Business Development Director

CG CREATIVE STUDIOS; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) plan

Discretionary Time Off

10 paid holidays

Referral bonus

Company laptop

Technology reimbursement

Hybrid work options

Job summary

CG Creative Studios in San Diego, CA seeks a Business Development Director to identify, pursue, and close new opportunities. You’ll build a strong pipeline, manage key accounts, and partner with creative, production, and operations teams to deliver strategic solutions across event production, experiential marketing, and communications.

The role requires a bachelor's in a related field and 10+ years in corporate event marketing or related areas, plus 5+ years in client-facing sales.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, Hospitality, Event Management, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years in corporate event marketing, event production, experiential marketing, or related industry.
• At least 5 years in Business Development or senior sales roles with client-facing responsibilities.
• Proven track record of generating new business through strategic prospecting and relationship development.
• Experience selling to Fortune 1000 organizations and managing long sales cycles.

Responsibilities

• Develop new business opportunities through networking, referrals, outbound prospecting, events, and partnerships.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified prospects and opportunities.
• Identify decision-makers and establish relationships within target organizations.
• Conduct discovery meetings to understand client goals and marketing needs.
• Prepare and deliver customized proposals and strategic solutions that meet client objectives.
• Lead contract negotiations and close new business while aiming for revenue and profitability goals.
• Serve as primary contact for clients and foster long-term relationships with stakeholders.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure successful project execution and client satisfaction.
• Grow existing client accounts through cross-selling and upselling additional agency services.
• Develop and execute strategic account growth plans and monitor market opportunities.

Skills

Hunter mindset

Client relationships

Prospecting

Negotiation

Presentations

Communication

Networking

RFP response

Education

Bachelor's in Marketing/Business

Tools

HubSpot

Salesforce

Job description

Description

The Business Development Director is responsible for identifying, pursuing, and closing new business opportunities while building long-term relationships with corporate clients. This role requires a proven hunter mentality combined with strong client management skills to maximize account growth through upselling and cross-selling event production, creative services, experiential marketing, and strategic communications solutions.

What You’ll Do

• Develop new business opportunities through networking, referrals, outbound prospecting, industry events, and strategic partnerships.
• Build, manage, and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified prospects and sales opportunities.
• Identify key decision-makers and establish relationships within target organizations.
• Conduct discovery meetings to understand client business goals, challenges, and marketing needs.
• Prepare and deliver customized proposals, presentations, and strategic solutions that align with client objectives.
• Lead contract negotiations and successfully close new business while consistently achieving or exceeding revenue and profitability goals.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and primary point of contact for clients, fostering long-term relationships with key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with internal creative, production, account management, and operations teams to ensure successful project execution and exceptional client satisfaction.
• Identify opportunities to grow existing client accounts through cross-selling and upselling additional agency services, including creative, content production, experiential marketing, strategic communications, and event technology solutions.
• Develop and execute strategic account growth plans that drive long-term client partnerships and recurring revenue.
• Monitor industry trends, competitor activity, and emerging market opportunities to identify new business prospects.
• Represent the organization at industry conferences, networking events, trade shows, and community events to expand brand awareness and generate business opportunities.
• Maintain accurate sales activity, pipeline updates, and forecasting within the company's CRM system.
• Prepare regular sales reports and provide updates on business development activities, pipeline performance, and revenue forecasts.
• Partner with leadership to develop and implement sales strategies that support the organization's growth objectives.

Requirements

What You’ll Need to Succeed:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, Hospitality, Event Management, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in corporate event marketing, event production, experiential marketing, creative agency services, or a related industry.
• At least 5 years of experience in a Business Development, Account Executive, Senior Account Executive, or similar client-facing sales role.
• Proven track record of generating new business through strategic prospecting, networking, referrals, and relationship development.
• Demonstrated success selling corporate event production, experiential marketing, creative services, or integrated agency solutions.
• History of consistently meeting or exceeding sales goals and closing six-figure and multi-six-figure engagements.
• Experience managing complex sales cycles from initial prospecting through contract negotiation and close.
• Excellent presentation, communication, negotiation, and relationship-building abilities.
• Proficiency with CRM platforms such as HubSpot, Salesforce, or similar sales management systems.
• Experience responding to RFPs and leading or contributing to proposal development.
• Existing network within corporate marketing, communications, HR, sales enablement, or event management departments is preferred.
• Experience selling to Fortune 1000 organizations and supporting large-scale event programs, executive meetings, user conferences, product launches, experiential activations, and integrated marketing campaigns is highly preferred.
• Create Services, such as video and corporate presentations

What CG Creative Offers You

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching
• Discretionary Time Off
• 10 paid Holidays
• Candidate Referral Bonus
• Company laptop
• Technology Reimbursement
• Flexible work arrangements, including hybrid options

Please note that these are just some potential examples and the specific benefits and perks offered may vary based on the position and location.

Compensation

Base Salary Range: $100,000 - $140,000

On-Target Earnings (OTE): $180,000–$220,000

Accelerated Earnings: Uncapped