Fleet Corporate Business Developement Manager

PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Corporate Business Development Manager (CBDM) is tasked with increasing the customer base through acquisition of new corporate customers running between 51 - 500 cars & light commercial vehicles. The role involves negotiation of new business deals with “mid-market” corporate customers. The requirement for this role will be to acquire new customers on either a formal “sole supply” or a structured dual/triple supply basis and the focus will be on developing valuable long-term customer relationships including sale of value added products.

Reporting to the National Sales Manager (New Business) the role works closely with Group brands to actively identify and secure new business opportunities and deliver high value-add solutions to clients.  Using their highly effective networking skills, the role holder will develop and maintain a pipeline of opportunities within a defined geographical region, securing referrals and recommendations through proactive self-generation of leads; working closely with appointed prospecting agencies to secure incremental business  in order to deliver sales targets. 

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Use expertise to build relationships with new customers which achieve sales in line with the required of volume and profit targets as agreed with the National Sales Manager – New Business
• Work closely with the  Group brands to identify new business sales opportunities and agree a joint sales strategy to target and win new  business and manage customer acquisition through a structured sales process.
• Shared objectives with the Area Sales Teams within each of our 5 main  Brands.  These will focus on corporate lead sharing as well as scheduling of regular networking events and business updates
• Develop and deliver sales proposals for new corporate customers
• Maintain records on  Fleet Salesforce.com and seek commercial approval for new strategic sales opportunities
• Management of professional account implementation and structured handovers to the Existing Business Team
• Own the relationship with introducers and fleet procurement companies to provide a single point of contact and to develop a valuable referral point for new business opportunities
• Through proactive prospecting, networking and lead follow up, create a pipeline of opportunities to win new business
• Negotiate new business deals with executive level decision-makers at the customer to achieve the required sales targets
• Maintain a regularly updated win/loss  analysis, feeding all findings (pricing and otherwise)  into the National Sales Manager – New Business to equip the business with an increasingly more robust proposition
• Take ownership of all applicable bids and tenders working closely with Bids & Tender team to ensure they meet business requirements
• Create and develop a deep understanding of each prospect’s business and their sector through thorough research and maximising face to face time with their key stakeholders and decision makers.
• Gain a full understanding of (and document)  each prospect’s definitions of value and what will motivate change in their organisation
• Adopt a planned and structured approach to winning business e.g. Sense Maker approach
• Maintain up to date knowledge of the full product portfolio to capitalise on all available prospect ‘entry points’
• Keep up to date with any environmental, legal, economic, political developments directly impacting fleet users
• Convey complex customer requirements to the internal commercial and operational areas, and work collaboratively to develop and present solutions that meet the customers underlying needs, without creating unnecessary internal pressure or risks.

PRINCIPAL CONTACTS / WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Shared set of objectives with the Area Sales Teams within each of our 5 main  Brands.  These will focus on corporate lead sharing as well as scheduling of regular networking events and business updates  
• Actively build relationships with fleet sales functions within Group, other vehicle manufacturers, fleet suppliers and fleet manager trade bodies such as Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO) and the Institute of Car Fleet Management (ICFM).
• Ensure the Corporate Account Manager – Existing Business, is briefed/ideally engaged at the earliest appropriate time to ensure smooth transition/handover
• Engage, motivate and lead virtual teams (as and when needed during the pursuit process) spanning implementation, internal service delivery and invoicing to ensure the proposition and delivery capability are fully aligned
• Work closely with external telemarketing resource in order to maximise generation of new sales opportunities

DECISION MAKING SCOPE

• Collaborate with pricing colleagues, National Sales Manager and Head of Sales to develop commercial proposition for new customer opportunities – subject to appropriate sign off
• Make decisions regarding new sales opportunities which operate within the agreed pricing matrix

KEY CHALLENGES

·Operate within the “mid-market” and large corporate fleet market which can be complex and demanding, i.e. involving large DMU’s and long sales cycles

·Managing prospect opportunities which will usually have very specific requirements and formal procurement processes. 

·Requirement for multi-level contacts within the customer organisation and a formal tender process. 

·Corporate customers are likely to require the option of taking vehicles from any manufacturer, in addition to  Group Brands, as often choice of vehicle lies with the employee within the customers’ car policy rules