Head of New Business

Job Purpose:

Reporting to the Commercial Director, the Head of New Business will execute and deliver on the commercial plan and targets in respect of the growth and profitability of our leasing business. The primary responsibility is the acquisition of new SME and corporate customers requiring contract hire, and ancillary products, while achieving profitability targets in line with the company’s objectives. This is a senior role with the potential to develop further within the company.

This is a ‘new business’ role so the successful candidate must have a passion for sales, along with cold calling, lead generation and networking experience.

A key requirement in the role will be the ability to coach and lead the Business Development Managers and the Sales & Retention team so that they are delivering their role objectives to the highest level. This will involve developing and managing the strategy to ensure the teams are focused on new business acquisition profitability and retention, while providing excellent customer service.

In addition to leading the teams, they will personally act as our Drivalia International Sales representative and lead the business development opportunities for the larger local and International strategic opportunities.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Management Responsibilities

• Overall responsibility for the ‘new business’ fleet acquisition and profitability, including the selling of ancillary products to new customers (targeting fleets >10 vehicles)
• Ownership and development of the strategy for the team and manage the team performance to ensure the KPI’s and SLA’s for the team are achieved
• Coach and lead a team of business development managers to ensure they are delivering ‘best in class’ strategic business development
• Report on performance against all targets and take responsibility for implementing corrective action plans where necessary
• Ensure both you and the team are delivering a high level of service and suitably representing Drivalia
• Responsible for managing the overall CRM (salesforce) activities for both teams and providing reporting in line with business requirements
• Champion our Customer Service Ambitions within the teams and the wider business, delivering positive customer experiences, building trust & loyalty through proactive communication and accountability on standards
• Support the delivery of the company’s objectives and ambitions through creating a positive working environment and having good discipline around team communication, collaboration, individual development and accountability

Business Development Management Responsibilities

• Deliver new business growth and margin including rental fleet targets as defined within the annual budget for the business
• Be pro-active in driving and identifying new business prospects and ensuring all sales and revenue opportunities are explored and captured
• Build and manage a short, medium- and long-term pipeline of realistic and credible prospects in order to identify and develop a business development plan to engage with them
• Closely monitor the status of the pipeline and be in a position to report to Management at all times
• Following on from lead generation and appointment setting, your responsibilities will include actively and successfully managing the sales process
• Lead the tender process including managing, co-ordinating and submission of tenders
• Adhere to agreed sales procedures, including maintaining our CRM system and keeping all sales administration accurate and up to date
• Work effectively with other departments when handing over new clients, ensuring they are fully briefed in all relevant information
• Keeping abreast of client issues, product knowledge and market intelligence, including attendance at appropriate networking events
• Work well within the Drivalia team environment, offering support, coaching and sharing successful sales techniques

Sales & Retention Responsibilities

• Ensure the Sales & Retention team are achieving their targets through proactive contact management of their customer base to maximise customer & vehicle retention while also identifying opportunities for incremental growth and cross selling during the lease and prior to renewal time
• Have systems & processes in place to be able to report systematically and knowledgably on performance against all key targets for the team
• Ensure that credit limits and AML requirements are in place for all customers
• Ensure that all documentation & information requirements from customers is both completed and collected accurately (right first time) prior to hand over to operations while ensuring compliance with all defined operational procedures
• Collaborate with other functions within the business to ensure an exceptional customer experience while also educating customers how to engage with support functions within Drivalia to receive optimum service

Key Requirements:

• 5 years business development and consultative selling skills experience
• 3 years people management experience; having previously managed a team essential
• APA qualified or willing to undertake this qualification
• Ambitious and passionate in developing a team of business development managers and acquiring new business customers
• Organised and structured approach in managing/motivating a team to succeed and deliver on deadlines and monthly/quarterly/annual targets
• Passion for sales, cold calling, lead generation and networking
• Experience in selling financial leasing products a benefit
• An understanding of formal procurement / tender processes, and experience in proposal / tender writing
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with an ability to adapt your style to suit the situation
• A keen interest in industry developments, market intelligence and the fleet industry to enable you to add real value to the sales process
• Strong IT literacy and strong proficiency in Microsoft Office packages
• Full Clean Driving license