RECRUITMENT GUIDE
How To Hire A Business Development Manager
A business development manager is responsible for the continuous development and progress made by a business. Their role is to create strategies and discover new opportunities that will allow the business to grow, and to maintain this growth over periods of time.
Some ways in which they may help the business to develop include by seeking new deals, creating and maintaining strong relationships with clients, finding new leads and customers, and taking advantage of opportunities that may be presented. As a role that impacts the health of the business, it’s important that business development managers are able to adapt and respond to changing business needs, and can take educated risks to achieve success.
Day-to-day tasks of this role:
- Identify and understand the business’ target market, and what their needs are.
- Schedule meetings and keep in contact with clients.
- Reach out to prospective leads and form new connections.
- Conduct research to get a better understanding of possible outcomes from the implementation of new strategies.
Recruitment Process
UNDERSTAND THE ROLE
Skills profile for a Business Development Manager
A business development manager will be required to have obtained a Bachelor degree from a tertiary institution in business, finance, marketing, economics or another relevant field. It is also favourable that an applicant has relevant industry experience and on-the-job training. There are some common skills required for this position.
It is important that a business development manager has strong sales skills. They must demonstrate resilience that enables them to keep persevering after setbacks, and have strong negotiation skills. They must also be able to pitch the product/service to prospective customers in a way that solves their problems and addresses their pain points, as well as be strategic in their sales pipelines and when contacting prospects.
It is essential that a business development manager is able to effectively manage relationships with customers and clients. They must focus on developing strong relationships with prospects and clients and take time to understand their needs and problems, and how the product/service can help.
Resilience is also a skill that business development managers must have. They must be able to maintain positivity and momentum when getting repeatedly rejected, and not take rejection personally. They must also view rejection as a new challenge to overcome, and to continue to work hard when knocked back by clients.
Once you’ve determined the skills required for the role, you can write the job description to advertise for your position.
SOURCE APPLICANTS
Business Development Manager Job Description
Summary:
- Why is this role being filled?
- How does this role fit into the organization and the team?
- What makes your company unique?
- What would it be like to work for you?
Requirements:
- What technical skills are needed for this role?
- Which soft skills are applicable?
- What are the nice-to-have experiences of your ideal candidate?
- Include availability preferences in this section
Responsibilities:
- What are the key deliverables for this role?
- What does the day-to-day of this role look like?
Benefits:
- Compensation & bonuses
- Employee benefits & perks
- Ongoing training benefits
PRO TIP #1
A business development manager must be able to communicate well and present to both stakeholders and prospective clients, therefore they must have extensive skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, editing and statistical analysis software. It is important to include this in the job description to ensure applicants are aware of the scope of the role and what they will be expected to do.
PRO TIP #2
Ensure that the entire recruitment process from job description to assessment to interview reiterates your company vision and values. This will help you identify the right people for the role, and applicants will know whether your company is the right fit for them.
SKILL ASSESSMENT
Sample skills assessment
Question 1
Relationship Management
Question Type: Doc
Describe your approach to developing relationships with prospects who aren’t current buyers.
Question 2
Resilience
Question Type: Text
What mechanisms do you have in place to maintain positivity if you’re repeatedly facing rejection?
Question 3
Sales
Question Type: Video
Describe your experience and performance with sales KPIs.
INTERVIEW
Interview guide for a Business Development Manager
Once your Vervoe skills assessment has surfaced the most qualified people for your open role, you can focus on interviewing these candidates. The PDF interview guide contains structured questions against each of the competencies for this role.
This interview guide is intended to be used in conjunction with the Vervoe skills assessment. Where a candidate has scored Low – Medium on a skill, focus on asking more questions from that skill to gain deeper insight into their level of competency.
PDF INTERVIEW GUIDE
Get your copy of the interview guide to complete the hiring process. Includes questions against each of the skill competencies for the role.
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