beauty business development manager careers

Beauty Business Development Manager Jobs

Beauty business development manager jobs… did you know?

The beauty business is BIG business in the UK. That means there’s a lot of competition between products. As a beauty business development manager, how can you make a brand stand out? It’s your job to develop the business side of things for beauty brands, helping their products be sold in more places than ever before.

You’ll find new opportunities and places to sell products and make their sales figures as uplifting as their skin creams. Can you think outside the box like Avon did? They became successful worldwide with their genius idea to have Avon Ladies come into homes and host beauty parties promoting Avon products. If you’ve got the same creative flair for blending business with beauty, this could be your dream career!

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Beauty business development manager job trends

How much money can you make as a beauty business development manager?

£25,000 to £60,000

Recent labour market information shows you can earn £25,000 to £60,000 a year as a business development manager in the UK – and of course you can choose to work in the beauty sector.

Your starting salary can vary because of factors like level of experience, training, or location. Your salary will increase over time as you build skills, knowledge and experience.

What entry qualifications and training do you need?

School, college and training

There are no set requirements, but your CV could stand out with employers if you have:

  • At least five GCSEs at grades 9-4 (A* - C) or the equivalent, including maths, English and IT
  • Experience in sales, marketing, accounts or business management (especially if it’s in the beauty sector – it will help you have a good understanding of how to sell into spas and salons)
  • A degree in any subject.

Qualifications aren’t the only way into this role. You need a grip on the latest beauty trends, sales savvy, a knack for persuading people, and a good inside knowledge of the beauty products business (which you can build over time).

You don’t need a recognised hair or beauty qualification, but it’s a bonus if you’ve worked in the beauty sector. It’s also helpful if you have a passion for beauty products. It’s easier to sell something you know lots about.

University and degrees

If you take the university route, you will find it useful to study for degrees like:

  • Sales and marketing
  • Business
  • Business management

Any degree shows you have the discipline to learn and apply yourself. Degrees related to business, sales and management will all help you develop the skills and knowledge you need for a business career in any sector, including beauty.

Apprenticeships and traineeships

You can apply for beauty apprenticeships to get your foot in the door while building up the skills and experience you need to go far with this career. An apprenticeship in hair and/or beauty will help you get an inside look at the world of beauty spas and hair salons. Aim to shine and soak up all the information, and you could learn more about the business side of things, and how products are sold B2B (business to business) by beauty product manufacturers to hair and beauty salons.

After doing an apprenticeship, you could aim to study part-time or distance learning for a business course, or aim for promotion to a position handling the business side of things rather than working face to face with customers.

Career progression

With time and experience, you can become a senior beauty business development manager or beauty marketing director, if it’s a large company or brand.

You could take your sales, marketing and project management skills into different sectors – you don’t have to stay in the beauty industry unless you want to.

Once you’ve built up a little black book of industry network contacts, you might even choose to apply your industry know-how to setting up your own beauty business.

What experience do you need for beauty business development manager jobs?

Work experience

It can help your application if you have previously done work experience or volunteering in a beauty-based environment. If you can combine beauty with sales, that’s even better – for example, you could aim to gain work experience as a beauty consultant on a beauty counter at a department store.

Examples of relevant work experience include:

  • Work shadowing (even if it’s just for a day)
  • Work placements in a company
  • Year-long industry placements on a sandwich degree course

What skills do you need for beauty business development manager jobs?

What life and work skills do you need to be a great beauty business development manager?

Useful skills to highlight and develop in this career include:

  • Self-belief skills – it takes determination to get hold of salon managers and owners as they are always so busy. You will also have sales targets to reach. But you have confidence in yourself and your company’s products and you never give up!
  • Good communication skills and teamworking skills – you may be leading a team of junior sales and marketing staff, and your communication and negotiation skills have to be tip-top to create new sales.
  • Good problem solving skills – you will need to do strategic thinking to help beauty products get sold in more places. Can you think outside the box and see opportunities where other people see problems?
  • Good organisation skills – you always need to be organised if you’re leading a team or creating a business strategy. Your work can involve travel and meetings, so make sure your diary planner is up to date and you’re never late for anything!
  • Presentations skills – you will have to present beauty products to potential customers like salon owners or beauty buyers for department stores in a very professional and polished way. When you are pitching the products, you are an ambassador for the brand!
  • Self-management skills – many beauty business development managers are freelance and/or self-employed. You have to be able to manage yourself to score gigs, build clients and develop your portfolio.

Vocational qualifications and work experience will help you build these skills over time.

Start building these skills right now - sign up for free Young Professional training.

What does a beauty business development manager do?

Your job is to help a beauty brand by increasing how many areas its products are being sold in.

What kind of work could you be doing?

  • Creating a sales strategy or business plan for how beauty products can be sold into salons, homes, department stores and the like
  • Researching competitors and beauty buying trends to make sure your company can keep up with the competition. This can involve different kinds of market analysis, from online research to visiting industry events and big beauty shows
  • Finding leads of new people to sell to in order to increase the client base and boost profits
  • Finding new channels to sell a product in, so as to increase profits. This could mean sourcing international buyers abroad, or getting the brand stocked by a supermarket chain
  • Coming up with business proposals and presenting them to potential clients
  • Negotiating and closing business deals with clients who are interested in stocking your company’s product.

Your first steps into beauty business development manager jobs

Beauty business development manager jobs are advertised under different job titles. When you’re looking on job boards, look for the following types of job:

  • Beauty business development manager
  • Beauty sales manager
  • Business development manager (beauty)

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