• Develop a 'sales' strategy for the group - essentially a business plan of how a product house can sell their hair or beauty products into salons, department stores, homes etc
• Conduct regular market analysis studies - gathering intelligence on competitor brands, consumer trends with the aim of ensuring your company maintains a strong competitive edge
• Identify new opportunities and channels - extending the reach of a product to increase its commercial success. Business development strategy may highlight new geographic areas to sell the products into, new sectors, new business types, clients etc.
• Create and submit business proposals - this is an integral part the job and will involve you both writing formal business proposals and presenting in person
• Negotiate and close business deals
• Generate leads - a company needs leads to sell to if it's going to grow it's client base. A program of ongoing leads generation is therefore essential
• Account management - Maintaining a good ongoing client relationship is a vital part of the job
• Product expertise - If your job is to sell hair care products into hair salons then it's vital you have good sound knowledge of your brand, the benefits it offers, ingredients and also be fully up to-date on any product improvements or new lines
• Attend trade shows and industry events - attending beauty shows such as Olympia is an essential part of the job so you can network, generate new client leads and keep abreast of new products coming onto the market