Business Development Representative

The role

We are looking to hire a Business Development Representative to join our Sales team in North America.

Salary range - $40,000 - $50,000

Working at WGSN

Together, we create tomorrow

A career with WGSN is fast-paced, exciting and full of opportunities to grow and develop. We're a team of consumer and design trend forecasters, content creators, designers, data analysts, advisory consultants and much more, united by a common goal: to create tomorrow.

WGSN's trusted consumer and design forecasts power outstanding product design, enabling our customers to create a better future. Our services cover consumer insights, beauty, consumer tech, fashion, interiors, lifestyle, food and drink forecasting, data analytics and expert advisory. If you are an expert in your field, we want to hear from you.

Role overview

You will be focused on a variety of industries from across fashion apparel and accessories, home furnishings, CPG, travel and tourism, food and drink, durable goods, and entertainment. You will be interacting with SME to enterprise size companies.

Our purpose

WGSN is the world’s number one consumer trend authority, helping companies design and create products that meet the needs of their customers. We inspire innovation and help companies grow their revenues. Our business intelligence insights are accessed through annual subscriptions to the WGSN reports/platform, with an additional bespoke service via our consultancy department.

Key accountabilities

• Effectively managing inbound lead queue; following up on marketing-driven leads

• Researching and identifying prospect companies who will benefit from our service and data products, developing and executing strategies for outbound prospecting via email, cold calling, LinkedIn Sales, Navigator and any other means relevant

• Speaking with provided and self-sourced prospects to discuss potential needs and how WGSN would be beneficial to them

• Utilizing good discovery tactics and questions in a consultative sales style

• Qualify leads for the sales team so that they can demonstrate WGSN to its full potential and identify how this will be an essential tool for the customer’s business

• Ensuring that once meetings are booked, relevant research and information is translated to the salespeople so that they are set up for success in their meetings

• Meet weekly and monthly qualified call, meeting and opportunity goals to ensure company revenue objectives are met

• Learn and maintain extensive knowledge of market/industry trends, developments, WGSN customers, competitors, and products; building expertise towards being able to tell the WGSN story while pitching WGSN value

• Working closely with the marketing team on lead generation and new business activities, including but not limited to events, email campaigns, social media

• Attending WGSN hosted events for marketing and other relevant networking events

This list is not exhaustive and there may be other activities you are required to deliver.

Skills, experience & qualifications required

• This opportunity is ideal for an individual who is towards the beginning of their sales career, with a few years of experience. We offer extensive training and clear career progression for successful individuals.

• A motivated, dynamic, and self-driven individual who is confident and professional in approach with a positive ‘can-do’ attitude

• Someone who is passionate about the prospect of delivering creative intelligence to new clients and helping them transform their business

• A flair for strong relationship building on the telephone at all levels

• Possess strong interpersonal, organization and time management skills

• Previous B2B sales experience, preferably telephone sales, preferred

• use sales enablement tools like Salesloft and Zoominfo to build cadences and get meetings 

• Knowledge of our core industries such as fashion, food and drink, beauty, interiors, consumer tech, CPG is a plus

• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal)

Ascential’s supporting beliefs

• Focus: we ruthlessly prioritise and always keep things simple

• All in: once we commit we deliver, with a clear focus on outcome

• Trustworthiness, transparency & openness: transparency inspires trust & empowers

• Be creative: we are smart, pro-active innovators

• Facts: we always use data & insight to inform our work

• Empathy: we can be relied upon for fairness and consideration

• No silos: one team, one face, one reputation

What we offer

Our benefits and wellbeing package offers flexible benefits you can tailor to your own personal needs, including:  

• Paid Time Off – 15 days of vacation per year with an additional day for each year of service up to 20 days.  Ascential also observes the 12 Federal holidays.  We also offer 6 weeks of paid Parental Leave.

• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan – allows employees to save and
  invest for their own retirement on a tax deferred basis.  Ascential
  matches 50% of the first 6% contributed by employees. 

• Medical, Dental and Vision plans with Aetna

• Life Insurance, AD&D, Short and Long-Term Disability - all
  eligible employees receive coverage at no cost

• Mental Health – Ascential provides many ways for employees to
  access mental health care including an Employee Assistance Program and inpatient, outpatient and virtual care if enrolled in an Aetna medical plan

• US Stock Purchase Plan – all eligible employees can save for a two-year period to buy Ascential shares at a 15% discount

More about WGSN

WGSN is the global authority on consumer trend forecasting.

We help brands around the world create the right products at the right time for tomorrow’s consumer.

Our culture

An inclusive culture is one of our key priorities. We want our people to truly be themselves and thrive. We love having a diverse team of people who bring new ideas, different strengths and perspectives & reflect the global audience we work with.

Why choose us?

At Ascential, diversity, equity and inclusion is core to us. We’re a company built around our people - and we’re committed to supporting each and every one of them to be the best they can be. We love having a diverse team of people who bring new ideas and different strengths and perspectives to Ascential. Our employee-led networks, Ascential Pride, Black in Business and EmPower: An Ascential Women's Initiative, help us to create a place where communities and allies can connect and share experiences. In addition, our Early Talent programmes help grow and foster diverse new talent for our sectors. 

We are committed to supporting the environment and sustainability, including ensuring our pension plan defaults to sustainable options and striving to be net zero by 2030.  

Recognising great performance is a key part of our culture. Our Awards schemes recognise and reward the brilliant achievements of our people. 

We have a truly flexible working environment with a wide range of flexible, hybrid and agile-working arrangements. Conversations about flexible working have always been - and will continue to be - actively encouraged here.

We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to perform their best when interviewing, so if you require any reasonable adjustments that would make you more comfortable during the process, please let us know so that we can do our best to support you.

If we inspire you, why not join and inspire us?  Find out more on what our People say