Many people seem to struggle with what business development entails. Mostly, because the business itself has so many different operational activities. But what it relates to is actually the act of acquiring new business to increase sales. Within the sales team, there are generally three important roles. The business development executive is responsible for generating leads and closing new accounts. An account manager is responsible for managing the relationship of these existing accounts. Last, but not least, a business development director is responsible for setting strategic plans to effectively chase, maintain, and deliver for new and existing business accounts.
A business development director is involved in tasks such as conducting market research, developing account management strategies, identifing business opportunities, and liaising between the sales team, vendor, and customers. Besides that, they track performance targets, handle requests for proposals, and facilitate the hiring and training of sales staff.
Employers require business development directors to have a bachelor's degree related to business. In addition, three to five years of relevant work experience need to be demonstrated. This role earns, on average, $57 per hour and suits individuals who have a passion for sales and management.
How to Become a Business Development Director
What is a Business Development Director
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Business Development Director. For example, did you know that they make an average of $53.83 an hour? That's $111,965 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 21,800 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Business Development Director Do
There are certain skills that many Business Development Directors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Creativity, Interpersonal skills and Organizational skills.
How To Become a Business Development Director
If you're interested in becoming a Business Development Director, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 74.0% of Business Development Directors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 16.5% of Business Development Directors have master's degrees. Even though most Business Development Directors have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Business Development Director. When we researched the most common majors for a Business Development Director, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Master's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Business Development Director resumes include Associate Degree degrees or Doctoral Degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Business Development Director. In fact, many Business Development Director jobs require experience in a role such as Account Executive. Meanwhile, many Business Development Directors also have previous career experience in roles such as Business Development Manager or Director Of Sales.
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Business Development Director Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a Business Development Director can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as Vice President, progress to a title such as Sales Vice President and then eventually end up with the title Sales Vice President.
Business Development Director Jobs You Might Like
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Average Salary for a Business Development Director
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Business Development Director Resumes
Designing and figuring out what to include on your resume can be tough, not to mention time-consuming. That's why we put together a guide that is designed to help you craft the perfect resume for becoming a Business Development Director. If you're needing extra inspiration, take a look through our selection of templates that are specific to your job.
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Jesse Flores Business Development Director |
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Amber Hall Business Development Director  Boston, MA  (770) 555-3165  ahall@example.com Experience Business Development Director2020 - Present The Boston Globe•Boston, MA
General Manager2018 - 2020 Abercrombie & Fitch•Boston, MA
Marketing Manager2017 - 2018 Fidelity Investments•Boston, MA
Assistant Vice President, Marketing2007 - 2017 TJX Companies•Boston, MA
Skills Business DevelopmentRetail SalesMetricsCloudTrack RecordRelationship ManagementFinancial ServicesCorporate ClientsProduct DevelopmentSVP Education Bachelor's Degree Business1997 - 2000 Northeastern University•Boston, MA |
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Jean Martinez Business Development Director  Business Development Director2019 - Present DellRound Rock, TX
General Manager2017 - 2019 SubwayHouston, TX
International Sales Manager2012 - 2017 ComcastHouston, TX
 Bachelor's Degree Biology2003 - 2006 University of North TexasDenton, TX |
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Contact Information  Round Rock, TX (830) 555-1410 jmartinez@example.comSkills Sales Goals Distribution Channels Customer Relationships Windows Sales Efforts Sales Process Business Development Distributors Revenue Growth Product Knowledge |
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Barbara Martinez Business Development Director  Oakbrook Terrace, IL  (430) 555-9981  bmartinez@example.com Skills Business DevelopmentADMSales ProcessNew CustomersRevenue GrowthCustomer ServiceC-LevelRelationship BuildingAccount ExecutivesSales Goals |
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Employment History Business Development Director2017 - Present Sears Holdings•Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Business Development Manager2015 - 2017 The Coca-Cola Company•Oakbrook Terrace, IL
National Account Manager2013 - 2015 CDW•Oakbrook Terrace, IL
National Accounts Sales Manager2011 - 2013 AT&T•Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Education Bachelor's Degree Business2000 - 2003 DeVry University•Oakbrook Terrace, IL |
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- Trained, educated and mentored new Business Development Executives.
