The role of a business development coordinator varies depending on the company’s size and structure. Administrative, marketing, and sales functions may be included in the job description, and the required education can range from on-the-job training to a formal degree. In general, the position provides support to those who are in charge of marketing and field sales.
The term “business development” has traditionally been used to refer to the acquisition of new business. The majority of a business development coordinator’s work is usually focused on acquiring new clients. However, the position may also include responsibilities for expanding the business of existing clients.
When a company has separate sales and marketing departments, this coordinator frequently acts as a liaison between the two. This may entail ensuring that all sales proposals and bids use the marketing department’s standard proposal, legal, and brand language. Working with both departments to ensure that marketing materials such as presentation binders, computer-based presentations, trade show materials, and brochures meet both the marketing department’s branding goals and the functional needs of salespeople who interact with customers on a regular basis is also a possibility.
A business development coordinator often serves as an administrative assistant to some or all of the salespeople in a company with a large sales force. The coordinator in this case will most likely make or oversee travel arrangements, schedule meetings, review expense reports, and manage proposals and quotations. She might also receive reports from different field offices and compile them into a single report for sales managers to review.
A project or bid coordinator may also be a business development coordinator. In this case, she would be in charge of ensuring that all members of the design and production team are aware of the client’s project specifications, that they accurately cost and price their individual activities, that they respond to communications promptly, and that they meet their deadlines. This is most common in smaller businesses with fewer resources dedicated to these functions.
While the training and experience needed for a business development coordinator position varies depending on the job’s specific requirements, some skills are nearly universal. These include the ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group of people as well as superior organizational abilities. Business development is frequently a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, so prospective coordinators should be accustomed to it. The position usually reports to a sales manager or other sales executive, but it could also be part of the marketing department. The role may report directly to an owner, vice president, or other cross-departmental manager in smaller businesses.