Business Development Manager

Business Development Manager

Location: Stoke-on-Trent, UK (Office / Field-based)
Reports to: Commercial Director
Department: Commercial

Role Purpose

The Business Development Manager is responsible for identifying, developing and winning new customers for Nemesis Now.

This is a proactive new-business role with a clear purpose: find the opportunity, build the relationship, create the proposition and convert it into profitable revenue.

You will identify target customers, sectors and routes to market that offer meaningful growth potential for Nemesis Now and build structured plans to convert those opportunities into trading relationships.

Success requires much more than generating leads. You will be expected to understand prospective customers, identify where our products, licences and capabilities fit their business, reach the right decision-makers, secure meaningful commercial conversations and progress opportunities through a clearly managed pipeline to first order and sustainable trading.

You will combine commercial instinct with data, research and disciplined pipeline management, taking accountability for both the activity required to create opportunities and the revenue ultimately generated from them.

Key Responsibilities

New Business Acquisition

• Identify, target and win new customers that support Nemesis Now’s strategic growth objectives.

• Build and maintain a clearly prioritised target account list based on commercial potential and strategic fit.

• Research prospective customers to understand their business, consumer, channels, product offer, buying structure and commercial priorities.

• Identify the appropriate decision-makers and build relationships with relevant stakeholders.

• Develop compelling approaches and propositions tailored to individual prospects.

• Secure customer meetings and convert initial engagement into qualified commercial opportunities.

• Progress opportunities proactively from first contact through to negotiation, first order and launch.

• Maintain momentum throughout the sales process and ensure clear next actions are agreed.

• Develop relationships at multiple levels within prospective customers where appropriate.

New Markets & Routes to Market

• Identify new sectors, customer groups and routes to market that offer growth potential.

• Analyse the scale, suitability and commercial opportunity of prospective markets.

• Develop clear business cases and go-to-market recommendations for significant new opportunities.

• Identify where Nemesis Now’s existing licences, brands, categories and product capabilities could unlock new customer opportunities.

• Work with the wider business to develop appropriate commercial solutions for new markets and customers.

• Provide insight into emerging customer, competitor and market trends.

• Continually challenge where Nemesis Now could sell that we do not sell today.

Pipeline Management

• Build and maintain a strong, qualified new-business pipeline capable of supporting agreed revenue targets.

• Manage all opportunities through defined CRM pipeline stages.

• Ensure every active opportunity has a clear value, probability, expected timing, next action and owner.

• Prioritise opportunities based on commercial potential, likelihood of conversion and strategic relevance.

• Maintain an appropriate balance between short, medium and longer-term opportunities.

• Remove opportunities from the active pipeline where there is insufficient evidence of genuine customer intent.

• Ensure pipeline reporting provides an accurate view of likely future business rather than an inflated list of prospects.

Activity & Conversion Planning

• Translate new-business targets and forecasts into clear activity and conversion plans.

• Develop 30, 60 and 90-day plans for priority prospects and opportunities.

• Work backwards from expected order and invoice dates to identify the actions and milestones required to deliver them.

• Maintain sufficient prospecting, meetings, proposals and negotiations to support required conversion levels.

• Identify pipeline gaps early and increase activity accordingly.

• Take ownership for creating opportunities rather than waiting for inbound enquiries.

• Track conversion rates and use them to continually improve new-business activity.

Revenue & Commercial Accountability

• Deliver agreed new-business revenue, margin and profitability targets.

• Ensure prospective business is commercially viable and aligned with company objectives.

• Negotiate pricing, terms and commercial agreements within agreed parameters.

• Understand the margin and profitability implications of proposed customer arrangements.

• Build commercially sustainable relationships rather than pursuing revenue at any cost.

• Take accountability for converting forecast opportunities into actual orders and revenue.

• Clearly communicate risks to forecast delivery and the actions being taken to mitigate them.

Data-Led Business Development

• Use internal and external data to identify prospective customers and commercial opportunities.

• Analyse market, sector, competitor and customer information to prioritise activity.

• Work with Commercial Data/Analytics resource to identify high-potential prospects and targeted new-business campaigns.

• Use insight to create relevant, evidence-based customer propositions.

• Track the effectiveness of new-business campaigns and adjust activity based on results.

• Feed market intelligence and prospect feedback back into the wider business.

Product, Category & Licensing Opportunities

• Understand Nemesis Now’s product portfolio, licences and capabilities sufficiently to identify the strongest proposition for each prospect.

