Business Development Manager - Sales

B2B Business Development Manager

Manufacturing & Engineering – Chard, Somerset (Hybrid)

Salary: £30,000 – £45,000 per year depending on experience
Alternative structure: Base salary plus uncapped commission may be considered
Job Type: Full-time employed or self-employed / freelance arrangement
Location: Hybrid – Chard, Somerset and remote working
Driving Licence: Required

READ THIS FIRST

If you have never sold into the manufacturing, engineering, fabrication or industrial sector, this role is unlikely to be right for you.

We are looking for someone who understands how manufacturing businesses operate.

You should be comfortable speaking with buyers, procurement teams, production managers, engineers, project managers, OEMs and business owners.

You should understand the difference between fabrication, laser cutting, CNC machining, press-brake forming, welding, powder coating and assembly, and be able to hold a credible commercial conversation about manufacturing requirements.

We are not looking for someone who simply waits for enquiries.

We are looking for someone who can find opportunities, develop relationships, build pipeline and win business.

About Techrail Retail Services

Techrail Retail Services is an established UK manufacturing business based in Chard, Somerset.

Operating from a 20,000 sq ft manufacturing facility, we support UK businesses with connected manufacturing services including:

• Sheet metal work
• Laser cutting
• CNC punching
• CNC milling
• Press-brake forming
• Metal cutting
• MIG and TIG welding
• Laser welding
• Fabrication
• Powder coating
• Assembly
• 3D CAD / SOLIDWORKS design support

Our strength is not simply offering individual processes.

We help customers manufacture complete metal components, assemblies and repeat-production programmes through one accountable UK manufacturing partner.

We currently support sectors including:

• Retail and shopfitting
• OEM manufacturing
• Agricultural and commercial infrastructure
• EV charging
• Forecourt equipment
• Lockers and secure storage
• Material handling
• Warehousing
• Gym and leisure equipment
• Commercial fit-out
• Other industrial and engineered-product businesses

Techrail has ambitious growth plans, and this role will be central to helping us achieve them.

The Role

The Business Development Manager will be responsible for generating new business and developing existing customer accounts.

You will own the sales pipeline from prospecting through to opportunity development, quotation follow-up and commercial close.

You will work closely with our Sales Estimators, Production Team and management to make sure opportunities brought into the business are commercially viable and suited to our manufacturing capability.

Your job is not simply to generate enquiries.

Your job is to generate profitable, repeatable manufacturing business.

What You Will Actually Do

• Identify and target companies that can use Techrail's manufacturing capabilities
• Build a structured prospect pipeline
• Make outbound calls to potential customers
• Run targeted email and LinkedIn outreach
• Arrange customer meetings and factory/site visits
• Visit prospective customers across the UK where required
• Understand customers' manufacturing requirements, challenges and buying processes
• Develop relationships with procurement teams, buyers, engineers and decision-makers
• Identify repeat-production, rollout, overflow and outsourced manufacturing opportunities
• Introduce Techrail's capabilities to new prospects
• Qualify opportunities before passing technical requirements to the estimating team
• Work closely with the Sales Estimators on quotations
• Follow up quotations commercially
• Understand why quotes are won or lost
• Negotiate commercial opportunities within agreed parameters
• Develop existing customer accounts and identify additional opportunities
• Reactivate dormant customers
• Maintain regular communication with key prospects
• Keep CRM records accurate and up to date
• Maintain a clear next action against every active opportunity
• Report pipeline, activity, conversion and forecast information weekly
• Work with marketing to improve lead generation and market positioning
• Feed customer and market intelligence back into management
• Support Techrail's long-term Manufacturing Partner relationships

New Business Development

A major part of this role will be proactive business development.

You should be comfortable:

• Cold calling
• Prospecting
• Opening doors
• Approaching businesses that have never dealt with Techrail before
• Building relationships from scratch
• Following up consistently
• Staying in contact over long buying cycles
• Asking directly for opportunities
• Visiting businesses and presenting Techrail's capability
• Turning conversations into RFQs and RFQs into orders

You will be expected to create opportunities rather than simply wait for them.

Account Development

Winning the first order is only the beginning.

We want somebody who can turn customers into long-term accounts.

You will therefore be expected to:

• Understand customers' wider manufacturing requirements
• Identify additional components or product families Techrail could manufacture
• Explore repeat order opportunities
• Identify rollout programmes
• Identify overflow manufacturing requirements
• Develop relationships with multiple contacts within key accounts
• Conduct regular account reviews
• Protect important customer relationships
• Increase customer spend where Techrail can genuinely add value

CRM & Pipeline Management

Using the CRM properly is non-negotiable.

Every:

• Prospect
• Conversation
• Meeting
• Opportunity
• RFQ
• Quote
• Follow-up
• Next action
• Win
• Loss

must be recorded accurately.

If management opens the CRM, it should provide a reliable picture of:

• What opportunities exist
• Their potential value
• What stage they are at
• Who the decision-maker is
• What happens next
• When the next action is due
• The expected close date
• The probability of winning

We do not want sales opportunities managed from memory, notebooks or an inbox.

What You Must HaveEssential

• Proven B2B sales experience
• Experience selling within manufacturing, engineering, fabrication, industrial products or a closely related sector
• Evidence of generating new business rather than only account management
• Experience managing a sales pipeline
• Experience using CRM systems
• Strong IT literacy
• Confidence cold calling
• Confidence meeting customers face-to-face
• Strong relationship-building ability
• Commercial awareness
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Ability to understand technical information
• Ability to work independently
• Strong follow-up discipline
• Full UK driving licence

We Would Particularly Like To Hear From You If You Have Sold Into

• OEM manufacturers
• Retail display manufacturers
• Shopfitters
• Commercial fit-out businesses
• Warehousing businesses
• Material-handling companies
• EV charging businesses
• Forecourt equipment suppliers
• Secure-storage / locker manufacturers
• Agricultural equipment businesses
• Industrial equipment manufacturers
• Contractors
• Facilities or infrastructure businesses

An existing network within manufacturing or engineering would be a major advantage.

Bonus Points

It would be particularly useful if you have experience with:

• Fabrication
• Sheet metal
• Laser cutting
• CNC machining
• CNC punching
• Welding
• Powder coating
• Engineering drawings
• Quoting or estimating
• Manufacturing procurement
• Contract manufacturing
• OEM supply
• Repeat production
• Technical sales

What Success Looks Like

You will be measured on outcomes including:

• New qualified prospects added
• Customer meetings booked
• New RFQs generated
• Quote value generated
• Pipeline value
• Sales won
• New customer revenue
• Existing account growth
• Quote conversion
• New repeat-production customers
• CRM accuracy
• Follow-up performance
• Forecast accuracy

Ultimately, this role exists to help increase profitable manufacturing revenue.

What We Offer

• Salary between £30,000 and £50,000, depending on relevant experience and industry knowledge
• Performance-related commission structure
• Uncapped earning opportunity for the right candidate
• Hybrid working
• Established UK manufacturing facility
• Strong in-house production capability
• Sales Estimator support
• CRM and sales systems
• Marketing support
• Existing customer base
• Opportunity to help shape Techrail's sales growth strategy
• Direct access to senior management
• On-site parking
• Opportunity to grow with the company

Who This Role Is NOT For

This role is probably not right for you if:

• You rely entirely on inbound leads
• You are uncomfortable cold calling
• You dislike prospecting
• You don't maintain CRM records
• You need constant supervision

IF YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES, APPLY NOW!

Pay: £30,000.00-£45,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person