Business Development Associate Intern - Colleges, Universities, Government, Affinity Groups

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A Business Development Associate Intern has three primary responsibilities:

1. Identifying new collaboration leads with colleges, universities, government agencies, and affinity groups (e.g. Society of Women Engineers - local campuses, Latinas in STEM, Google's Code Next)
2. Pitching our STEM and STEAM afterschool services
3. Maintaining fruitful relationships with existing collaborative partners

When it comes to generating leads, day-to-day duties typically include:

• Researching organizations and individuals online (especially on social media) to identify new leads and potential new markets
• Researching the needs of colleges, universities, government agencies, and affinity groups and learning who makes decisions about purchasing
• Contacting potential collaborators via email or phone to establish rapport and set up meetings
• Planning and overseeing new marketing initiatives
• Attending conferences, meetings, and industry events to expand network
• Maintaining a pipeline of prospects and status reports on a shared drive

When it comes to the challenge of actually selling, other typical duties include:

• Preparing or Modifying Google Slides presentations and sales displays
• Contacting collaborative partners to inform them about new developments in the company’s program offerings
• Developing quotes and proposals (with collaboration with Executive Director)
• Negotiating and renegotiating by phone, email, and in person
• Developing acquisition targets with the Executive Director and ensuring they are met

To keep healthy relationships with collaborative partners, this mostly requires socialization. So from simple chats on the phone to lunches and events or conferences business development associates must be sure to keep their partners happy. Of course, as with all virtual and team positions, documentation is also a big part of the work. Business development professionals are also obligated to write reports and provide feedback to upper management about what is and is not working.

To be an effective business development associate, an individual must be:

• Socially adept
• Good with numbers
• Able to provide quality leadership to a large team of sales people

The skills you need to excel in this position include:

• Strong communication and IT fluency
• Creative talents and the ability to solve tough problems
• In-depth knowledge of the industry and its current events
• The ability to handle pressure and meet deadlines
• Skill in prioritizing and triaging obligations
• Attention to detail
• Excellent time management and organization