New Business Manager

Role Overview

The New Business Manager at Hashtag Inc. is tasked with driving targeted growth in Bengaluru by generating new client opportunities. Reporting directly to the Founder & CEO, this role focuses on building a qualified sales pipeline from scratch, nurturing prospects, and closing deals for a creative agency with a decade-long portfolio of work.

Key Responsibilities

• Own new business development in Bengaluru by identifying and engaging with promising brands across sectors.
• Conduct carefully researched outbound outreach weekly to targeted accounts, avoiding broad unfocused efforts.
• Leverage warm referrals sourced internally and from existing clients to secure meetings.
• Monitor market signals such as product launches, expansions, funding rounds, and leadership changes to proactively approach brands.
• Attend industry events and networking opportunities to meet decision makers.
• Lead discovery meetings to understand client challenges, budgets, decision makers, and business needs.
• Qualify leads rigorously against defined criteria: financial readiness, decision rights, problem relevance, fit, and timing.
• Coordinate with internal creative teams and the founder to prepare tailored credentials and proposals.
• Manage deal progress from proposal to negotiation and paperwork, with founder support especially on pricing and closing.
• Maintain discipline in follow-ups to ensure active pipeline management and next-step clarity.
• Keep consistent nurturing relationships with potential clients without immediate needs, providing relevant updates.
• Handover signed clients to the Brand Partnerships team with full documentation and support onboarding through the first 90 days.
• Regularly update pipeline data and report weekly metrics on leads, meetings, proposals, and closures.
• Provide market insights to the agency about client demands, pricing trends, competition, and sales effectiveness.
• Continuously refine and improve sales processes and techniques, helping evolve the agency's nascent sales system.

Exclusions

• No responsibility for creating strategy or producing creative work; supported by specialized teams.
• Post-sale client account management handled by Brand Partnerships team.
• No independent authority over pricing, discounts, or payment terms; founder maintains these controls.
• No indiscriminate volume chasing; focus is on obtaining quality clients that align with agency strengths.

Success Indicators (First 6 Months)

• Ability to pitch Hashtag confidently and authentically, indistinguishable from founder’s style.
• Established and live qualified sales pipeline in Bangalore.
• Consistent weekly first meetings and monthly proposals beyond founder’s personal network.
• First clients signed and payments successfully secured.
• Pipeline transparency sufficient that founder no longer requires updates.

Candidate Profile

• 4 to 7 years experience in B2B sales or business development of services including agencies, consultancies, martech/SaaS, media, events, or staffing.
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets with personal accountability for deal closures.
• Self-motivated hunter comfortable with cold outreach, persistent sales cycles, and overcoming rejection.
• Understanding that agency sales are about trust, ideas, and business impact, not just pricing.
• Commercially astute with experience discussing budgets, scope, and value with senior executives.
• Strong questioning skills that foster strategic conversations valued by founders and marketing heads.
• Curious and eager to gain fluency in brand marketing and business growth concepts.
• Highly self-managed as sole sales lead in Bangalore with clear communication skills in English; knowledge of Kannada, Tamil, or Hindi is advantageous.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Prior experience selling in creative, digital, or performance marketing agencies.
• Existing network connections with founders and marketing leaders in Bangalore.
• Hands-on familiarity with sales tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator or Apollo.
• Ambition to progress into leadership overseeing new business development teams.

Work Culture and Benefits

• Direct reporting line to the company founder with no middle management.
• Remuneration comprises fixed base salary plus uncapped commission based on revenue generated.
• Access to a comprehensive creative agency support system and an established portfolio to leverage in sales.
• Opportunity to pioneer market expansion in Bangalore, shaping the role and territory.

Additional Information

This role is proactive and strategic, requiring the new business manager to build meaningful business relationships and win trust at the highest levels. It is ideal for an individual who values impact over volume and wants to contribute to a brand’s market leadership.