Business Development & Lead Generation Virtual Assistant

Job Description This is a remote position. Specialization: Education Technology / Learning Management Systems / Learning & Development Target Market: U.S.-based businesses and organizations About the Company Founded by Taresa S., helps growing organizations address employee development, training, onboarding, retention, and performance challenges through customized, industry-specific learning solutions. The business is currently expanding its focus on an education technology/Learning Management System (LMS) solution that can support a variety of organizations and training environments. Because this product is specialized, is looking for a Business Development VA who understands how to identify, approach, and engage organizations that could benefit from learning, training, and education technology solutions. Role Overview Seeking an experienced Business Development / Lead Generation VA with direct experience in EdTech, LMS, Learning & Development, corporate training, or a closely related solution-based sales environment. This person will not simply be responsible for sending generic cold emails or compiling contact lists. The ideal candidate will bring practical business development experience and industry knowledge to help determine: Who the best prospects are Where those prospects can be found How they should be approached What messaging is most likely to resonate Which outreach channels should be prioritized How to start meaningful conversations How to nurture prospects toward a meeting What strategies have historically worked in similar industries How to continuously improve the lead-generation process The ultimate goal is to generate qualified opportunities and consistently book meetings on Taresa's calendar . Taresa will personally conduct the sales conversations and close the deals. Key Responsibilities 1. Lead Research & Prospect Identification Research and identify organizations that may benefit from the LMS/education technology solution. Build targeted prospect lists based on agreed-upon ideal customer profiles. Identify the appropriate decision-makers and influencers within target organizations. Research organizations, their training needs, employee development initiatives, and potential pain points. Identify promising industries and market segments where the solution may have strong potential. Continuously assess and recommend new prospecting opportunities. Potential markets may include, but are not limited to: Corporate learning and development Employee training and onboarding Childhood/early education OSHA and compliance training State-level training programs Organizations requiring scalable employee education Other businesses or institutions with ongoing learning and training needs 2. Business Development Strategy The VA is expected to bring strategic thinking to the role rather than simply execute instructions. The successful candidate should be able to: Recommend effective lead-generation strategies. Identify the best channels for reaching target prospects. Recommend prospecting approaches based on prior experience. Evaluate what is working and what is not. Suggest opportunities to pivot messaging, targeting, or outreach methods. Help establish a repeatable business development process. Share insights from previous EdTech, LMS, L&D, or comparable sales experience. Help develop a practical outbound strategy that can be tested and refined. Taresa specifically wants someone who can say, in effect: "I've done this before. Here's what worked, here's what didn't, here's who we should target, and here's how I recommend we approach them." 3. Cold Outreach & Prospect Engagement Depending on the strategy developed, outreach may include: Email outreach LinkedIn outreach/messaging Prospect follow-ups Potential cold calling or phone outreach, if determined to be an effective channel Other appropriate business development channels The VA should be comfortable initiating conversations with prospects and adapting messaging based on the prospect's role, industry, and potential needs. 4. Lead Qualification & Nurturing Start conversations with potential prospects. Determine whether prospects appear to have a relevant need or use case. Warm qualified prospects before scheduling meetings. Communicate the value proposition in a clear and professional manner. Handle initial questions and objections where appropriate. Recognize when a prospect is a strong candidate for a conversation with Taresa. Follow up consistently with interested prospects. 5. Appointment Setting The primary measurable objective of the role is to book qualified meetings on Taresa's calendar. The VA will: Convert qualified prospects into scheduled meetings. Recommend a meeting with Taresa when appropriate. Coordinate scheduling. Help ensure prospects understand the purpose and value of the meeting. Work toward building a consistent pipeline of qualified conversations. The VA is not expected to close the final sale. Taresa will personally conduct the sales/consultation conversation and close the opportunity. The ideal outcome is a consistently full calendar of qualified prospects for Taresa to speak with. Strategic/Advisory Component This is an important part of the role. Taresa is specifically looking for someone who can function as an experienced business development resource and mentor-like support , particularly because the EdTech/LMS sales strategy is an evolving area for the business. The VA should be comfortable bringing recommendations to Taresa rather than waiting for step-by-step instructions. Examples: "I recommend targeting this type of organization because..." "This messaging is likely to work better with this audience..." "We've seen better