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 Suffok
Sharing borders with Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, Suffolk is a county in East Anglia that is situated on the coast of the North Sea.
Although Suffolk does not have any cities within its boundaries, anyone seeking Business development executive roles in the area will have a number of options to choose from in the larger towns of Lowestoff, Felixstowe and Bury St Edmunds, as well as the county town of Ipswich.
Primarily an agricultural region, Suffolk grows a number of crops including rapeseed, wheat, barley, sugar beet, linseed, oats, rye and various vegetables.
The Port of Felixstowe processes around 35 per cent of the UK's container cargo, making it the largest port of its kind in the country, and one of the busiest in Europe. There's also a port at Ipswich; it is home to a number of shipbuilders and Fairline Yachts has a testing facility here.
Other major employers in Suffolk include Birds Eye, Greene King brewing, Bernard Matthews Farms and Huntley & Palmers. In addition, Premier Foods manufactures Branston Pickle in the region.
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.