- Established the business development department and led initiatives which significantly increased annual revenue and user traffic.
- State to state new business contacts New Business development and marketing Schedule appointments for network health checks for new business development
- Developed and managed relationships with partners and analyzed relationship ROI.
- Collaborated with other account managers to prepare and deliver performance updates and quarterly business reviews.
- Led 20 business development professionals supporting Fortune 500 clients.
- Created a high-performing, entrepreneurial team of business development professionals focused on global business.
- Drive day-to-day sales activity management, funnel management, territory/accountmanagement and customer-facing/customer-focused sales efforts.
- Developed and delivered sales and product training programs for all channels.
- Determined sales goals and held sales representatives accountable for hitting goals.
- Maintain a strong sales pipeline of key accounts as well as smaller businesses.
- Opened 19 new accounts within 7 months (nearly 100% of remaining market potential).
- Managed 25 person staff through 3 direct reports and interacted daily with key investors and market analysts.
- Developed and launched business plans and marketing strategies to expand market penetration and share.
- Maintained key C-level partner relationships to achieved stability of corporate accounts, lateral and vertical markets.
- Partnered with Hewlett Packard, EMC / VCE and VMware Companies to pilot Seismic Interpretation in the Cloud.
- Provided application and process subject matter expertise for business clients and technical resources on large and complex projects.
- Utilized solution selling and account management techniques to maximize business relationships.
- New Customers
- Sales Goals
- State Government
- Contract Renewals
- OEM
- Value Proposition
- Infrastructure
- Distributors
- Cloud
- CRM
- Major: Business
- Required extensive customer interface to capture requirements and facilitate future product development and portfolio plans.
- Reported to the VP of Business Development and Distribution, Latin America.
- integrated technologies wireless product) from a market development perspective.
- Reported to the Vice President of Corporate Development & Ventures who manages transactions worldwide.
- Provided feedback and recommendations regarding restructuring of sales, product development and marketing.
- Played instrumental role in developing the Key Account Manager role, as it exists today.
- Presented with the Spirit of Starbucks Award in FY06 for strategic business development with Marriott International.
- Introduce the fundraising program to local schools, youth groups, nonprofits, charities and community organizations*Service new accounts and existing accounts
- Promoted to provide total account management and lead sales growth initiatives at high-volume off-premise accounts.
- Wholesale Account Management Responsibility for Sam's Club Rock Hills, SC.
- Wine Lists and Drink with key accounts, winemakers, and sales representatives.
- Drive the implementation of Starbucks programs by motivating and supporting store management teams to deliver action plans that meet operational objectives.
- Acted as a Manager/Coach/Mentor for internal and external management candidates.
- Worked closely with store management and operations staff to ensure product availability without increasing inventory.
- Enabled recurring revenue streams and solutions-oriented account management.
- Accounted for new distribution in 2000+ new accounts.
- Entertained clients at the hotel, managed site inspections and maintained accounts.
- Opened a completely unworked territory surpassing all sales goals in spite of challenges associated with implementing new products to the market.
- Lead feature and benefits presentations to new customers.
- Led business-to-business sales of payment solutions within the healthcare industry generating top line growth.
- Maintained margin goals while ensuring clients maximize ROI.
- Accomplished largest Star Alliance corporate account revenue in the ANA's U.S. operations.
- Added 32 new accounts with projected revenue in excess of $100,000.00 in 2013.
- Commended for unprecedented year to year revenue growth achieved through more consultative sales approach insuring maximum client satisfaction and loyalty.
- Improved revenue growth performance by 21% for 2002 - 2003 year over year.