results using this approach..." "I think we should pivot from this segment and test this one..." "Here are three ways I would approach this market..." "These tools/channels may be more effective for this audience..." The person should be able to identify gaps, research solutions, and proactively bring recommendations to the client. Ideal Candidate The ideal candidate has: Required Experience Demonstrated experience in business development, sales development, lead generation, or outbound sales . Direct experience in education technology, EdTech, LMS, Learning & Development, corporate training, employee development, or a closely related industry . Experience conducting cold outreach and prospecting. Experience identifying and engaging B2B decision-makers. Experience generating qualified leads and booking appointments. Strong understanding of B2B sales/business development processes. Ability to develop and execute prospecting strategies independently. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Excellent conversational and relationship-building abilities. Ability to research prospects and identify opportunities. Ability to understand a specialized product and translate its value to potential customers. Ability to work independently and proactively. Strongly Preferred Candidates with experience selling or prospecting for: Learning Management Systems EdTech platforms Corporate learning solutions Employee training platforms Compliance training solutions Learning & Development services Corporate training products/services Workforce development solutions Online learning platforms Educational software or technology Other specialized B2B learning solutions Transferable Experience If a candidate does not have direct LMS/EdTech experience, they should ideally have highly parallel B2B sales experience involving a learning, training, education, HR, workforce development, or other specialized business solution. General B2B sales experience alone is not sufficient. For example, experience selling unrelated products such as commercial real estate would not necessarily translate well to this role. Key Skills B2B lead generation Business development Prospect research Cold outreach Email outreach LinkedIn outreach Appointment setting Lead qualification Sales messaging Prospect nurturing Market research Sales strategy Relationship building Consultative selling Objection handling CRM/database management Strategic thinking Independent problem-solving Excellent communication Strong follow-through Tools No specific technology platform is required at this stage. currently uses Seamless AI for prospect research/contact information, including phone numbers, email addresses, and LinkedIn profiles. LinkedIn Sales Navigator has previously been used but is currently paused. The ideal candidate should therefore be: Comfortable learning new sales and prospecting tools. Able to recommend tools based on experience. Familiar with modern prospecting and lead-generation platforms. Able to explain which tools and workflows they believe would be most effective. Candidates should not simply rely on the client's existing tools; they are encouraged to bring relevant expertise and recommendations. Personality & Working Style The ideal candidate should be: Proactive rather than reactive. Strategic and analytical. A strong conversationalist. Confident initiating conversations with strangers. Naturally curious. Resourceful and investigative. Comfortable working independently. Comfortable saying, "Here's what I recommend." Results-oriented. Comfortable experimenting, testing, and pivoting. Able to identify opportunities without needing constant direction. Collaborative and willing to share knowledge with the existing team. Most importantly, Taresa is looking for someone who already knows how to do this type of work , rather than someone who will require extensive training before becoming productive. Primary Goal The primary goal is: Generate qualified prospects and consistently book qualified meetings on Taresa's calendar. The VA should help move from: Research → Targeting → Outreach → Conversation → Qualification → Appointment while continuously improving the strategy based on results. Success in This Role Looks Like Within the engagement, the VA should be able to help: Establish a clear target-prospect strategy. Identify promising industries/segments. Build qualified prospect lists. Develop effective outreach approaches. Initiate meaningful conversations. Generate qualified leads. Book meetings with potential buyers. Provide insight into what is working and what needs to change. Create a repeatable business development process. Help Taresa spend more time closing qualified opportunities rather than searching for them. Availability Flexibility across U.S. Eastern, Central, and Pacific time zones is acceptable. The focus is on reaching the right prospects rather than maintaining a rigid U.S. time-zone schedule. Engagement & Trial Period Taresa is considering starting with a short-term trial engagement of approximately 10–20 hours , potentially structured over roughly 7 days , before committing to ongoing support. The purpose of the trial would be to allow the VA to: Understand the product and target market. Meet with Taresa and understand the overall vision. Develop an initial prospecting/business development strategy. Identify target markets and opportunities. Recommend an outreach approach. Potentially begin prospect research and outreach. Demonstrate their level of expertise and strategic thinking. Allow both parties to determine whether the working relationship is a strong fit. The trial structure will be finalized with the client before onboarding. Hiring Timeline This is an urgent hiring requirement .