Business Development Manager

Business Development Consultant – B2B Partnership Sales Attractive salary and performance-related rewards Full-time, permanent Bristol – office based Build relationships with the South West’s business leaders Can you hold your own in a meeting with senior decision-makers—and earn their confidence by bringing insight, ideas and genuine commercial value? Insider Media is looking for an accomplished consultative sales professional to develop influential relationships across the South-West business community. Working with South West Business Insider and our respected portfolio of business events, you will engage with senior leaders from major banks, financial and professional services firms, legal practices, property businesses and other prominent regional and national organisations. This is not simply about selling advertising space. It is about understanding what an organisation wants to achieve and developing intelligent, integrated partnerships that connect it with the people, businesses and opportunities that matter. A commercially demanding and highly rewarding role You will take responsibility for growing an established South West territory, developing existing accounts while opening doors to new business. By learning about each client’s market, ambitions and challenges, you will create solutions spanning digital and print media, content-led partnerships, email and data products, sponsorship and high-profile business events. You will also work closely with editorial, events and commercial colleagues to identify opportunities, take new products to market and strengthen Insider Media’s position at the heart of the regional business community. Over time, you will build your own network of approximately 60–80 active client relationships. You will become someone clients trust: commercially astute, well-informed and able to turn conversations into ideas—and ideas into valuable, long-term partnerships. Success will require you to: * Develop credible relationships with senior executives and Board-level decision-makers * Lead thoughtful, commercially focused meetings and negotiations * Ask intelligent questions and understand a client’s objectives before proposing a solution * Grow revenue from existing relationships while creating a strong new-business pipeline * Develop persuasive multi-channel proposals rather than relying on off-the-shelf packages * Manage the complete sales process, from initial approach and discovery through to negotiation, close and account development * Work confidently against ambitious revenue targets and maintain a clear grip on performance and pipeline. The person we are looking for You will be an experienced B2B sales or business development professional with the presence, confidence and commercial maturity to advise senior clients. A background in media, publishing, events or sponsorship would be valuable, but we are also interested in candidates from professional services, financial services, business intelligence, membership organisations or other environments involving complex, consultative B2B sales. More importantly, you will be able to demonstrate: * A strong record of winning, retaining and developing high-value business * Credibility and confidence in senior-level client meetings * Consultative selling skills, supported by curiosity and sound commercial judgement * The ability to uncover the real business need behind a client’s initial brief * Strong presentation, proposal-writing and negotiation skills * Resilience, personal accountability and the determination to succeed in a target-driven environment * A genuine interest in companies, markets and the people shaping the regional economy. This is a visible and demanding role, with stretching targets and clear accountability. For the right person, that is part of its appeal. You will have the autonomy to develop your own market, the satisfaction of solving meaningful commercial challenges and the buzz that comes from building partnerships that deliver measurable results. You should live within approximately one hour’s travelling distance of Bristol, by road or rail, and must hold a valid driving licence. If you are ready to build your profile and network among the South West’s most influential businesses, we would like to hear from you. Please apply with your CV and a covering letter explaining the senior client relationships you have developed and the commercial results you have delivered