Business Development Manager, Custom Solutions Sales

Job Overview

The Business Development Manager – Custom Sales, India is responsible for driving revenue growth, client engagement, and pipeline expansion for IDC's custom research and consulting business in India. This high-impact leadership role blends consultative selling, strategic account management, and internal collaboration to accelerate IDC's presence among technology vendors (hardware, software, services), hyperscalers, and emerging technology companies.

This is a quota bearing position and covers all attributes of the Sales Cycle – from prospecting, needs assessment, proposal, closing. The candidate must have depth of experience and an established track record of Solution Selling and managing senior level relationships

This role demands strong internal stakeholder management across IDC's ecosystem — working closely with generalist sales teams, research analysts, and delivery leads to jointly identify opportunities, shape client solutions, and ensure seamless execution from proposal to closure. You will act as the commercial anchor connecting clients' business priorities with IDC's analytical, advisory, and delivery strength.

Why Join IDC's Custom Solutions Team

• Be part of IDC's fastest-growing advisory and consulting practice, driving strategy conversations with global and regional clients.
• Collaborate with a high-caliber network of analysts, consultants, and commercial leaders across Asia Pacific.
• Engage directly with leading technology and enterprise clients to shape GTM, investment, and ecosystem decisions.
• Competitive incentive structure and clear career progression path into regional leadership roles.

About IDC: International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,100 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For 50 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company.

IDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants and employees are considered for positions and are evaluated without regard to mental or physical disability, handicap, race, color, religion, gender, gender identity and expression, ancestry, national origin, age, genetic.

Why IDC?

IDG is a dynamic and innovative data, research, and services company at the forefront of guiding the global technology market ecosystem. Our mission is to help companies grow by putting technology insights into action, and empowering businesses to make better decisions and thrive in the digital-first age.

IDC, the largest division of IDG, is the most respected global technology market research firm. Building upon terabytes of proprietary data, expert thought leadership, and existing digital products, IDC is creating new generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered business lines that serve its customers in fundamentally new ways. In this newly created team, you will be exposed not only to expert tech strategy analysts, but also to product development teams going "from 0 to 1".

Recruitment Fraud Notice: IDC would like to inform you that we conduct our formal communications via corporate email, our Applicant Tracking System iCIMS, LinkedIn messaging, or directly by phone. We do not use any other platform (including Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal, text, instant message, etc.) to communicate with prospective candidates. If you receive any communication outside of our formal communications channels, please ignore it and block the sender or caller. In addition, we do not ask candidates to provide sensitive personally identifiable information such as bank account or social security numbers. If you have been contacted by someone claiming to represent a job offer, please report it as potential job fraud to law enforcement.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Sales & Revenue Ownership

• Own and deliver the Custom Solutions revenue target for India, aligned with regional business objectives.
• Drive new logo acquisition and account expansion across IDC's client base for technology vendors.
• Maintain 3× pipeline coverage and ensure predictable monthly and quarterly revenue conversion.
• Lead strategic pursuits, collaborating with IDC's country and APAC-level generalist sales teams.

1. Account Management & Client Engagement

• Serve as the business contact for custom solutions — managing executive relationships, renewals, and multi-project engagements.
• Lead client discovery sessions and translate business challenges into research-backed, insight-led solutions.
• Partner with analysts and consultants to co-develop custom proposals, frameworks, and insights aligned with client outcomes.
• Conduct quarterly account reviews, driving client satisfaction and identifying cross-sell opportunities.

1. Internal Collaboration & Solutioning

• Collaborate closely with generalist sales, delivery managers, and analyst teams to develop tailored, outcome-driven proposals.
• Orchestrate internal alignment on scope, pricing, resource allocation, and delivery expectations to ensure project success.
• Represent client requirements internally, ensuring clarity of objectives and consistency of messaging from pre-sales to delivery.
• Lead and support joint go-to-market initiatives with regional product, research, and marketing teams.

1. Market Development & Strategic Planning

• Develop a territory growth plan that aligns with IDC India's and APAC's Custom Solutions priorities.
• Identify market opportunities and whitespace segments, shaping engagement strategies for emerging technology areas (AI, Cloud, Security, Digital Transformation, Sustainability).
• Track competitive intelligence, evolving buyer priorities, and partner ecosystem dynamics.
• Contribute to pricing models, proposal templates, and enablement material for the broader India sales force.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Achievement of quarterly and annual sales target (revenue and gross margin)
• Pipeline coverage and conversion ratio
• Client retention and repeat engagement rate
• Internal collaboration index (measured via joint pursuits and delivery success)
• CRM accuracy and forecast reliability

Ideal Candidate Profile:

Experience

• 10–12 years of experience in consultative or solution-based sales, preferably within market research, advisory, or enterprise consulting environments.
• Proven track record in quota-carrying roles with complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional internal teams (sales, analysts, delivery, marketing) to win and execute projects.
• Demonstrated success managing CXO and strategy-level client relationships across IT, telecom, or digital sectors.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of India's enterprise and technology ecosystem (cloud, AI, security, digital transformation).
• Exceptional communication, proposal writing, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to influence and lead in a matrixed environment with global stakeholders.
• Commercial acumen — able to balance strategic storytelling with pricing and margin discipline.
• Self-starter with a consultative, entrepreneurial mindset and ability to thrive in a dynamic growth environment.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, or Technology.
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferred.