Business Development Executive in Edinburgh

The Business Development Executive is responsible for driving new business growth, securing vendor contracts, and strengthening Wilsons Auctions commercial relationships through conversation, use of UK wide coverage and referral schemes. The role focuses on identifying opportunities, generating leads, pitching services to potential vendors, and managing vendor accounts to ensure contractual expectations, including KPIs, reporting obligations, and service levels are consistently met.

Key Objective of Role

• Business Development & Lead Generation
  • Identify, research, and secure new business opportunities.
  • Generate and convert leads into long-term vendor contracts or referral partnerships.
  • Manage and maintain the diary and appointments, ensuring full transparency with management.
• Vendor & Client Relationship Management
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with new and existing vendors.
  • Communicate product and service developments to vendors and prospects.
  • Ensure all contractual requirements, including KPIs, reporting and service levels, are met.
• Strategic Promotion & Marketing Support
  • Promote Wilsons Auctions' services in collaboration with marketing colleagues.
  • Professionally represent the company during external engagements.
• Cross Departmental Collaboration
  • Liaise with relevant departmental managers only when required for client engagement, account support or contract fulfilment.
  • Share client-related information with appropriate teams to support delivery.
• Administration & Reporting
  • Maintain accurate client and prospect information within the auction management system.
  • Provide commercial and operational updates to the department lead(s).

Essential Criteria

• Core Commercial & Relationship Skills
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
  • High levels of organisation and goal-driven planning.
  • Resilience, motivation, and the ability to influence and negotiate.
  • Understanding of service level agreements and KPI-driven contract performance.
  • Commitment to continuous professional development.
  • Creative and proactive approach to identifying new routes to market.
• Knowledge of Auction Operations
  • Strong understanding of auction processes, including vendor intake, catalogue deadlines, sale preparation requirements, and post-sale procedures.
  • Ability to explain auction formats and recommend the best route to market for different asset categories.
  • Awareness of auction compliance requirements and industry-specific customer expectations.
• Trade & Dealer Market Awareness
  • Understanding of trade buyer behaviours, pricing trends, seasonal fluctuations, and market appetite across vehicle, plant, machinery, and commercial asset categories.
  • Ability to engage credibly with trade buyers, franchised dealers, independent traders, fleet operators, insolvency professionals, asset managers, and government bodies.
  • Knowledge of asset appraisal considerations (age, mileage/hours, provenance, condition levels) to support informed conversations with vendors.
• Commercial Insight Into Asset Valuation
  • Ability to identify when external appraisal or engineering input is required.
  • Understanding of typical value-impacting factors across different property & land types, enabling confident discussion with vendors and referral partners.
• Regulatory & Compliance Awareness
  • Understanding of documentation standards (AML documentation, Preparation of Legal Packs, Home Report, Vendor Agreements), relevant to auctioning property.
• Stakeholder & Vendor Confidence Building
  • Ability to guide new vendors through the auction process with clarity and professionalism.
  • Proven capability to manage expectations around pricing, reserve setting, sale results, and realistic market conditions as well as sourcing leads and generating into a signed vendor agreement ready for auction.

Hours of Work - Monday to Friday 8:30am-5:00pm