Business Development Manager at Deola Sagoe

Deola Sagoe is a fashion visionary with a unique approach to her craft that has endeared her to fans and followers all over the world. Using African fabrics, hand-woven materials, and contemporising almost-lost traditional African techniques, Deola designs present a unique vision and attitude for the modern woman.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Business Development Manager

Location: Lagos
Report to: The Head, Corporate Strategy & Commercial Development

Job Description

• We are seeking an ambitious and energetic Business Development Manager to help us expand our clientele.
• The person in this position will be the front of the company and will have the dedication to create and apply an effective sales strategy.
• You will be responsible for driving sustainable financial growth through boosting sales and forging strong relationships with clients.

Key Elements of the Role

• Develop a business development and growth strategy focused both on financial gain and customer satisfaction
• Develop/implement Strategic Marketing & Sales plans, including detailed budgets and forecasts in effort to secure contracts for the company
• Conduct research to identify new markets and customer needs while managing existing accounts throughout the entire product lifecycle and providing customer sales support
• Identify key trends in association with Design and Production teams
• Arrange business meetings with prospective clients
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients at project and senior management level, demonstrating the company’s capability in specialist fashion solutions and contracting services through presentation and technical knowledge
• Promote the company’s products/services addressing or predicting clients’ objectives
• Prepare sales contracts ensuring adherence to law-established rules and guidelines
• Support, guide and make inputs on proposal team’s technical and commercial proposals to ensure they are in line with client’s needs and expectations
• Follow up with clients and others on status of proposal submitted
• Close new business deals through the coordination of requirements, develop and negotiate contracts in conjunction with Senior Management Team; integrating contract requirements with business operations
• Support clients through the execution of the projects, facilitating communication and actions when necessary throughout the project life cycle
• Develop competitor intelligence which will help mold our operational and sales strategies
• Screen potential prospects through analyzing market strategies for evaluating options; resolve internal priorities; leverage requirements with business operations
• Manage Budget and cost responsibility
• Liaise with customers and in-house Design/Business Development Team in order to develop seasonal ranges
• Provide customers with accurate and timely sampling, costing, lead-time and delivery Information as needed working with the head office production team
• Keep records of sales, revenue, invoices etc
• Develop, maintain and grow a comprehensive client database
• Provide trustworthy feedback and after-sales support
• Build long-term relationships with new and existing customers
• Develop entry level staff into valuable salespeople

Desired Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's degree/HND in Business Administration, Marketing or any other relevant discipline with 7 years demonstrable experience in the same capacity
• MBA and/or Professional financial certification will be an added advantage
• Membership with Fashion Institutes
• Extensive knowledge of International fashion business practices and procedures
• Business acumen and understanding of the retail products and business life-cycle
• Excellent knowledge in marketing, market research, corporate communications
• Experience in set-up and implementation of new business models in the lifestyle sector
• Extensive network in fashion and lifestyle
• High affinity for innovative themes and intuition for market trends
• Proven sales track record
• Experience in cost and project management
• Ability to coordinate external partners
• Excellent negotiation skills
• Ability to build rapport
• Excellent time management and planning skills
• Excellent poise, presence, and presentation skills
• Excellent presentation and territory management skills
• Self-starter with mature analytical skills and ability to work under pressure
• Ability to handle people, processes and products
• Innovative and forward thinking, with a track record of executing new ideas
• Excellent organisational skills
• High level of attention to detail
• Good problem solving and decision making skills
• Good negotiation and persuasion skills
• Experience in the use of ERP
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• A good working knowledge of Microsoft Office tools such as Word, Outlook and Excel

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV's to: [email protected]