Director of Business Development

Lakeside HR Group, a leading full-service HR consulting and recruiting firm, is currently seeking a dynamic and results-driven Sales Leader to drive business growth, forge strategic partnerships, and scale a high-performing sales team for our client. In this player/coach role, you'll lead by example—executing hands-on sales strategies while guiding the team to accelerate revenue and expand their market presence. This is a unique opportunity to shape the company's growth and establish them as a trusted industry leader. If you’re a self-motivated sales leader passionate about relationship-building, and driving business success, we'd love to talk to you.

Our client is a nationwide developer and general contractor transforming self-storage construction through innovation and expertise. They deliver high-quality, customer-focused solutions, from state-of-the-art facilities to value-add projects and capital improvements. As a dynamic, results-driven team, they thrive on agility, collaboration, and building lasting relationships.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Sales Leadership & Strategy: Demonstrating a strategic and results-oriented approach to leading the sales team by developing and executing sales strategies that align with company revenue goals and business objectives. This includes:

• Developing and executing sales strategies to meet or exceed company goals for revenue, contribution margin, and cash flow while ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Collaborating with marketing and product teams to optimize lead generation, product positioning, and inventory management.
• Monitoring key sales metrics and analyzing leading indicators to predict financial outcomes, identify trends, and adjust strategies as needed.
• Identifying and implementing sales initiatives, such as promotions and strategic partnerships, to drive revenue growth and expand market presence.
• Setting realistic sales goals and ensuring the team has the necessary tools, training, and support to achieve targets.
• Leading by example to drive a high-performance, customer-focused culture and continuously refining sales approaches based on market feedback.
• Implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), leading the team toward alignment with the company’s strategic goals.

Planning & Accountability: Executing a systematic approach to sales planning, holding themselves and the team accountable for meeting sales targets and ensuring operational excellence, including:

• Developing and executing sales plans to attract new customers, ensuring alignment with business objectives and adjusting as needed to attract new business opportunities and drive growth.
• Establishing measurable sales behaviors and activity metrics, fostering accountability through structured, regular 1:1 meetings.
• Creating and implementing sales strategies for customer acquisition and conversion, collaborating with Sales and Marketing teams for execution.

Driving Results: Driving new revenue growth through both personal efforts and team leadership, by articulating the value of the company to prospective customers and closing sales. This includes:

• Utilizing proven strategies to uncover opportunities, identify and engage key decision-makers, secure appointments, and ensure customers align with the ideal client profile, and walking away from unsuitable opportunities
• Guiding customers through the sales process with a focus on delivering tailored solutions, overcoming objections and closing sales that meet customer needs and expectations
• Collecting and leveraging valuable customer insights to personalize engagements, understand needs, and recommend tailored solutions that align with their vision, budget, and style.
• Setting clear expectations, following up to ensure satisfaction, and requesting referrals and testimonials to build credibility and attract new customers.

Coaching & Developing the Sales Team: The Director of Business Development will cultivate and sustain a collaborative and high-performance sales culture, through structured coaching and development strategies to meet ambitious sales goals. Responsibilities include:

• Providing training and development opportunities for the team, focusing on skill enhancement, consultative selling, handling objections, and closing strategies, while observing performance and providing actionable feedback.
• Managing team performance, including hiring, providing comprehensive onboarding, and addressing underperformance.
• Creating personalized development plans for team members, setting clear expectations, tracking progress, and offering constructive feedback to enhance sales skills and career growth.

Operational Excellence: Ensuring seamless execution of sales operations to maintain efficiency and enhance the customer experience by:

• Overseeing daily sales operations, ensuring adherence to established processes through hands-on leadership and prompt issue resolution.
• Monitoring and managing sales pipeline, operational metrics, and overall team performance.
• Utilizing CRM and sales reporting tools to track activities, analyze trends, and provide actionable insights for continuous improvement.

Collaborative Leadership: Acting as an integral member of the leadership team, fostering alignment across departments, and contributing to business strategy by:

• Partnering with senior leadership and other departments to ensure alignment on goals, strategies, and decisions, challenges, and growth opportunities.
• Developing and prioritizing strategic sales initiatives, leveraging data-driven insights to drive sustainable growth.
• Fostering a results-driven, high-performing sales environment by educating and soliciting feedback from leaders, optimizing marketing efforts, and leveraging strategic recommendations to implement sustainable structures and drive long-term success.

EDUCATION, PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE, SPECIALIZED SKILLS / QUALIFICATIONS:

• 5 years of experience in complex sales with a proven track record of business growth, securing long-term partnerships, and executing strategic sales initiatives.
• Hands-on sales leader with experience building, leading, and mentoring high-performing sales teams in a player/coach capacity.
• Industry experience preferred in construction, real estate development, or self-storage, with expertise in solution-based selling to developers, investors, and general contractors.
• Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to analyze market trends, drive revenue growth, and implement data-driven sales strategies.
• Proven ability to generate demand and close deals, leveraging CRM tools, AI prospecting, and outbound sales strategies to build a strong pipeline.
• Hunter mentality with a drive to win new business while cultivating long-term client relationships.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills to engage stakeholders, present the company's value proposition, and represent the company at industry events.
• Collaborative and adaptable leadership style, fostering accountability, high performance, and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Proficiency in CRM tools, Microsoft Office, and sales reporting software

REQUIREMENTS:

• Alignment with company's core values and strategic goals.
• Office-based role, Monday through Friday, with occasional travel for trade shows and client meetings.
• Ability to attend industry networking events and represent the company professionally