Business Development Manager - Air & Ocean

Job Overview

The Business Development Manager role centers on uncovering and advancing new business prospects to foster the company's growth ambitions. This position prioritizes creating and sustaining robust client partnerships, enlarging market reach, and achieving revenue increases through strategic alliances, thorough market insights, and productive sales tactics.

Core Responsibilities

• Acquire new clients and uphold the current portfolio to meet yearly gross margin targets.
• Collaborate across organizational levels on major opportunities.
• Craft and execute strategies to meet the agreed growth objectives.
• Conduct client meetings and provide support leveraging market expertise.
• Collect and disseminate market intelligence relevant to Sea/Air freight operations and sales teams.
• Identify, pursue, and secure valuable new prospects and customers.
• Follow up on sales leads generated through networking.
• Prepare quotations for new business opportunities and perform follow-ups.
• Develop and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for newly onboarded business.
• Lead Requests for Information (RFI) and Request for Quotes (RFQ) as the bid owner.
• Coordinate with departments such as operations, sales, tender management, procurement, network agents, and finance.
• Maintain and update monthly/quarterly quotations and provide daily commercial support for assigned accounts.
• Log all sales activities and visits into the CRM system.
• Ensure timely payments from onboarded accounts.
• Enhance customer loyalty and optimize existing client portfolios.
• Acquire new customers through targeted prospecting efforts.
• Promote new commercial offerings.
• Respond to tenders in partnership with Direction and purchasing departments.
• Advise customers on suitable transport options tailored to their needs.
• Communicate business records and special operational procedures to operational services.
• Exchange commercial information with CEVA Logistics' global network.
• Provide financial services with information required for account openings.
• Monitor customers’ and prospects’ creditworthiness in coordination with financial services.
• Draft commercial contracts in line with regulations, collaborating with Legal Services when needed.
• Assess risks and potential losses from litigations with Financial and Legal Services.
• Manage debt collection in compliance with legislation.
• Review the profitability of customer accounts with management.
• Assist in preparing the annual budget with the line manager.
• Develop a business action plan.
• Evaluate personal performance with hierarchy to meet established targets.
• Manage specific communication initiatives like sponsorships and events, and engage in business promotion activities.

Education and Professional Experience

• Possess 3 to 4 years of experience in logistics and warehouse management within the freight forwarding sector.
• Hold a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Sales, Marketing, or a related discipline.

Expertise and Skills

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office tools, especially Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Fluent English communication with excellent presentation capabilities.
• Effective negotiation skills with a focus on crafting customer value propositions.
• Commercially minded, customer-focused, and target-driven approach.
• Proven ability to collaborate with both global and local leaders to set short- and long-term objectives.
• Excellent team player, capable of working across diverse functional areas.
• Ability to influence stakeholders internally and externally on business-critical issues.
• Strong business insight and mastery of consultative selling and account planning strategies.
• Consistently achieves individual and company sales targets.