New Business Manager

Date released: April 2024

Start date: Immediate

Reports to: Managing Director

Location: Central London, UK (with flexible from-home working)

How to apply: Email your CV and cover letter to work@audience.co.uk

The role

This role sits in the Business Development & Marketing department, reporting to the Managing Director with one direct report (Digital Marketing Executive). The New Business Manager will play a pivotal role in driving business growth and expanding our client base. This individual will be responsible for identifying new business opportunities, driving inbound enquiries, building relationships with potential clients, and developing tailored responses to meet their needs. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of success in sales, excellent communication skills, and a passion for our industry.

What will success look like?

1. New clients that can be developed into future pillar clients
2. Increased agency fame and profile
3. Positive agency culture

You will have two hats to wear within this role and will be able to move seamlessly between the two. You will spend most of your time wearing the second hat.

1. New business strategy
2. New business generation

Key strategy responsibilities:

  • Play a pivotal role in guiding the New Business team and wider business with confidence and a keen attitude to convert leads and increase revenue

  • Lead on our new business targets, creating innovative ways to generate new business from inbound and outbound activity, creating your own path to success for you and your team

  • Collaborate with the Digital Marketing Executive to create content ideas that marry up to the wider new business strategy (e.g. creating targeted campaigns and driving fame)

  • Creating target “hit lists” by sector

  • Continuously identifying business growth opportunities with periodic reviews

  • Having a thorough understanding of the market and our position within the competitive mix

  • Manage the department budget

  • Develop a deep understanding of our client's objectives

  • Write, maintain and develop a full marketing mix strategy (with support from the MD) to include our outreach and inbound plans (including but not limited to award submissions and building relationships with key press contacts)

  • Continuously seek opportunities for process improvement and optimisation within the business development function.

Key generation responsibilities:

  • Create new business opportunities and leads yourself (not outsourced) while developing existing leads and taking them through the sales funnel (reacting quickly and proactively)

  • Proactively target late-stage leads that may have not crossed the active threshold

  • Foster relationships with potential clients that look promising longer term but who are unlikely to produce an immediate sale, coupled with a plan to one day convert them

  • Finding solutions to barriers and remaining persistent by offering our services in a range of manners (e.g. making quick small, transactional sales to potential clients at the beginning of the relationship, thus building trust for larger things in the future)

  • Maintain and report on sales activity and accurate forecasting of new business pipeline (using qualitative and quantitative records)

  • Run and manage our CRM (currently Pipedrive), accurately recording, coding and maintaining all prospect interactions

  • Meet and exceed targets (could be a range of KPI’s from several leads approached to revenue earned)

  • Understand the different ways in which to attract new clients through inbound, outbound and procurement routes

  • Prepare accurate and persuasive decks and sales literature (in conjunction with other teams when necessary), making changes to our proposition to suit the target audience and wider market changes

  • Entertain, host and network with new leads (in person)

  • Serve as the primary point of contact with new leads until they are transitioned into the Clients & Strategy team

  • Confident and happy to call, email and approach new contacts without an invitation

  • Line management of direct reports, routine management of PDP cycles, mentoring and leading by example, training up staff, championing success across all members of the agency

  • Pro-actively seek new markets and opportunities for product or service expansion

  • Negotiate contracts and agreements with clients to ensure mutually beneficial partnerships.

  • Represent the agency at industry events, conferences, and trade shows to promote our services and expand our network

  • Run our own networking and thought leadership events

  • Undertake other responsibilities within your capabilities if required

What we're looking for:

We encourage our teams to go through consistent training and self-improvement. We encourage you to bring ideas for your self-development, but as a start, we are looking for candidates with the necessary industry experience.

  • A highly energetic and enthusiastic individual who has the proven ability to use technology and people-led tactics to initiate and close new business in a B2B environment

  • A proven track record of success in developing new business and selling solution-driven products and services that the agency offers (going beyond simply making contact)

  • Relishes working at pace and being used to jumping on new opportunities as they arise

  • Demonstrate experience of using a CRM and the ability to analyse data.

  • Great presentation skills and condident speaking to new contacts

  • A strategic mindset with experience and knowledge of working with other marketing channels

  • A confident and professional communicator passionate about working with clients

  • Keen to build rapport with clients, including meeting with clients outside routine work hours

  • A strong team player who can confidently lead internal projects

  • The ability to be agile and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of events and experiential


The following skills are essential:

  • Google Workspace, Google Meets

  • Microsoft Office, Teams

  • CRM (such as Salesforce, Pipedrive, Monday, etc)

If this sounds like a job for you, click below to apply: