What is a Business Unit Manager?
The Business Unit Manager (BUM) is a financial analysis professional. Its main objective is to improve the turnover and limit any losses of the company in which it operates. Three watchwords are part of his daily life: planning, budget management and teams.
The BUM most often works within structures such as shops, distribution centers (supermarkets, supermarkets or even dedicated stores), agencies or insurance companies, banks, etc. He sets up the objectives to be achieved by his sales team. For this, he develops the commercial strategy before submitting it to his general management.
Under the aegis of the commercial director, the Business Unit Manager actively participates in the monitoring of commercial operations by relying on innovative solutions (negotiation techniques, sales, etc.). As such, he is inclined to present the “numbers” of society. This includes margin, expenses as well as turnover.
To be able to carry out his mission, the BUM must know in detail the operation of the company where he works.
What is his role ?
The Business Unit Manager is a jack-of-all-trades. He oversees all functions of the company. A true manager, his role lies in optimizing turnover. Guarantor of profits, he devotes all his time to the commercial development of the entity for which he works. The function of Business Unit Manager is considered decisive because of his position between his hierarchy and the teams in the field.
He is the first person in charge of the commercial team as well as their personal and collective activity. His daily life is punctuated between team management, reporting to his hierarchy and meeting different actors. Thus, the manager must be able to deal with it without imposing a dictator role vis-à-vis the staff.
What are its missions?
The missions of a Business Unit Manager are very variable. They depend in particular on the organizational and technical context of the company and the size of the team under its responsibility.
Define and implement the commercial strategy
This is its main mission. This strategy is developed in line with the strategic orientations of the company that employs it. The BUM must find relevant and recurring strategic actions in order to persuade and influence the desired actors.
To do this, the Business Unit Manager must develop distribution and communication channels, responsiveness in terms of reminders while combining Loyalty and Prospecting. It must go through the analysis of internal forces by referring to the qualitative and quantitative aspect of sales.
Once this step is completed, the BUM will define a battle plan.
He will plan the activity as well as possible. To do this, he must choose the right moment, the right products and the right prospects. Finally, he will put his entire team to work by building a centralized database from which to draw. The latter will represent a real gold mine, the real capital of the company!
Manage the activity
For the success of the project, it is essential that the Business Unit Manager has real decision-making power, because he is subject to many tasks, to name only respect for the planning as well as the implementation of the choices made and action plans.
The agent must ensure the performance of the project team by systematically monitoring indicators such as margin, turnover, etc. A well-conducted project management saves money and time and does not exceed the deadlines.
Manage staff
It is up to the Business Unit Manager to assign tasks to his team. He is able to determine who is most qualified to carry out such and such work. As a manager, he is the one who defines the missions and objectives of his employees.
The BUM must ensure that the work is done well on time and efficiently.
As such, the manager is also responsible for recruitment within the company. Its objective is to find the right people for the positions concerned and to develop them through training, while ensuring a single objective: the development of the company.
Track orders
The Business Unit Manager can take care of order follow-up by negotiating the best prices with the various suppliers. It is thus based on the contracts established concerning the supply of the company. Simultaneously, he verifies that the products received comply with those ordered. He can also help his sales team with various orders.
Train, lead and motivate sales staff
As seen above, the Business Unit Manager can organize training sessions for the benefit of his employees. This option is necessary to boost business performance. At the same time, regular monitoring and control of the work of each employee must be undertaken.
The BUM can motivate its working groups by being motivated itself. In this spirit, he can create pleasant team challenges over a limited period of time, for example. This triggers a great cooperation between the actors. And since the thirst for success and personal satisfaction are at stake, everyone struggles.
The Business Unit Manager knows how to correct (if errors have been made) without hurting his interlocutor. But he also knows how to thank and value his collaborators. As a result, he can arrange festive events several times a year (parties, small seminars, team building, etc.).
These moments of conviviality outside the professional context strengthen the cohesion of the team. This promotes positive exchanges at work. Result of the races: a pleasant, attractive work environment and better productivity.
What skills are required to become a Business Unit Manager?
Who does not improvise Business Unit Manager who wants it! In general, this profession is considered to be well paid. It also offers possible and real evolutions within a company.
Participating in the definition of the company’s financial strategy, the Business Unit Manager must prepare the necessary budget and anticipate possible market developments. In relation to this, he must identify the expenses of the company. It must also have a strong resistance to stress.
The sources of pressure and stress are constant in this position, because the BUM is in charge of many tasks. Indeed, he is the first responsible for the respect of the commercial objectives. This translates into strong involvement with teams in the field.
The Business Unit Manager must know how to rank his priorities and is reactive in order to quickly solve all problems. He must also have the ability to manage to animate and motivate the team in achieving the objective, but also to coordinate multiple missions and projects with different stakeholders.
Finally, the BUM must have excellent communication skills.
Although he is autonomous, the Business Unit Manager must establish daily communication with his team. As he is the interface between sales and management, oral communication as well as written communication does not scare him.
The BUM must have a spirit of organization and rigor: the management of a profit center leads the manager to make a large number of decisions. In order not to be caught off guard and to act efficiently, it must be organized and rigorous.
The behavior of the business manager consists in then organizing the means and methods allowing the company to achieve the objectives set. By the definition of business management therefore, it is a question of coordinating the actions specific to a company in order to obtain the global objectives.
