Business Development Manager
Business Development Managers work in a senior sales position within Picture Agencies and the larger Picture Libraries. It is their job to work with the sales team and other managers to increase sales opportunities and thereby maximise revenue for their organisation. To achieve this, they need to find potential new customers, present to them and ultimately create accounts with them that will continue to grow business in the future.
Business Development Managers will also help manage existing accounts and ensure they stay healthy and positive. They call on clients, often being required to make presentations on products and services that meet or predict their clients' future needs. They also work with Picture Libraries and other agencies to secure the rights to sell images from other collections and to license the sale of their own images in other territories.
What is the job?
The primary role of the Business Development Manager is to prospect for new clients within advertising, broadcasting, publishing, education and new media. They must then plan persuasive approaches and pitches that will convince these organisations to do business with the company. They must develop a rapport with new clients, and set targets for sales and support that will continually improve the relationship. They are also required to grow and retain existing accounts by presenting new products and support services to clients. Business Development Managers work with mid and senior level management, and are closely linked with the licensing sales team.
While the exact responsibilities will vary from agency to agency, the main duties of the Business Development Manager can be summarised as follows:
- Prospect for potential new clients and turn this into increased business
- Plan approaches and pitches
- Build relationships with new clients
- Present new products and services and enhance existing relationships
- Forecast sales targets and ensure they are met by the sales team
- Track and record activity on accounts and help to close deals to meet these targets
- Identify opportunities for campaigns, products and distribution channels that will lead to an increase in sales
- Present to and consult with mid and senior level management on business trends with a view to developing new products, services and distribution channels
- Attend industry functions, such as book fairs and seminars, and provide feedback and information on market and creative trends
- Work with image licensing sales teams and other internal colleagues to meet customer needs
- Understand the company's image stock and secure the rights to new images, libraries and other media that will continually enhance the company's performance.
Business Development Managers may also be required to negotiate deals with other collections and photographic agencies to acquire the right to sell licenses to new material (e.g. pictures of celebrities or pictures from a specific country) and to license the use of agency images to partners in other countries. To do this they will need a good working knowledge of national and international copyright law and know when to bring in copyright clearance specialists. In most cases, they will work within designated territories. These could relate to geographical territories, distribution channels, or types of client, e.g. corporate, broadcasting, digital, and education. Increasingly Picture Agencies are also acquiring the license to sell moving image and audio assets to better serve the multimedia requirements of the increasing number of broadcasters and webcasters.
Typical career routes
Business Development Managers will generally have gathered a considerable amount of experience as Image Sales Representatives (see the Skillset profile for this role) and have worked their way up through senior sales positions before taking on this role. This arms them with an appropriate understanding of all phases of sales development, from prospecting to proposal development, negotiation and closing deals and account management. They may also come from positions in client sectors, such as advertising or broadcasting of which they have specialist knowledge and contacts.
Business and management qualifications are of high value, particularly at degree level, though it is unlikely that graduates will be employed at this level without prior experience.
From this position, it is possible to progress to a senior business development position or directorial position within an agency, to become the Manager of a Picture Library (see the Skillset profile for this role) or seek a business development position in a related industry.
Essential knowledge and skills
Business Development Managers must display a passion for images, be self-motivated and enthusiastic. They need strong leadership skills and should be able to manage and motivate a wide range of people so that the sales team hits its targets. They must be able to quickly prioritise jobs under pressure, and be able to anticipate the changing needs of customers and clients. They should be outgoing and friendly and exceptional at building rapport.
Excellent presentation, listening and consulting skills are vital, and Business Development Managers should be able to process a wide range of information and communicate it clearly to the customer or employee they are dealing with.
They should have considerable experience of the image sales sector and the needs of their clients. They should maintain a keen interest in new technology, new media and market trends and any other factors that may influence image sales.
A working knowledge of national and international copyright law is essential. Foreign language skills can also prove very useful as the Picture Agency business becomes increasingly international.
Training and qualifications
It is not really possible to train for this role. Good Business Development Managers learn through experience and success at levels lower down the sales ladder.
Most employers ask that applicants for this role have at least four years image sales or related experience and a proven track record of success in other sales areas, particularly in media, graphics and imaging. In many cases a bachelor's degree is requested and it will often be considered advantageous if this is in a business related area.
The British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies (BAPLA) regularly post new vacancies for Image Sales Executives and other positions within the picture library sector on their website: www.bapla.org. Most of the larger Picture Agencies will also have their own websites that advertise vacancies within their organisation.
For this information and more, please view the attached PDF.
Business Development Manger
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