Business development executive
Most businesses have a group of account executives whose job it is to look after clients, although they might also be involved with the sales process too, as they have excellent knowledge of the way the company operates. That secondary role can be a full time position, however – the business development executive. This role is more strategic, as it’s taking the company’s overall business aims in the medium and long-term, and working to realise them, with a particular interest in winning new clients.
Typically, the business development executive will brief the accounts team on the clients they win, and then have little more to do with looking after them, unless they have a hybrid role (which is quite common in smaller companies). Most of the time, they will be looking out for new opportunities, contacting leads and following them up, which makes them have more in common with sales staff, except on a more strategic footing.
The skills required
Business development executive jobs go to people who can demonstrate a talent for identifying leads that will benefit the company long into the future, or which take the company in new directions. They will often be employed when a company has changed its core business model or has embarked on a new range of products and services.
With a strong emphasis on identifying leads and persuasion, business development executives are often drawn from the ranks of sales, and often no experience as a BDE is required as long as they have a proven long-term, strategic mindset.
Business development executive Jobs in High Wycombe
The Buckinghamshire town of High Wycombe might sound like a sleepy village with a cricket pitch and a pub, but it’s actually a large town that’s quite industrialised, especially for a southern town. In the past it has been known as a mill town and a paper making centre, but it is probably its furniture workshops for which it became best known. Thousands of terraced homes were built for the workers, and by the middle of the nineteenth century High Wycombe rivalled the towns around Manchester for its industriousness, but also for its squalor. A major redevelopment was carried out in the 1920s to bring habitation up to modern standards. During the Second World War, RAF Bomber Command was based in the town, and was joined in 1942 by the United States’ equivalent.
Although the actual town of High Wycombe has a population of around 75,000, it is part of an amalgamation of smaller towns whose population totals around 120,000. The town is on the M40, about halfway between the centre of London and Oxford.
High Wycombe might have had its ups and downs economically, but it appears to be on the up at the moment, and Business development executive jobs have been found in the area. With excellent road and rail links to London and Oxford, it’s a natural place for a distribution centre. Its status as something of a commuter town also means there’s a lot of movement of goods into High Wycombe.
Popular locations
Business development executives use Cast UK
At Cast UK, we have a steady stream of business development executive jobs coming up, so if you’re a BDE or want to take the leap from sales to this more strategic role, we’d urge you to follow the link below and register with us.
If your company needs to find some talent to put its business development plans into action, you’ve found your perfect recruitment partner. At Cast UK we know exactly what companies are looking for in operational-level positions such as this, and we can create a shortlist of interview-ready candidates in double-quick time. Call us on 0333 121 3345 to speak to a consultant.