Business Development Manager

Talent Guardian; Aberdeen City; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Talent Guardian is seeking a Business Development Manager to cover Scotland, driving growth across garden centres and farm shops. You will spend most of your time on the road meeting buyers and decision makers, building lasting relationships and expanding the customer base.

The role requires strong field sales experience, a proven ability to win new business, and excellent territory management. You will operate with a broad range of ambient product lines and contribute to ongoing growth.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in field sales or territory management.
• Experience selling into Garden Centres and Farm Shops beneficial.
• Ability to win new business and grow existing accounts.
• Comfortable engaging with buyers, owners and decision makers.

Responsibilities

• Identify, target and win new business across Scotland.
• Develop sales across Garden Centres and Farm Shops and other retailers.
• Meet buyers and key decision makers face to face on the road.
• Maintain a strong pipeline and convert prospects into customers.
• Plan and manage your territory, diary and visits to maximise sales.

Skills

Field sales

Territory management

Sales targets

Relationship building

Negotiation

Driving licence

Job description

Business Development Manager - Ambient Foods & Confectionery

Salary: £32,000 - £36,000 + Commission

Location: Scotland - 5 days per week in the field

Sector: Garden Centres, Farm Shops & Independent Retail

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced and commercially driven Business Development Manager to develop and grow a strong customer base across Scotland. This is a hands-on field sales role for someone who knows the Garden Centre and Farm Shop market and understands how to build successful, long-term relationships with buyers and decision makers. You\'ll spend the majority of your week on the road, identifying new opportunities, winning new business and developing existing accounts across your territory. With access to over 13,000 product lines spanning preserves, confectionery, cakes, biscuits and seasonal products, you\'ll have an extensive range to offer customers and plenty of opportunity to drive growth across the region.

What You\'ll Be Doing

• Proactively identifying, targeting and winning new business across Scotland.


• Developing sales across Garden Centres and Farm Shops, alongside other relevant independent retailers.


• Using your existing knowledge of the sector to identify key prospects, buyers and commercial opportunities within your territory.


• Spending the majority of your working week in the field, meeting customers and prospects face to face.


• Making a minimum of 6 face-to-face customer calls per day, engaging directly with buyers and key decision makers.


• Building and maintaining a strong pipeline of new business opportunities and consistently converting prospects into active customers.


• Managing and growing existing accounts, identifying opportunities to increase spend and introduce additional product ranges.


• Building strong, long-term commercial relationships and becoming a trusted point of contact for customers.


• Planning and managing your own territory, diary and customer visits to maximise sales opportunities.


• Keeping up to date with market activity, customer trends and competitor activity across your region.


• Managing your own administration, sales reporting, pipeline management and account planning remotely.

Essential

• Proven experience in field sales, business development or territory management.


• Previous experience selling into Garden Centres and/or Farm Shops.


• A strong track record of winning new business and developing existing customer accounts.


• Confidence engaging with buyers, owners and key decision makers.


• Strong relationship-building and negotiation skills.


• Commercial awareness with the ability to identify opportunities and convert them into profitable business.


• Self-motivated, proactive and comfortable working independently in a field-based role.


• Excellent organisation and territory management skills, with the ability to manage your own diary and workload effectively.


• Comfortable working towards sales targets and KPIs.


• Full UK driving licence.

Desirable

• Existing relationships and contacts within Garden Centres and Farm Shops across Scotland.


• Experience within the ambient food, confectionery, preserves, cakes, biscuits or speciality food sectors.


• Wider experience selling into independent retailers, delis or convenience stores.


• Knowledge of seasonal product ranges and buying cycles within the Garden Centre and Farm Shop market.

Ready to Grow the Territory?

If you\'re an experienced Business Development Manager who knows the Garden Centre and Farm Shop sector, enjoys being out on the road and has a proven ability to open doors, win new customers and grow accounts, we\'d love to hear from you