Business Development Specialist

Are you ready to use your business development and sales acumen to restore vision for millions of people in low-income settings across Zambia? Would you like to work for an organization that combines the best of business and social impact practices?

VisionSpring, an international social enterprise, seeks a business development specialist to develop new customer relationships and drive the sale of eyeglasses across various sectors. While the business development specialist will pursue sales directly by targeting conventional distribution channels for eyeglasses, such as eye hospitals, clinics, NGOs, and other healthcare providers, s/he also will increase the depth and breadth of distribution channels by growing a national network of channel partners, uncovering untapped customer demand for eyeglasses at workplaces in the region, and working with government partners who serve low-income communities.  In conjunction with the optical technical advisor, s/he will work intimately with VisionSpring’s existing network of partners to find and close new business opportunities.  The specialist will foster and manage key accounts, grow sales across multiple optical product categories (reading glasses, frames, etc.), and seamlessly execute all aspects of the sales process.  The successful candidate will report to the vice president of global sales and institutional partnerships in New York.

This role is a contract-based, full-time position. As with other contractors with whom we have worked for many years, we expect the successful candidate to be willing to be a long-term contractor for VisionSpring.

ABOUT YOU

• You want to build a socially-oriented business.  You are accustomed to being a top performer in in a high-growth environment.  Nothing feels better than achieving your targets using a pro-active work ethic.
• You know how to find new partners, increase reach across the region, and improve accessibility to affordable eyeglasses using direct sales routes and a channel partner network.
• You are self-motivated, hungry for success, and constantly seeking new and creative ways to reach your target market.
• You are adept at business-to-business and institutional sales, and fully understand the sales management cycle.  You are particularly knowledgeable about wholesale sales, and have a knack for expanding the distribution of physical products.
•  You are strategic in your approach to new territories, actively networking to identify new partners and nurture key accounts.  To deepen market penetration, you leverage direct sales, tender routes, and channel partner networks.
• You have a strong understanding of the healthcare sector in Zambia (both private and public) and have experience navigating the complexity of hospital hierarchies.
• You have a special talent for negotiating with partners for the closure of win-win deals.
• You have the experience, maturity, and confidence, as well as the communication skills, to interact with people in senior positions.  You can get others excited about what they are going to do.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

New Business Development

• Conduct research to identify and pursue new opportunities to grow partnerships with hospitals (government, mission, and private) that offer or want to offer eyecare services, NGOs, and other health service providers, and assist them in introducing or expanding their optical services.
• Meet and surpass monthly, quarterly, and annual sales targets by winning new and repeat orders.
• Grow and manage the channel partner network. Use your creativity to find new paths, and expand existing ones, to bring eyeglasses to our target population.
• Contact and consistently follow up with existing and new accounts, deliver the highest levels of customer service and engagement.
• Faithfully and accurately enter all sales activity—calls, conversations, meetings, WhatsApp and SMS other messages, etc.—into Salesforce, our customer relations management (CRM) system.
• Explore the possibility of expanding into mass market retail channels that serve our target population.
• Network and cold-call to find sales opportunities. Proactively identify high-potential partners.
• Represent VisionSpring at local industry forums and in peer groups.  Attend educational and market development events, such as partner workshops, seminars, conferences, trainings, etc.

Key Account Management

• Map and manage key accounts.  Maintain existing relationships and assure that we are building new relationships that will last.
• Strengthen relationships with all key opinion makers and stakeholders.
• Periodically affirm that VisionSpring is reaching our target population by reviewing customer data and KPIs.
• Liaise with the supply chain team and local warehousing partner for seamless placement, production, and dispatch of orders.
• Regularly follow up with customers for pre- and post-sale documentation and payments.
• Collect positive feedback and testimonials from satisifed partners.

WHAT’S REQUIRED

• Bachelors degree required, preferably in business. Priority consideration will be given to those with a master’s degree in business or public health, as well as medical degrees in optometry.
• Minimum of seven years of professional experience in business-to-business and institutional sales.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% of the time within Zambia.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English, as well as Bemba and/or Nyanja.
• Experience working in healthcare, specifically with public, mission, and/or private hospitals in an institutional sales or partnership development capacity.
• Priority consideration will be given to candidates with experience working in eyecare or knowledge of the optical industry, and/or with an established network of contacts and organizations in the healthcare/pharmaceutical/vision care sectors that have the potential to be future VisionSpring partners.

COMPENSATION

• Salary based on experience and education.
• Commission based on unit sales.
• Exciting performance-based bonuses.
• Monthly budget for expenses.

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