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 Woking
Woking is a town in London’s commuter belt, about 21 miles (34 km) from the centre of the capital. It is a prosperous town with a population of about 60,000 in the town itself, but its borough as a whole is home to around 100,000. The Kenwood electronics company was founded in the town by, you guessed it, Ken Wood.
The town has international fame thanks to motor sport. It has been home to McLaren racing since the 1980s after moving from Colnbrook near Heathrow Airport. The racing division of McLaren has a fantastic facility for building its Formula One racing cars in the town, and they have recently opened a state-of-the-art factory for building their road cars, one of which wouldn’t leave you much change out of £200,000. Both factories are notable by their cleanliness, which makes the average operating theatre or satellite laboratory look a little grubby.
Woking is well served by road, rail and air, and its hi-tech industries mean that expertise in many fields is often sought. For our part, Business development executive vacancies have been filled of late, and development seems to be continuing apace.
There are a couple of notable references to Woking in popular culture. In HG Wells’s The War of the Worlds, it is Horsell Common, just north of the town, where the aliens first land, and the town has a 7m high tripod statue in honour of this distinction. Wells wrote the story whilst staying in Woking. It was also the birthplace of The Jam’s Paul Weller, and was the inspiration for their hit single A Town Called Malice. Comedians Sean Lock and Harry Hill and TV cook Delia Smith were also born here.
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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.