Business Development Manager – Managed IT Services

Whitstable, Kent – Hybrid and field-based

£50,000 basic salary

Circa £90,000 OTE – uncapped commission

Are you a true new-business salesperson who enjoys turning opportunities into long-term clients?
Can you hold credible commercial conversations with business owners, directors and finance leaders?
Would you like to join an MSP that is investing in a dedicated sales-development function rather than expecting you to succeed with little more than a phone and a target?

We are recruiting for a growing managed IT services provider based in Whitstable. They are looking to appoint an experienced Business Development Manager to take ownership of winning new SMB clients across Kent, London and the South East.

This is the company’s first dedicated new-business closing role, giving you the opportunity to influence its sales approach and play a central part in its continued growth.

Importantly, you will not be expected to build the entire sales pipeline alone. The company already has a dedicated Sales Development Representative who is responsible for outbound prospecting, identifying suitable organisations, qualifying interest and securing attended appointments. The SDR is measured and rewarded against qualified meetings and new-client conversions, so there is already an effective lead-generation engine supporting the role not simply an occasional list of unqualified names.

You will work closely together, with the SDR creating and qualifying opportunities while you lead the commercial sales process from the initial discovery meeting through to signed agreement. You will still be encouraged to create opportunities through your own network, referrals, events and targeted prospecting, but much of your time can be focused on holding meaningful conversations, progressing opportunities and winning clients.

The opportunity

Most prospective clients will already have an internal IT resource or an existing IT provider. This means managed IT services is frequently a displacement sale.

Your role will be to uncover where the current arrangement is falling short, understand the commercial impact and build a compelling reason for the client to change.

You will need to be comfortable discussing:

Business and cyber risk
The financial impact of downtime and inefficient technology
Compliance and security concerns
Productivity and operational resilience
Technology investment and planning
How better IT can support an organisation’s future growth

This is not about leading with technical specifications, products or “speeds and feeds.” It is about understanding the organisation and connecting its challenges to a credible business solution.

What will you be selling?

The company provides a broad range of services to small and medium-sized organisations, including:

Fully managed and co-managed IT support
Cybersecurity and cyber risk reduction
Microsoft 365 and cloud services
Business continuity and disaster recovery
IT consultancy and strategic technology planning
Compliance-related services
Technology alignment, roadmaps and virtual CIO support

This is not a commodity MSP selling reactive support from a price list.

The company uses a structured technology-alignment process to assess clients against recognised, CIS-aligned standards. It is also working towards becoming a Cyber Essentials certification body. This provides a genuine and evidenced point of difference. The business helps its clients understand risk, improve their technology environment and make properly informed investment decisions rather than simply responding when something breaks.

How will the sales partnership work?

You will work closely with the company’s Sales Development Representative.

The SDR will:

Run targeted outbound activity across the company’s chosen markets
Identify prospective clients that meet the agreed ideal client profile
Make initial contact with relevant decision-makers
Establish and verify interest
Qualify opportunities using an agreed framework
Book meetings with suitable prospects
Ensure leads, appointments and outcomes are accurately recorded in the CRM
Continue refining campaigns based on feedback from the sales process

As Business Development Manager, you will:

Take ownership of qualified opportunities once a meeting has been secured
Conduct consultative discovery meetings with business owners and senior decision-makers
Explore the client’s existing IT arrangements, challenges, risks and priorities
Build the commercial case
Work with technical colleagues to shape the right solution
Prepare and present proposals
Manage objections, negotiations and follow-up
Maintain momentum through what can sometimes be a lengthy sales cycle
Take responsibility for progressing opportunities through to signed agreement
Provide clear feedback to the SDR about lead quality, objections and campaign performance
Create additional opportunities through networking, referrals, partnerships and your own relationships
Maintain accurate pipeline information and sales forecasts

You and the SDR will operate as a closely connected new-business team, with shared visibility of activity, opportunities, conversion rates and new recurring revenue.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for somebody who is:

Motivated by winning new clients
Experienced in managing a consultative B2B sales process
Comfortable taking qualified opportunities and converting them into business
Able to create additional opportunities through their own activity and relationships
Credible and confident with business owners, directors and finance leaders
Commercially astute and able to discuss risk, cost, productivity and growth
Resilient enough to manage rejection and longer sales cycles
Organised and disciplined when managing opportunities
Comfortable being accountable for pipeline movement, conversion and revenue
Able to learn technical services quickly and explain them honestly
Collaborative and willing to share meaningful feedback with the SDR and wider team
Motivated by having a visible impact within a smaller, growing business

Previous experience selling managed IT services, cybersecurity, cloud solutions or other technology services would be extremely valuable.

However, direct MSP experience is not essential.

The company would also consider an excellent new-business salesperson from an adjacent B2B service environment, provided you can demonstrate a consultative approach, experience winning SME clients and the ability to learn a technology-led proposition.

Relevant backgrounds could include:

Telecoms or connectivity
Business software or SaaS
Cybersecurity or compliance services
Managed print or document solutions
Professional or outsourced business services
Insurance, finance or other risk-led B2B solutions

This is unlikely to suit somebody whose recent experience has been primarily account management, renewals or developing an established client portfolio.

Location and working pattern

The company’s office is based in Whitstable, Kent.

The role will combine home working, time with colleagues and regular travel to prospective clients across Kent, London and the South East. You will normally be able to work from home for two days each week, with the remainder of your time shaped around client meetings, field activity and working alongside the wider team.

You do not necessarily need to live close to Whitstable, but you must be based within a practical travelling distance of the territory and comfortable attending face-to-face meetings.

A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle will be required.

Salary and benefits

The proposed package includes:

Up to £50,000 basic salary DOE
Circa £90,000 on-target earnings
Uncapped commission
Accelerators for exceeding target
Hybrid working, including two days a week from home

This is an opportunity to join a small, ambitious MSP that is investing properly in new-business growth.

You will have a dedicated SDR creating and qualifying opportunities, technical colleagues to support solution development and the autonomy to influence how the sales function evolves.