Synnefa Green Limited is an IoT-enabled farm management start-up that has developed proprietary hardware and software for midsize farmers in Africa. The team has recently expanded from pure-play Ag hardware (solar-powered greenhouses and irrigation systems) to a connected farming proposition that includes both IoT-enabled devices and a farm management dashboard.
Purpose of the role
We are looking for an energetic Business Development Associate to help drive our sales and grow the business. You will attract new clients and build solid relationships with them while maintaining existing relationships. Other duties will include market research, developing business strategies and pitches, managing a variety of projects,and identifying new business opportunities for our innovative farming system-Farmshield™. You will work with various departments and report to the CEO.
The successful applicant will be resourceful, organised and motivated to increase sales, enhance the company's reputation, and look for new and creative ways to market our products. A background in sales or marketing is strongly desirable while experience working in an agricultural startup would be an added advantage.
- Willing to familiarise yourself with the company's vision and mission, seeking to accomplish set goals and objectives.
- Conducting market research and identifying potential clients.
- Cultivating strong relationships with new clients, while maintaining existing client relationships.
- Collating and maintaining client information in the CRM database.
- Working closely with staff across departments to implement growth strategies.
- Developing and implementing sales strategies, client service and retention plans, and analysing sales data to inform or update marketing strategies.
- Assist with drafting business plans, sales pitches, presentations, reference material, and other documents as required.
- Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and meet deadlines.
- Identify new business opportunities and partners.
- Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively with various levels of management, staff, and clients.
- Generate ideas to make the business organisation attractive to prospective clients and generate ideas to enable sales expansion
- Provide assistance in proposal writing for the organisation
- Provide assistance in marketing literature development
- Proffer required solutions to problems presented by clients
- Provide needed education to clients on new products as soon as such products are available.
- Recognize and work in line with any change in clients’ needs and environment
- Understand the products and services the business organisation has to offer and communicate such varieties of products to the client
- Attend courses to keep abreast of trends and technologies relating to the business organisation and allotted duties
- Read publications relating to latest technological trends and emerging markets as it affects the particular business organisation
- Develop and customise business reports, ensuring they meet with client’s needs
- Compose periodic sales reports, either weekly or monthly, and submit the reports to management
- Research and recommend business strategy, both on the long term and short term to the organisation’s management towards business expansion, via enhanced marketing techniques and new product lines
- Provide support in marketing literature and brochure development
- Evaluate collated data for trend identification
- Provide needed response to complaints laid by clients
- Make the important cold calls to clients towards business development
- Qualify new prospects for the organisation
- Liaise with a number of other related business associations to bring about sales increase
- Follow up clients and call them regarding available products
- Analyse numbers and generate sales reports for the company
- Arrange presentations and meetings among members of staff and with existing and prospective clients
- Update clients’ database regularly and search for prospective clients
- Bachelor's degree in business management, marketing, or related field.
- 1 - 3 years' relevant work experience in business development or similar field preferred.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and work under pressure.
- Strong organisation and project management skills
- Proficient in Google products i.e Docs/Sheets and Microsoft 365 Office softwares such as Excel
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Strong ability to carry out tasks with very little supervision or independently
- Strong interpersonal relationship skills
- Ability to negotiate on company’s behalf
- Ability to organise and carry out a number of duties and beat deadlines
- Strong understanding of how social media works and unequalled ability to utilise such media in promoting the business organisation’s goods and services