- Assisted Territory Managers in setting sales goals, budgets, objectives, staffing and marketing plans for their stores.
- Establish Training Programs, Advise on ways to improve sales performance and obtain expected sales goals
- Created and implemented performance driven sales and business plans.
- Improved regional performance ranking to 3rd from 32nd by implementing a regional training course for branch account management.
- Started to manage my first branch and did a great job in building new accounts and meeting our goals for sales.
- Powerpoint
- Annual Budget
- Internet
- Customer Service
- PPG
- Business Development
- Revenue Growth
- IP
- Consultants
- Product Development
- Achieved AE of the month several times throughout my career.
- Provided direction to seven local key account managers on performance execution at regional divisions.
- Created annual financial sales goals and budgets with P&L responsibility.
- Prospected 20+ hours weekly to discover new accounts and convert competitor locations.
- Led a team that aggressively penetrated Metro Region Walmart stores, achieving 100% revenue growth.
- Provide counsel to core markets on key strategic challenges; category, portfolio and brand.
- Joint ventured business plans with customer to ensure strategic alignment on mutually beneficial goals.
- Led an account management team that managed 175 office coffee distributors in NorthAmerica.
- Purchased online media, interacted with vendors and implemented tracking via Atlas ad serving.
- Partnered with cross-functional teams to lead the evaluation of new business development opportunities in the anti-hypertension market.
- Directed communications strategy and managed paid, earned, and owned media, shaping online and IRL conversations.
- Achieved 100% of $3B revenue quota, including $100M+ in incremental revenue growth.
- Implemented and executed advertising and marketing budget plan to meet ROI expectations.
- Manage a team of seven marketing communications professionals including production team, content and demand generation specialists
- Developed strategies for product development, pricing, and positioning to differentiate products and create a competitive advantage.
- Business Development
- Sales Goals
- Financial Services
- Metrics
- Email Campaigns
- Direct Reports
- Real Estate
- Logistics
- Market Research
- Business Partners
- Developed annual business plans with customers that outlined key strategies and initiatives for growth.
- Developed On-Premise accounts in both sales and profit.
- Control the whole sales process from aligning partners through analysis, demos and closing business.
- Appointed lead trainer for all newly hired Market Development Managers, including six employees in 2012.
- Manage appropriate store inventory levels Support contract renewal negotiations as requested and generate IRR analysis.
- Used Oracle CRM to up-sale, manage accounts, and prospect new opportunities for existing customers and business client
- Generated $50K in Monthly New Sales revenue and Year over Year revenue growth of 8%.
- Own C-level technology strategy sessions with clients that identifies, shapes & develops sales opportunities.
- Led the strategic direction, integration and business development strategies for an e-Business start- up company.
- Managed development of product and operations requirements, business plans and financial forecasts.
- Scouted real estate locations and steered negotiations and business development to optimize operations throughout the New Jersey market.
- Implemented virtual call routing and call center technology / tools to improve customer service.
- Recommended, purchased, and implemented cutting-edge marketing tools to greatly improve business development.
- Managed strategic marketing initiatives and product development teams for on and off-highway vehicle OEMs.
- Reduced product development cost and improved cycle time from concept to introduction by 24%.
- Resolved customer service escalations, assuring alignment of customer satisfaction metrics with corporate goals.
- Exceeded new business sales budget by 150% of the plan in the first 6 months.
- Initiated the sales process with prospecting, cold calling, and networking to positively influence high-level decision makers.
- Attained Chairman's Circle 2004, ranking as the #2 Business Development Manager in the East Region.
- Achieved 18% revenue growth first year and 37% second year.
- Monitored and managed customer relations.
- Provide support, strategy and project management for stakeholders initiatives including new location openings and acquisitions.
- Coordinated the marketing collateral and graphic displays for company's 100 year anniversary.
- Directed rollout to 110 global Senior Leaders and achieved brand strategy alignment in 10 weeks
- Managed team of three direct reports responsible for on=going product optimization, account management and ad placement on company website.
