developing your professional career in the field of business development ?

You must first know the business development executive qualifications summarized by The Balance Careers , including:

1. Communication skills

In their work, a BD executive will communicate both verbally and in writing.

They must be able to have excellent communication skills for presentations, pitching , maintaining good relationships with existing customers.

In addition, this skill is important for finding new clients and ensuring them to use the products or services offered.

A business development executive must also have an open mind to listen, provide suggestions, exchange ideas, and accept criticism and suggestions for career development.

2. Negotiation skills

Part of a BD executive’s job is negotiating with other companies or clients. This was done to convince them of cooperation.

Not only that, they also offer help, lower prices, and even make investments.

In fact, there are many negative ways to influence someone. However, to become a BD executive you must be able to persuade and influence in a way that complies with ethics.

This is important so that you can gain the trust of clients.

3. Ability to strategize

A large part of a business development executive’s job is setting strategy.

This strategy includes how to win pitching , looking for new customers , reviewing the market, and even the right way to maintain relationships with existing customers .

Therefore, strategic thinking skills are needed. Research skills are also very important in order to obtain sharper and more reliable information.

4. Understand technology

Even if you don’t work in the IT field, basic computer skills are very necessary in the world of work. At least everyone is able to operate basic software such as Microsoft Office.

Not only that, in this digital era, every employee should also be technologically literate by using gadgets and applications. This is often useful for conducting research and even marketing.

5. Project Management

In his daily life, a business development executive will certainly be faced with various different projects with different teams. Therefore, he must be able to organize and handle projects.

This includes the ability to set goals, create timelines , face risks, create and manage budgets, and work together in teams.

Apart from the skills mentioned above, there are also other skills that you need to pay attention to if you want to become a business development  executive,  including:

• thorough and sensitive to detail
• Able to manage good relationships with clients
• customer service
• sales
• Facilitate meetings with staff and clients
• product knowledge
• presentation
• problem solving
• high initiative
• Can work alone or with a team
• complete work on time

Business Development Executive Career Path

You could say that business development executive is a fairly high level position .

According to the Telegraph, some people get into this position by starting a junior career in sales , marketing  or  business development .

After gaining enough experience, they will creep up to become seniors, then become  business development managers.

After that, according to the National Careers Service , they can continue to the next level, namely business development executive , which, as mentioned above, is a  senior manager position .

If you are already in that position, there could be a higher level such as business development director or assistant director of business development .

However, all of these career paths will actually depend on company policy.

So, are we ready to climb the career ladder to become a business development executive ? If so, now is the time for you to check out business development job vacancies at Glints.