What does a Business Development Manager for Road Freight do

18/08/2016

A Business Development Manager specialising in road freight carries out the majority of the usual sales duties as any other business development role, but with a focus on freight forwarding and transport. This means you usually need to have a background in both UK and European transport, as well as a sound knowledge base in road freight and the issues that can arise, as well as road transport regulations.

For example, you might be required to understand ADR, the agreement relating to the transport of hazardous goods, full load services, cold storage/refrigeration and international freight forwarding challenges.

To work as a Business Development Manager, you would be at the front line of your company’s sales delivery, targets and growth. A Business Development Manager negotiates deals and contracts, and designs and implements sales strategies. What’s more, you are the face of your organisation; their reputation and branding starts and stops with you.

To succeed as a Business Development Manager, no matter whether it’s in freight or any other sector, you need to fully understand your company’s processes. As well as your industry knowledge, you would need a thorough, detailed understanding of the services your business provides.

A rewarding part of being a Business Development Manager is the attendance at trade shows and exhibitions. It’s highly likely you will be asked to represent your company at events, so it’s vital you look and act professional at all times.

Some of the skills required to be a Business Development Manager include:-

Sales-driven – you’ll need to be able to achieve sales targets by implementing an agreed sales strategy in defined market segments and sales territories. Your sales process will usually be contained within a CRM system, where you can manage each stage of the journey when tracking your prospects.
Lead generation – this includes researching and sourcing all leads in relevant market segments. The next stage would be ‘qualification’ where you qualify whether you have solid leads usually by telephone. You would then target your leads by trying to arrange visits. And this is where your CRM comes into play, as you would use this system to monitor and maintain your leads by updating your progress.
Client handling – having a confident nature, being able to comfortably liaise face-to-face and on the telephone is a must for this role. Potential clients need to warm to you before they take on your business. Maintaining the corporate image and reputation of the business you work for is absolutely vital as a Business Development Manager.
Communication – it’s likely you’ll be giving feedback regularly to both your management team and your sales team, so being able to communicate clearly, both written and verbally, is essential.
Customer care – as a Business Development Manager, you would be expected to deliver high-quality customer care to all parties. You would be expected to deal with any customer service issues which have been escalated to you, taking steps to resolve any problems or delegating this duty to the right person in the business.

Are you interested in becoming a Business Development Manager for Road Freight? Find out more by speaking to one of our team.

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