Business Development Specialist

This role will be based out of Nairobi. It will be a full-time position with a 3-month trial period.
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 pro-active action.
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, and are 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 adept at wholesale sales, and have a knack for expanding the distribution of physical products.
You are strategic in your approach to new territories, actively network 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 special talent for negotiating with partners for a win-win closure of deals.
You have the experience, maturity, confidence, and the communication skills to interact with people in senior positions. You can get others excited about what they are going to do.
You work effectively alongside sales team partners.
What You’ll Do
New Business Development
Conduct research to identify and pursue new opportunities to grow partnerships with eye hospitals, clinics, 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, etc.—into a customer relations management (CRM) system provided by VisionSpring.
Explore the possibility of expanding into mass market retail channels that serve our target population.
Network and cold-call to find sales opportunities. Pro-actively 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. Work closely with the Optical Technical Adivors for Kenya to maintain existing close relationship 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 for seamless placement, production, and dispatch of orders.
Regularly follow up with customers for pre- and post-sales documentation and payments.
What’s Required
Master’s degree, preferably in business.
Minimum of five years of professional experience in business-to-business and institutional sales.
Willingness to travel up to 50% of the time within Kenya, based in Nairobi.
Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English and Kiswahili.
Optional Experience: Insitutional sales within healthcare sector, Logistics and supply chain for products with geographically disparate points of sale, Knowledge of visioncare and optical services, Exisiting rolodex of contacts in healthcare/visioncare sector, and Comfort using a CRM.
Compensation
Salary based on experience and education.
Exciting performance-based incentives.
VisionSpring offers generous accrued vacation time.