Business Development & Sales Executive
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Employment: Full-time
About the Role
We are establishing a new design-led architectural materials and commercial interior products business in Kuala Lumpur, backed by an established Singapore design and fabrication company.
The business will focus on:
- Architectural and building material distribution
- Design-led acrylic commercial interior products
- Shelving, display counters, reception counters and furniture
- Future architectural and interior product lines
- B2B sales to architects, interior designers, contractors, developers and other industry partners
We are looking for a commercially driven Business Development & Sales Executive to help establish and grow our presence in the Malaysian market.
This is an active market-building role.
The successful candidate will be expected to prospect, build relationships, conduct presentations, generate opportunities, follow up consistently, and convert those opportunities into sales.
Key Responsibilities
Business Development
- Identify and approach architects, interior designers, contractors, developers and specialist industry partners
- Build long-term relationships with key decision-makers and specification influencers
- Introduce architectural materials and commercial interior products to potential customers
- Generate new leads through outbound calls, email, LinkedIn, networking, referrals and site visits
- Arrange meetings, presentations and product demonstrations
- Develop relationships with potential dealers, resellers and installation partners
- Identify new commercial opportunities and strategic partnerships within the Malaysian market
- Build and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective customers and projects
- Monitor market activity and identify new customer segments and opportunities
Sales
- Manage leads from first contact through quotation, follow-up and closing
- Work towards agreed monthly sales and pipeline targets
- Maintain consistent follow-up with prospects and existing customers
- Understand customer requirements and recommend suitable products or solutions
- Prepare quotations with support from the administrative and Singapore teams
- Coordinate samples, technical information and product details for customers
- Maintain accurate records of opportunities, quotations and expected closing dates
- Follow up on outstanding quotations and actively move opportunities towards conversion
- Develop repeat business from existing customers
- Report weekly on outreach activity, meetings, quotations, pipeline and closed sales
Architect & Interior Designer Relationships
A major part of the role will be developing relationships within the design and specification community.
Responsibilities include:
- Introduce products to architectural and interior design firms
- Arrange product presentations and material demonstrations
- Deliver samples and specification information
- Build relationships with designers responsible for material and product selection
- Encourage architects and designers to specify products into upcoming projects
- Track opportunities from specification stage through contractor purchasing
- Maintain regular contact with firms that have active or upcoming projects
- Organise product presentations, launches and industry networking sessions
- Gather feedback from architects and designers to help improve future product offerings
Contractor, Developer & Dealer Development
- Build relationships with contractors, builders and specialist installers
- Identify dealers and resellers who may carry or recommend the company's products
- Develop relationships with developers and project decision-makers
- Understand upcoming projects and identify opportunities to introduce relevant products
- Work with trade partners to increase market coverage
- Support contractors and partners with samples, quotations and product information
- Develop repeat purchasing relationships with trade customers
Supplier & Operations Coordination
- Coordinate with suppliers regarding product availability, samples and technical information
- Liaise with logistics and 3PL partners for deliveries where required
- Coordinate with installation partners when projects require installation support
- Liaise closely with the Singapore design and management teams
- Provide clear information internally regarding customer requirements and project needs
- Provide local market feedback to support future product development
- Flag supply, pricing or delivery issues early to management
- Support basic inventory coordination for products sold through the Malaysia operation
Initial Product Focus
The role will initially cover two main product categories.
Architectural Materials
Premium architectural and building materials targeted at:
- Architects
- Interior designers
- Contractors
- Builders
- Developers
- Dealers and resellers
Commercial Interior Products
Including:
- Acrylic shelving
- Display systems
- Reception counters
- Retail displays
- Acrylic furniture
- Commercial fixtures
- Customisable commercial interior products
The product range is expected to grow over time, and the successful candidate should be comfortable learning and selling new product categories.
What We Are Looking For
The ideal candidate should:
- Have experience in B2B sales or business development
- Be comfortable actively prospecting for new business
- Be confident speaking with architects, designers, contractors, developers and business owners
- Be comfortable conducting presentations and client meetings
- Have strong follow-up and relationship-management skills
- Be commercially minded and motivated by targets
- Be proactive rather than waiting for leads to come in
- Be organised and capable of managing multiple opportunities simultaneously
- Be comfortable working independently within a small, entrepreneurial team
- Be willing to travel around Klang Valley for meetings and customer visits
- Be comfortable working with both technical products and design-led products
- Have strong communication skills in English
Ability to communicate in additional local languages would be an advantage.
Preferred Experience
Experience in any of the following industries would be advantageous:
- Architectural materials
- Interior design
- Building materials
- Roofing
- Furniture
- Commercial interiors
- Signage and fabrication
- Construction
- Specification sales
- Building products
- B2B distribution
Existing relationships with architects, interior designers, contractors or developers would be a strong advantage.
Key Performance Indicators
Performance will be measured through both activity and commercial results.
Business Development Activity
- New companies contacted
- Qualified leads generated
- Client meetings secured
- Architect and ID presentations conducted
- Contractor and developer meetings
- Sample requests
- New industry relationships established
Sales Pipeline
- Number of active opportunities
- Total pipeline value
- New projects identified
- Quotations issued
- Projects reaching specification stage
- Projects progressing towards purchase
- New accounts opened
- Follow-up activity completed
Commercial Results
- Monthly sales revenue
- Gross profit generated
- New customers acquired
- Repeat customers
- Sales conversion rate
- Average order value
- Revenue generated from newly developed accounts