Business Operations Associate at Treecard
Class of 2021 graduate Ben Anderson works as a Business Operations Associate at Treecard, which aims to build an ecosystem of responsible alternatives to everyday services like banking and internet search. We asked Ben what he has been up to since graduating.
You have been involved in Business Development roles since graduation, what do these roles involve?
Business Development is centred around developing and implementing growth opportunities and winning new business for an organisation - from my (maybe biased) perspective, one of the most important functions in a business!
My role specifically involves reaching out to potential customers and trying to start a conversation with them about doing business together. This requires me to do a lot of research into various industries that may present good business opportunities for us so I can decide where we should focus our time.
I contact these businesses and present business cases on why they would benefit from buying our services. The initial contact usually goes out over email or phone calls, and I look to schedule a meeting where we can speak in more depth about what they are looking to get from our solution and what we can deliver.
An important part of my role is being a good listener and trying to shape a solution that brings the customer genuine value and keeps them engaged.
Following our first conversation I will then go on to manage the deal through the sales cycle in which I handle any objections they may raise, negotiate price to a fair level and then close the deal and get the customer to sign the contract.
How did the university help you get to where you are today?
I would say my placement year prepared me the most. Just having a year’s experience working in a large corporation meant I understood how to navigate different challenges and speak to different people around the business.
However, I would stress that it isn’t critical to have done a placement and any form of work experience that gives you an insight into the real-life business world is valuable.
Taking extra-curricular classes on Microsoft Office skills or doing the extra reading to improve your commercial awareness is something everyone at ULMS has access to and should do to give them an edge over others.