Business Development Executive

Role: Business Development Executive

Reporting to: Group Head of Media Sales

Location: Preston/Hybrid

Hours: 35 hours (full-time)

The role
Farmers Guardian is looking for an experienced digital sales professional to identify new opportunities and influence companies’ media buying habits, focusing on their digital media advertising and marketing spend. You’ll be expected to spot new revenue-generating opportunities and exploit market trends to exceed revenue targets.

The main function of the role is to grow digital revenues, broadening the client base while providing world-class service to existing clients.

Duties And Responsibilities

1. Business development: Identify and pursue new sales opportunities to expand your portfolio and drive revenue growth with both agencies and direct clients.
2. Account management: Proactively manage and nurture existing accounts, ensuring high-quality service, timely solutions, and strong, long-term relationships.
3. Revenue growth: Consistently meet and exceed sales targets, demonstrating year-on-year growth.
4. Client engagement: Act as the primary point of contact for digital clients, leveraging strong presentation skills and relationship-building.
5. Collaboration: Work closely with internal teams including marketing, content solutions, and operations to execute successful campaigns across web, video, podcast, socials, and events.
6. Reporting: Manage an up-to-date sales pipeline, tracking progress and providing accurate business forecasts to management.

About You

1. Experience: Minimum of 3+ years in digital media sales. An understanding of the agricultural sector is desirable but not essential.
2. Agency expertise: Strong portfolio of UK media agency accounts and prospective clients, with a proven track record of business growth.
3. Proactive & driven: A target-driven strategic thinker who thrives on selling, networking, and securing new business opportunities.
4. Strong communication skills: A trusted partner to clients, able to deliver clear, compelling solutions that address their business needs, with the ability to present and negotiate at all levels.
5. Organised & detail-oriented: Effectively manage your pipeline, track progress, and provide accurate forecasting to achieve business goals.

We Offer An Excellent Package Including

1. 25 days holiday increasing to 27 after two years (pro rata’d)
2. An extra day off on your birthday
3. Matched pension contribution up to 6%
4. Employee Life assurance - x4 of basic salary
5. Employee assistance programme
6. Long service awards and employee of the month
7. Employee discount scheme
8. Employee referral scheme
9. Exceptional career progression. We are ever-evolving; if you work hard and do well - with our help and support, there are no limits to your speed of progress.

About Us
Agriconnect is the largest multi-platform agricultural information business in the UK. Our brands reach deeply into all the major agricultural sectors – arable, dairy, livestock, agricultural machinery, finance, and equipment. We take a farmer-centric approach to media.

Agriconnect is a business unit within the Arc network, a global events, data, and media platform. Arc is a fast-growing global events, data, and media platform with a varied portfolio of content-led portals, magazines, and events.

We strive to create a culture that is open and respectful, where differences are valued and celebrated. We want everyone to be able to reach their full potential, so we are committed to cultivating a company that promotes inclusion and belonging.