Business Development Specialist

Klöckner Pentaplast Group; Charlottesville (VA); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Klöckner Pentaplast Group (kp) is seeking two Business Development Specialists to proactively identify and engage potential customers across targeted segments. Through outbound calling, email outreach, social selling, and lead qualification, you will convert Suspects into Qualified Prospects for the sales organization.

These roles can be based in Charlottesville/Gordonsville, VA or in Porto/Santo Tirso, Portugal, offering flexibility to work across US and Portugal markets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 2+ years of outbound sales, business development, lead generation, telesales, customer acquisition, contact center, or similar roles.

Responsibilities

• Prospect and identify new customers in targeted segments.
• Conduct high-volume outbound prospecting via calls, emails, and LinkedIn.
• Qualify suspects to prospects for the sales team.
• Partner with Account Managers to target decision-makers.
• Maintain Salesforce records and meet lead generation targets.

Skills

Outbound sales

Lead generation

Telesales

CRM systems

Salesforce

LinkedIn outreach

Active listening

Prospecting

Communication skills

Gatekeeper navigation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Equivalent professional experience

Tools

Salesforce

Sales engagement tools

Job description

The Company

kp is a globally recognised leader in the packaging and specialty film industry, renowned for its unwavering commitment to sustainability and innovation. The need to act on climate change has never been clearer so we incorporate sustainability into everything we do by #InvestingInBetter - creating innovative products that enhance product protection, shelf life and contribute to reducing the overall carbon footprint.

At kp, we are passionate about ensuring our customers' satisfaction, and we strive to achieve this goal by focusing all our efforts on meeting their evolving needs. Our dedication to drive a positive change in the packaging industry with a focus on quality and sustainability has earned us a reputation as a trusted partner for businesses worldwide.

kp is growing its business. To support our growth, the Pharma, Health & Durables division is currently seeking 2 Business Development Specialists who are responsible for proactively identifying and engaging potential customers within targeted market segments. Through outbound calling, email outreach, social selling, and lead qualification activities, the Business Development Specialist creates interest in KP's solutions and converts Suspects into Qualified Prospects for the sales organization. Success in this role requires persistence, resilience, strong communication skills, and the ability to engage decision-makers in meaningful business conversations. These roles can be either based in Charlottesville/Gordonsville area, Virginia, USA or in Porto/Santo Tirso area in Portugal.

Key Tasks And Responsibilities

• Partners with Product Line Management and Marketing to generate lists of Suspects (new potential customers) in targeted market segments. The Business Development Specialist investigates targeted Suspects via internet research, calls, emails to understand if they have a demand for KP products and either disqualifies the lead or moves the lead into the Qualified Suspect status.
• Filters and investigates incoming leads from our websites and events to move them into a Qualified Suspect status or disqualify the lead. If the incoming lead is an existing customer, the Business Development Specialist will ensure follow-up with the appropriate Account Manager before disqualifying the lead.
• Extracts information from the Qualified Suspects to better understand who the decision makers are within the organization and any key buying criteria before moving the lead into Qualified Prospect status.
• Manages assigning Qualified Prospects to the proper Account Manager and providing them all the information acquired so help them target the right decision maker with the right KP solution.
• Owns Qualified Prospect follow-up and lead management once assigned to the Account Manager.
• Conduct a high volume of outbound prospecting activities, including cold calling, email outreach, and LinkedIn engagement to identify new business opportunities.
• Initiate conversations with potential customers and effectively communicate KP's value proposition.
• Generate interest among targeted accounts and nurture initial engagement into qualified sales opportunities.
• Confidently engage decision-makers, uncover business needs, and identify potential fit for KP solutions.
• Consistently follow up on prospects through multiple touchpoints to maximize conversion rates.
• Maintain accurate records of prospect interactions, activities, and outcomes in Salesforce.
• Meet defined activity and lead generation targets related to outreach, qualification, and prospect conversion.

Educational Requirements/qualifications And Experience

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 2+ years of experience in outbound sales, business development, lead generation, telesales, customer acquisition, contact center, or similar customer-facing roles.

Key Competencies And Technical Skills

• Demonstrated success engaging prospective customers through outbound communication channels.
• Experience handling objections, navigating gatekeepers, and maintaining persistence throughout qualification processes.
• Proven ability to achieve activity-based and performance-based targets.
• Excellent verbal communication and active listening skills.
• Strong persuasive communication skills with the ability to quickly build credibility and rapport over the phone.
• Resilience and persistence when facing rejection and objections.
• Confidence initiating conversations with people who may have no prior knowledge of KP.
• Ability to maintain motivation and productivity in a high-activity outbound environment.
• Strong questioning and qualification skills to uncover customer needs and buying drivers.
• Self-motivated, competitive, and achievement-oriented mindset.
• Excellent organization skills and ability to manage multiple prospecting activities simultaneously.
• Comfortable working toward activity, lead generation, and conversion targets.
• Experience using CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) and sales engagement tools.
• Experience in outbound sales, sales development, lead generation, telesales, inside sales, customer acquisition, or contact center environments would be a plus.
• Experience working in environments where success is driven by prospecting activity, customer engagement metrics, and conversion targets.

At kp, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is vital to our global success. We welcome applicants from all identities, ideas, perspectives and experiences and encourage people from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. We aim to create an inclusive culture where our employees feel empowered to play to their strengths and see themselves reflected in the organization without regard to race, gender, religion, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, sexual preference, marital status, or inclusion in any other protected class.