Business Development Director jobs
Successful businesses don’t run themselves, and clients can never be taken for granted. It is for these reasons that business development is an ongoing speciality in successful companies. While sales teams tend to seek out new leads, and account managers deal with existing clients, a business development team, usually run by a business development director, straddles the two jobs.
The main task of the role is to maximise profitability by keeping abreast of new openings both in terms of finding potential clients and getting more out of existing clients, a task that clearly requires diplomacy and subtlety!
Reporting to senior management, the business development director will be in charge of making sure budgets are kept to and targets met. In larger firms, the position might oversee business development managers who in turn are in charge of specialist marketing, sales and development staff.
The skills required
Successful business development directors will have great interpersonal skills, in particular a highly professional approach to sales. They will need to be able to quickly understand potentially complex business strategies and targets as set by senior management and communicate them to the team under their control.
As companies vary in size, the specific skills required of the business development director will also vary, so whereas he or she might be talking to particular clients daily for one firm, the role might be more of a co-ordination one in another, so skill sets required will be quite diverse for the career business development director.
Business Development Director Jobs in Ashford
The Kent town of Ashford was traditionally a market town and stop-off point for London to Folkestone or Dover travellers. Although it has a moderately large population of around 65,000, it is by far the largest settlement for 20 miles in any direction, and remains an important shopping town in the region, especially now that it has a designer outlet to accompany its several shopping districts.
It is the railways that have played the largest part in Ashford’s history since the nineteenth century, however. The town served as an important hub for trains to London (50 miles, or 80 km, to the north west), Tonbridge, Hastings, Folkestone and Canterbury and this brought trade and population to the town. But Ashford’s link with the railways became international when it was made a stop on the Eurostar line to France in 1996. The town now has at least five distinct trading and industrial estates, some of which are located there mainly thanks to its excellent links with London and the Continent.
Ashford has always been a busy town but the Eurostar line coming to town has made it a key element in Britain’s transport infrastructure. Ashford is also well connected by road, with the M20/A20 that links Folkestone/Dover and London passing by Ashford’s eastern borders. This all adds up to a positive picture for anyone seeking Business Development Director jobs in Ashford or the surrounding area.
Popular locations
Cast UK’s logistics opportunities
Cast UK’s recruitment consultants work with many employers around the UK to ensure positions are filled by the best people, and many of them approach us to create a shortlist rather than advertising jobs nationally or locally. We have specialists for every UK region and all the major cities, so wherever you are, we could have a position for you.
Whether you're moving house, looking to change employer or are simply seeking a change in career, get in touch with Cast UK. Our own staff are all source from within procurement, logistics and supply chain, and these are the backgrounds of our founder members, so we fully understand the needs of the industry.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Business Development Director for your business or find you a job as a Business Development Director then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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