Business Development Manager

A1 Karigars World; Mohali; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,700,000; Full time

Job summary

Cult India is seeking an experienced Business Development Manager to lead growth, partnerships, seller/artisan acquisition, and new market opportunities. You will build relationships, manage the BD team, and coordinate with operations, marketing, catalogue, and management to drive onboarding and activation on the platform.

The ideal candidate brings 3-7 years in BD, B2B sales, or related fields, with strong negotiation and lead generation skills, and a hands-on approach to driving results in a

Qualifications

• 3-7 years of experience in Business Development, B2B Sales, Marketplace Operations, Vendor Acquisition, Seller Acquisition, or Partnerships.
• Graduate or postgraduate degree preferred.
• Experience in managing a sales or business development team.
• Strong cold calling, lead generation, negotiation, and closing skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute business development strategies to drive Cult India’s growth.
• Identify and onboard artisans, brands, designers, manufacturers, vendors, and strategic partners.
• Build and manage a strong pipeline of new business opportunities.
• Conduct cold calls, meetings, presentations, and negotiations with prospective partners.
• Manage and guide Field Sales / Business Development Executives across different regions.
• Set daily, weekly, and monthly targets for the BD team and monitor performance.
• Develop partnerships with artisan clusters, craft organisations, associations, designers, brands, hotels, corporates, and institutions.
• Explain Cult India’s marketplace model, commercial terms, onboarding process, and partnership opportunities.
• Coordinate with artisans and sellers to ensure smooth onboarding and activation on the platform.
• Work closely with catalogue, operations, logistics, marketing, finance, and technology teams.
• Identify high-potential product categories, sourcing regions, and artisan clusters across India.
• Negotiate commercial terms and develop long-term relationships with partners.
• Maintain and regularly update CRM, lead pipelines, follow-ups, and conversion reports.
• Analyse sales and acquisition data and recommend strategies to improve conversions.
• Resolve partner concerns and ensure strong seller/artisan relationships.
• Identify opportunities for exclusive collections, private labels, collaborations, corporate gifting, B2B sales, and institutional partnerships.
• Represent Cult India at exhibitions, trade fairs, industry events, and business meetings when required.
• Prepare weekly and monthly BD performance reports for management.

Skills

Business Development

B2B Sales

Team Handling

Strategic Partnerships

Lead Generation

Cold Calling

Vendor Acquisition

Seller Acquisition

Artisan Onboarding

Marketplace BD

Negotiation

Relationship Management

Sales Strategy

CRM

E-commerce

Retail

Handicrafts

Fashion

Lifestyle

Education

Graduate/Postgraduate degree

Tools

CRM tools

Excel/Google Sheets

Presentations

Email

Reporting

Job description

Job Summary

Cult India is looking for an experienced and highly driven Business Development Manager to lead business growth, partnerships, seller/artisan acquisition, and new market opportunities.

The candidate will be responsible for developing new business relationships, managing the BD team, identifying strategic partnerships, building the artisan and brand network, and coordinating closely with operations, marketing, catalogue, and management teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute business development strategies to drive Cult Indias growth.
• Identify and onboard artisans, brands, designers, manufacturers, vendors, and strategic partners.
• Build and manage a strong pipeline of new business opportunities.
• Conduct cold calls, meetings, presentations, and negotiations with prospective partners.
• Manage and guide Field Sales / Business Development Executives across different regions.
• Set daily, weekly, and monthly targets for the BD team and monitor performance.
• Develop partnerships with artisan clusters, craft organisations, associations, designers, brands, hotels, corporates, and institutions.
• Explain Cult India’s marketplace model, commercial terms, onboarding process, and partnership opportunities.
• Coordinate with artisans and sellers to ensure smooth onboarding and activation on the platform.
• Work closely with catalogue, operations, logistics, marketing, finance, and technology teams.
• Identify high-potential product categories, sourcing regions, and artisan clusters across India.
• Negotiate commercial terms and develop long-term relationships with partners.
• Maintain and regularly update CRM, lead pipelines, follow-ups, and conversion reports.
• Analyse sales and acquisition data and recommend strategies to improve conversions.
• Resolve partner concerns and ensure strong seller/artisan relationships.
• Identify opportunities for exclusive collections, private labels, collaborations, corporate gifting, B2B sales, and institutional partnerships.
• Represent Cult India at exhibitions, trade fairs, industry events, and business meetings when required.
• Prepare weekly and monthly BD performance reports for management.

Candidate Requirements

• 3-7 years of experience in Business Development, B2B Sales, Marketplace Operations, Vendor Acquisition, Seller Acquisition, or Partnerships.
• Graduate/Postgraduate degree preferred.
• Previous experience managing a sales or business development team.
• Strong cold calling, lead generation, negotiation, and closing skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong ability to build relationships and manage multiple stakeholders.
• Target-oriented with a strong understanding of sales funnels and conversions.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced and growing organisation.
• Good knowledge of Excel/Google Sheets, CRM tools, presentations, email, and reporting.
• Experience in e-commerce, marketplaces, handicrafts, fashion, jewellery, lifestyle, retail, textiles, home dcor, or D2C brands will be an advantage.
• Willingness to travel when required.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• New partners/artisans/brands acquired
• Monthly onboarding and activation targets
• Lead-to-conversion ratio
• BD team performance
• Number and quality of strategic partnerships
• Active seller/partner growth
• Revenue generated through partnerships
• New business opportunities created
• Partner retention and engagement

Key Skills

Business Development | B2B Sales | Team Handling | Strategic Partnerships | Lead Generation | Cold Calling | Vendor Acquisition | Seller Acquisition | Artisan Onboarding | Marketplace Business Development | Negotiation | Relationship Management | Sales Strategy | CRM | E-commerce | Retail | Handicrafts | Fashion & Lifestyle

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a hands-on Business Development Manager, not just a team supervisor. The candidate should be comfortable personally making calls, meeting potential partners, closing deals, managing a team, tracking numbers, and taking ownership of business development from lead generation to successful onboarding and activation.