Business Development Director - COGNITION

COGNITION; Los Angeles (CA); Remote; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognition, a leading interactive studio, seeks a Business Development Director to drive sales and build client relationships. This role focuses on strategic prospecting and lead generation, with significant responsibility for managing the sales pipeline and reporting. We offer a remote work environment with competitive compensation and extensive benefits.

Benefits

Health & Wellness Benefits

401k Match

Communication Stipend

Paid Company Holidays

Unlimited PTO Package

Company Sponsored Activities

Annual Personal Development Stipend

Paid Parental Leave

Flexible WFH Policy

Qualifications

• 3-5 years in sales within the events/marketing industry.
• Experience tracking sales progress through a CRM system.
• Strong background in service-based sales.

Responsibilities

• Generate leads through cold calling and emailing, targeting over 100 outreach contacts per month.
• Maintain a qualified pipeline with targets for capability meetings and RFPs.
• Manage RFP development and client engagement.

Skills

Sales Strategy

Communication

Relationship Building

Goal Orientation

Project Management

Job description

Cognition is an award-winning interactive studio designed to enrich experiences by building creative technology with human empathy. Blending engineering and art. Merging programming and sensation. Combining science and storytelling. Unifying design and data. We craft tailored solutions that push the limits of creativity through technology and unlock new capacities for discovery, participation and connection. Our craft works both behind-scenes in the digital world and center-stage in the physical world to evoke awe and wonder in our audiences. From high-impact brand activations to permanent museum and retail installations, our work brings stories to life across both experiential and built environments. You'll find our installations year-round at trade shows, festivals, flagship stores, and cultural institutions.

Summary of Position:

We are seeking an exceptional Business Development Director with a self-starter attitude, desire to succeed and exceptional interpersonal communication and relationship-building skills.

Reporting directly to the President, this person will be responsible for selling Cognition's services and product solutions and generating qualified new business opportunities that increase revenue and drive growth. This person is Cognition's "door opener" and will be responsible for the challenging task of prospecting and procuring new brand clients and expanding Cognition's presence in the marketplace. This is a hands-on, execution-focused sales role ideal for someone comfortable rolling up their sleeves, owning the outbound process, and delivering measurable results. The ideal candidate will bring an existing network, a strong track record in service-based sales, and the ability to create and adapt sales materials as needed.

Role Priorities:

• Sales Strategy: Work directly with the President and other stakeholders to craft and implement a go-to-market sales strategy that focuses on selling Cognition's services and product solutions
• Prospecting & Lead Capture: Prospect and capture new leads through strategic marketing, opportunity research and client cold calling and emailing - with the goal of 100+ outreach contacts per month
• Pipeline Management: Generate and maintain a pipeline of qualified business opportunities - targeting 20+ capability meetings and 4+ RFPs per month
• Competitive & Market Research: Generate and leverage ongoing competitive and related market research to support sales strategy and related initiatives
• Relationship Management: Develop, nurture and maintain relationships with hot leads, prospects and customers in effort to strengthen opportunity pipeline and growth potential
• Request for Proposal (RFP) Procurement & Oversight: Procure and internally communicate new RFPs; participate in RFP process and pitches. Manage the RFP process to ensure exceptional and timely delivery.
  
  

Job Responsibilities:

• Prospect and generate leads for potential new clients utilizing both traditional and non-traditional sales tactics including cold calling, emailing and email nurturing
• Deep research into industry trends in order to craft sales strategy
• Utilize company CRM system to update and track all personal sales efforts
• Regularly communicate and update existing clients and hot leads with information about Cognition's capabilities and recent success case studies to keep them engaged and excited at the prospect of working with Cognition
• Provide weekly reporting on items such as new leads, upcoming meetings, RFP development.
• Manage RFP development process and delivery for new business opportunities.
• Effectively manage the annual business development budget to monitor spending and ensure adequate ROI on initiatives.
• Strategize and collaborate with internal teams to prepare RFPs and presentations
• Maintain and edit all business development related materials including capabilities decks, case studies, video catalog, etc.
• Prioritize and develop client entertainment, engagement and relationship-building tactics
• Operate marketing and outbound tools such as Apollo, Mailchimp, or similar to run monthly outbound campaigns
• As needed and approved, identify and attend key industry events for relationship building and prospecting opportunities
  
  

Basic Qualifications:

• 3 – 5 years in sales within the same or relatable industry (events, marketing, public relations, technology)
• Experience in a fast-paced agency environment
• Experience tracking sales progress through a CRM system
• Strong background in service-based sales or marketing
• Goal-oriented and highly self-motivated
• Ability to write effectively, persuasively and professionally
• Excellent communication and organizational skills
• Confidence in verbal communication
• Aptitude to lead and project manage new initiatives
• Flexibility and adaptability to a fast-paced work environment with an ability to work under tight deadlines
• Willingness to work extended hours and on weekends when necessary
• Passion for technology
  
  

Requirements:

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% or more of the time
  
  

Location:

• We are a remote company with a distributed workforce.
  
  

Perks & Benefits:

• Health & Wellness Benefits
• 401k Match
• Communication Stipend
• Paid Company holidays & unlimited PTO Package
• Company get togethers & company sponsored activities
• Annual personal development stipend
• Paid Parental Leave
• Flexible WFH policy
  
  

Salary Estimation: [$120K - $150K per year, plus incentive plan]

This is an exempt role. Cognition intends to provide a competitive total compensation package which includes a variety of incentives, benefits, growth and developmental opportunities. There are many factors to the presented salary range, including but not limited to - location, departmental budgets, certifications, and overall job-related qualifications.