Day in the Life of a Business Development Director
The field of alternative data is alternative no longer. Sophisticated data sets like mobile location and transaction data are being utilized by analysts across the financial services sector, providing a level of insight and depth that far surpasses traditional methods like surveys or expert calls.
As Earnest’s West Coast BD Director, Ryan Connell works to introduce Earnest data to financial service clients West of the Rockies. His role requires an entrepreneurial spirit and a creative mindset as he guides new prospects through Earnest’s suite of transaction data products.
Whether supporting an investment hypothesis or providing more color on company performance, Ryan and the BD team help institutional investors connect Earnest’s data products to actionable insights.
Read on to hear more about Ryan’s work and check out all of Earnest’s open positions here.
9:00 am: Head into the office and pour myself a tall glass of Wandering Bear cold brew. I drink a copious amount of coffee throughout the day.
6:15 am: Wake up and head to a yoga class near the office. One of the many perks to working at Earnest is our monthly gym reimbursement plan.
8:15 am: Walk to Daily Provisions on 19th street to sit down for a coffee and breakfast sandwich. I’ll check my calendar, set an agenda for the day, and respond to any emails from clients or prospects that came in overnight.
9:15 am: First call of the day with a client interested in Kroger. A member of our Account Management team and a Senior Data Analyst join the call to discuss what our data is showing and how it can be useful to the client’s process. Our clients tell us they use our data for three main reasons: idea generation, position-sizing, and thesis testing. It’s a quick call as the markets open in 15 minutes.
10:00 am: Begin reaching out to prospective clients. This morning I’m emailing a few Hedge Fund and Asset Managers that hold large positions in several of the merchants we cover. Each week, Earnest data analysts flag key insights to clients on companies under coverage. It’s my job to take the success of our analyst and engineering teams’ efforts and relay it to the marketplace.
12:00 pm: Head out to grab lunch with a prospective client in the West Village. A big part of my job is lead generation and nurturing relationships.
1:30 pm: Prep and research with our Business Development Associate for some upcoming prospect calls. Our clients are extremely busy, so it’s critical that the conversation is tailored to them and addresses how our data can assist in alleviating their pain points.
2:00 pm: Today, I’m running a product demo with a credit fund interested in our EarnestQuery product, which gives clients the ability to identify long-term trends in public and private companies and slice the data by merchant, geography, cohort or channel to provide more color. Every call is different, and I get to learn about diverse investment philosophies and strategies, providing a lens into the inner-workings of different investor mindsets.
3:00 pm: Catch up on emails and new product demo requests. Alternative data is a new and exciting addition to the investment world, which means there are a lot of unknowns on the buy-side, which leads to many, many questions….
5:30 pm: Send follow-up emails from today’s calls. It’s important to send prospects a summarized version of what we covered on the call, and to solidify next steps in moving forward towards becoming an Earnest client.
6:30 pm: It’s VinTech today — Earnest’s bi-annual wine tasting event. Earnest employees are always organizing get-togethers, whether it’s a round of golf around the simulator, a bike ride for charity, or a company-wide wine tasting. It’s finally warm, so we get to enjoy the weather and the view from the 16th floor. I pick up my white and red tasting glasses and stock up on an Eataly charcuterie plate. It’s a great evening to catch up with coworkers in a relaxed setting.
9:30 pm: Fully versed in new and old world wines, I head back home to unwind with some Silicon Valley on HBO. Luckily, I live walking distance from the office, so I can’t complain about the commute.
Learn more about Earnest culture or check out our open positions here.