• Identify where specific licences, brands or categories create an entry point into prospective customers.

• Work with Product and Licensing teams to identify potential opportunities arising from new categories, licences or customer requirements.

• Capture and communicate meaningful feedback from prospective customers.

• Identify commercially viable bespoke or customer-specific opportunities where appropriate.

• Ensure relevant new product launches are used proactively as a tool to open new customer conversations.

CRM Discipline

• Use CRM as the central tool for managing new-business activity and pipeline.

• Maintain accurate and current records of prospect activity, meetings, opportunities, actions and next steps.

• Record meaningful customer intelligence so information is accessible across the business.

• Ensure pipeline stages accurately reflect the true status of each opportunity.

• Use CRM data to manage personal activity, prioritisation, conversion and performance.

• Maintain clear visibility of why opportunities have been won, lost, delayed or deprioritised.

Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with Strategic Account Management, Product, Licensing, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, Customer Service and Operations.

• Engage internal teams early where their support is required to develop or deliver an opportunity.

• Ensure proposed commercial solutions can be delivered operationally and profitably.

• Influence the wider business where changes or support are required to unlock strategically important opportunities.

• Share new-business and market insight to support wider company decision-making.

Handover & Customer Transition

• Own new customers through the acquisition and initial trading phase.

• Ensure new accounts are commercially and operationally established before handover.

• Agree clear transition plans with the relevant Strategic Account Manager or Account Manager.

• Provide a comprehensive handover covering relationships, commercial agreements, opportunities, commitments, customer expectations and future growth potential.

• Remain involved during the transition period where required to protect the relationship and ensure continuity.

• Ensure ownership is unambiguous once the account moves from new business acquisition to strategic account development.

Market Presence

• Attend relevant trade shows, exhibitions, networking events and customer meetings.

• Proactively use industry events to identify and engage prospective customers.

• Build a strong external network within relevant retail, distribution and consumer-product markets.

• Represent Nemesis Now professionally and commercially at all times.

• Travel throughout the UK and internationally where required.

Measures of Success

Success in this role will include:

• New customer revenue against budget and target.

• Margin and profitability of new business.

• Number and quality of new customers secured.

• Qualified pipeline value and coverage.

• Pipeline conversion.

• Speed from qualified opportunity to first order.

• New sectors and routes to market opened.

• Prospect meeting and proposal activity.

• Forecast accuracy.

• CRM quality and pipeline discipline.

• Quality and sustainability of customers handed into account management.

Skills & Experience

• Proven track record in business development, new customer acquisition or commercially focused sales.

• Demonstrable experience winning meaningful new customers and revenue.

• Strong prospecting and opportunity-creation skills.

• Confidence approaching and engaging senior decision-makers.

• Strong questioning, presentation, negotiation and closing capability.

• Ability to develop commercially compelling customer propositions.

• Strong commercial and financial understanding.

• Ability to analyse data and market information and turn insight into action.

• Strong pipeline management and forecasting capability.

• Experience using CRM to manage new-business activity.

• Highly proactive, organised and comfortable working independently.

• Resilient and comfortable with the rejection and persistence inherent in new-business development.

• Experience within consumer products, retail, giftware, collectibles or licensing would be advantageous.

• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel.

Behaviours & Mindset

We are looking for someone who:

• Creates opportunity – does not wait for leads to arrive.

• Is commercially curious – wants to understand where Nemesis Now should be selling next.

• Has pace and persistence – follows opportunities through and keeps them moving.

• Qualifies intelligently – knows the difference between an interesting conversation and a genuine commercial opportunity.

• Is comfortable opening doors – confidently engages people and organisations we do not currently know.

• Thinks strategically – prioritises opportunities based on potential rather than simply activity.

• Uses data – combines instinct and relationship skills with evidence and insight.

• Owns the number – understands that activity matters, but converted profitable revenue is the ultimate outcome.

• Closes – is comfortable asking for the business and moving a customer to a decision.

• Collaborates – brings the wider Nemesis Now business into opportunities at the right time.

• Has a growth mindset – continually asks where the next customer, sector or opportunity will come from.

About Nemesis Now

Nemesis Now creates and supplies original pop culture merchandise, giftware and collectibles across the UK, USA and Europe.

Our products are built around our brand DNA of Imagination Realised, brought to life by our in-house creative team alongside an extensive portfolio of globally recognised licensed properties.

We are an ambitious, growing business and expect our commercial team to combine creativity and strong relationships with commercial discipline, data and accountability for results.

How To Apply:

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