Business Development Manager

Freeman Catering Butchers; Gateshead; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car

Company laptop

Company mobile phone

Discounted products for employees

Job summary

Freeman Catering Butchers is expanding its Sales Department and seeks a driven Sales Executive / Business Development Manager to grow the customer base across the North East.

This predominantly field-based role involves cold calling, networking and face-to-face meetings, with some office-based days. You will manage new and existing accounts and shape your own sales strategy to maximise territory potential.

Qualifications

• Self-starter with drive to create opportunities.
• Comfortable with cold calling and proactive prospecting.
• Commercially minded with a desire to win new business.
• Confident dealing with people at all levels and writing well.
• Organised with diary, meetings and pipeline management.
• Able to work independently with limited supervision and targets.
• Willing to develop and innovate the role to maximise opportunities.
• Ideally experienced in sales, business development, foodservice, hospitality or meat industries.

Responsibilities

• Identify and develop new business opportunities.
• Build and manage your own customer portfolio.
• Generate leads through cold calling, networking and prospecting.
• Arrange and conduct customer meetings.
• Manage full sales cycle from initial contact to securing and developing accounts.
• Develop and maintain long-term customer relationships.
• Manage existing customer accounts and inbound enquiries.
• Create and manage your own sales pipeline.
• Identify opportunities to increase sales and introduce new products.

Skills

Self-starter

Cold calling

Business development

Excellent communicator

Organised

Independent worker

Target-driven

Relationship building

Industry knowledge (meat/foodservice)

Language skills (advantageous)

Tools

Company car

Company laptop

Company mobile phone

Job description

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

Job Type: Full-time

Working Pattern: Predominantly field-based, with one day per week office-based

We are one of the North East’s leading catering butchers, supplying quality meat products to local authorities, healthcare organisations, retail outlets, hospitality businesses and private industry.

As part of our continued growth, we are expanding our Sales Department and are looking for a driven, enthusiastic, and self-motivated Sales Executive / Business Development Manager to help us grow our customer base and develop new business opportunities across the North East.

This is a predominantly field-based sales role and would suit someone who enjoys meeting people, building relationships and, most importantly, creating their own opportunities.

You will be responsible for identifying and developing new business through cold calling, networking, prospecting and face-to-face meetings, whilst also managing a number of existing accounts and inbound enquiries.

The successful candidate will have the freedom to develop the role and their own sales strategy, with responsibility for managing the full sales cycle from initial prospecting through to winning and retaining the customer.

Experience within the meat, foodservice, hospitality, or catering industry would be advantageous but is not essential. Language skills would also be highly desirable.

Key Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Identify and develop new business opportunities.
• Build and manage your own customer portfolio.
• Generate leads through cold calling, networking and proactive prospecting.
• Arrange and conduct your own customer meetings.
• Manage the full sales cycle from initial contact through to securing and developing the account.
• Develop and maintain strong, long-term customer relationships.
• Manage a selection of existing customer accounts.
• Respond to and convert inbound sales enquiries.
• Create, maintain and manage your own sales pipeline.
• Identify opportunities to increase sales and introduce new products and services.
• Monitor and report on sales activity, opportunities and performance to management.
• Research new markets, sectors and potential customers.
• Work closely with the wider team to ensure a smooth transition from winning new business to ongoing account management.
• Take ownership of your territory and look for new ways to maximise its potential.

Skills & Experience

We are looking for someone who is:

• A confident and motivated self-starter.
• Comfortable with cold calling and business development.
• Able to create their own opportunities rather than relying solely on inbound leads.
• Commercially minded with a genuine desire to win new business.
• Confident dealing with people at all levels.
• An excellent communicator, both verbally and in writing.
• Organised and capable of managing their own diary, meetings and sales pipeline.
• Able to work independently with limited supervision.
• Comfortable working towards targets and taking responsibility for their own results.
• Proactive and willing to develop and innovate the role to maximise opportunities.
• Able to build strong and lasting customer relationships.
• Ideally experienced in sales, business development, foodservice, hospitality, or the meat industry.
• Language skills would be an advantage, as would an existing network within hospitality, catering, foodservice or related industries.
• Company car
• Company laptop
• Company mobile phone
• Discounted products for employees
• Opportunity to develop and grow within an expanding North East business
• Autonomy to develop your own sales territory and customer base

The Person

This role would suit someone who is ambitious, confident, and hungry to succeed.

We are looking for someone who isn't afraid to pick up the phone, attend a networking event, approach a potential customer, and create an opportunity from scratch.

You will have the opportunity to make the role your own, develop new markets and play an important part in the continued growth of an established North East business.

If you are a natural salesperson who enjoys building relationships, winning new business and seeing the results of your own efforts, we would love to hear from you.