Business Development Specialist

Responsibilities

• Lead the expansion of the organization’s customer base in the education and government sectors, focusing on maximizing sales revenue from public entities such as colleges/universities, and Federal, State, and Local government agencies.
• Forge and nurture partnerships with new customers to generate additional revenue streams.
• Pursue leads and progress them through the sales cycle.
• Monitor and analyze market trends to understand target audiences, aiding in the creation of effective sales leads and strategies.
• Identify and evaluate market opportunities through research, keeping up with industry developments, networking, cold calling, tradeshows, and conferences.
• Establish and maintain a robust network within the sector and continually evaluate competitor strategies to maintain a competitive edge.
• Plan and execute our integration with key Trades services platform(s) to ensure enduring support of both small- and large-scale TradeMasters, driving increasing share of wallet.
• Regularly engage with current and prospective customers via phone and email to understand their needs, answer inquiries, and resolve issues.
• Communicate with both new and existing customers to emphasize the benefits and features of our products and services, becoming a source of insight on tools and features to build into our tech roadmap.
• Collaborate and report with internal teams to compile and submit comprehensive reports to management.
• Create, update, and manage sales reports and prospective client lists to ensure accurate and up-to-date records.
• Maintain strong cross-functional partnerships with Customer Experience, IT, Product Management, Customer Service, Merchandising, and Operations.
• Negotiate and bid management for SupplyHouse.com from start to finish while ensuring compliance with contracts in the education and government sectors.
• Optimize bidding strategies and build partnerships to acquire the business of new customers.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in Sales, Business Development, Account Management, or other related fields.
• 2+ years of experience working with academic institutions and/or government organizations (e.g., co-ops and GPOs).
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate effectively and develop strong relationships.
• Strong critical and creative thinking skills to solve complex problems, enhanced by proficiency in spreadsheet-driven analysis and data manipulation.
• Proven ability to adapt to and manage shifting priorities, prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and remain flexible in a dynamic, high-growth environment.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and project management skills, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications

• Product knowledge in the Trades, notably Plumbing, Heating/HVAC, and Electrical.
• Experience with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, such as Salesforce, for tracking customer outreach and sales leads.