Business Development Manager - Sports & Entertainment

Job description

Job Description: The Business Development Representative (BDR) will play a pivotal role in the outbound and inbound prospecting efforts of the EXL Growth Office. The BDR will collaborate closely with the sales team to drive new business opportunities and contribute to the overall growth strategy for the Sports & Entertainment segment within Communication, Media and Entertainment (CME) industry. This role involves account and contact research, sales engagement outreach, collaboration with sales leadership, sales representatives they support, and marketing, with emphasis on Sports & Entertainment. Responsibilities: • Collaborate with sales team to identify target accounts and contacts. • Execute, monitor, and track progress with targeted outbound sales campaigns by line of business and market. • Employ a consultative approach to understand prospect needs and articulate the unique value our products/services offer. • Inbound Prospecting: Efficiently qualify inbound leads generated through marketing efforts. Respond to the inbound emails within the stipulated timeline and seamlessly transition them to the sales team. • Market Research: Conduct periodic market research on prospects to enhance the understanding of their priorities. • Maintain targeted account lists across Sports & Entertainment sub-sectors and develop persona-led messaging for the same. • Track industry-specific trigger events such as sponsorship deals, fan engagement initiatives, venue modernization, ticketing/platform upgrades, loyalty programs, digital commerce investment and major event announcements. • Leverage various databases and tools, including but not limited to ZoomInfo, XIQ insights, and other forthcoming tools integrated into Salesforce. • Messaging Development: Create and optimize inbound and outbound call scripts tailored to specific industries, pain points, and value propositions. • Create targeted messaging by line of business and persona to align outbound messaging with overall brand positioning and marketing campaigns. • Create persona-based outreach messaging for Sports & Entertainment decision makers, including commercial, sponsorship, ticketing, fan experience, venue operations, digital transformation, finance, marketing, and data/analytics stakeholders. • Collaboration and Communication: Foster communication, collaboration, and reporting with the sales, marketing, SWAT, and other cross-functional teams. • Share data insights and feedback from outbound efforts to continually refine message development and outreach approaches. • Reporting and Analysis: Utilize CRM tools to plan and track activities, update prospect information, and generate reports on performance metrics. • Analyze call data and outcomes to identify trends, successes, and areas for improvement. Essential Skills and Qualifications: • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required. • 5 years of experience in Inside sales, Business Development or similar role, preferably in analytics, digital operations and digital transformation sales operations • Ability to translate pain points into compelling outreach narratives aligned to analytics, digital operations, and transformation-led value propositions. Good to have: • Experience prospecting into Sports & Entertainment, live events, hospitality/venue operations, fan engagement, ticketing, sponsorship, or media ecosystem sales is preferred. • Strong understanding of the Sports & Entertainment ecosystem, including Sports Clubs & Teams, Parks & Attractions, Concerts, Theaters & Awards, and Live Entertainment & Ecosystem Partners. • Prior experience supporting go-to-market campaigns for Sports & Entertainment accounts, including teams/leagues, venue operators, attractions, promoters, awards/events organizations, ticketing platforms, or ecosystem partners.