- Served in role of Customer Service Implementation Manager to install a custom CRM solution in 4 contact centers.
- Utilize Agile/SCRUM project management methodology.
- Train Asia-Pacific sales reps on Account Management best practices for building a successful training program.
- Ensured that the organization regularly conducts relevant market research.
- Project Management and Tracking: Day-to-day project management to help guide and encourage business development and new product goals.
- Project Management
- Business Development
- Product Development
- ROI
- Revenue Growth
- Value Proposition
- Special Events
- Customer Retention
- Customer Relationships
- Created a new function to focus on international business development.
- Develop innovative marketing strategy and project plans that increase lead generation and result in 15-30% revenue growth.
- Created Whirlpool's first internal business plan competition called "Spark" to engage the broader organization.
- Managed project team responsible for the human resources integration of EMC's largest acquisition to date, Data General Corporation.
- Appointed EMC's first Director of International Marketing.
- Provided oversight for Utah's Business Operations; Facilities & Contract Negotiations, Government affairs, etc.
- Lead and manage entire outbound and inbound business development initiatives, along with day-to-day operations of BOLD Worldwide.
- Achieved revenue rates of +150% of plan and significantly above ROI targets each year.
- Led innovative cross-functional collaborative teams including consumer products companies on new video concepts product development to provide complete solutions including video.
- Revitalized new product development from <$1MM /yr.
- Spearheaded $4.5MM marketing budget with a strict ROI based prioritization of projects.
- Developed the team into a well-functioning organization delivering highly creative programs with high ROI for Intel.
- Generated $2M in annual revenue across 18+ countries by initiating worldwide manual and automated email campaigns.
- Created the market requirements documents and prioritized the software features which were committed for delivery to our customers.
- Bridged field marketing communications, business development, and sales departments through execution of marketing initiatives.
Learn How To Write a Business Development Director Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Business Development Director resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Business Development Director Resume Examples And Templates
Find the best Business Development Director job for you
Business Development Director Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Business Development Director Jobs - $182K and Up
- Work From Home Business Development Director Jobs
- Entry Level Business Development Director Jobs
- Part Time Business Development Director Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Business Development Director Jobs
Create The Perfect Resume
Our resume builder tool will walk you through the process of creating a stand-out Business Development Director resume.
Check Jobs That Match To Your Education
Top Colleges for Business Development Directors
1. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
2. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
4. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
5. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
6. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Find the best Business Development Director job for you
Business Development Director Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Business Development Director Jobs - $182K and Up
- Work From Home Business Development Director Jobs
- Entry Level Business Development Director Jobs
- Part Time Business Development Director Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Business Development Director Jobs
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Top Skills For a Business Development Director
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 7.7% of Business Development Directors listed Healthcare on their resume, but soft skills such as Creativity and Interpersonal skills are important as well.
- Healthcare, 7.7%
- New Clients, 7.2%
- Sales Process, 6.3%
- Sales Goals, 5.2%
- CRM, 4.8%
- Other Skills, 68.8% See All Business Development Director Skills
12 Business Development Director RESUME EXAMPLES
Build a professional business development director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your business development director resume.
Best States For a Business Development Director
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Business Development Director. The best states for people in this position are New York, New Jersey, Washington, and Massachusetts. Business Development Directors make the most in New York with an average salary of $131,443. Whereas in New Jersey and Washington, they would average $128,904 and $126,574, respectively. While Business Development Directors would only make an average of $122,835 in Massachusetts, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Michigan
$119,714
Avg. Salary
2. New York
$131,443
Avg. Salary
3. Minnesota
$113,081
Avg. Salary
How Do Business Development Director Rate Their Jobs?
Top Business Development Director Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ Business Development Directors and discovered their number of Business Development Director opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that American Express was the best, especially with an average salary of $142,371. American Heart Association follows up with an average salary of $111,965, and then comes Harris with an average of $161,186. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a Business Development Director. The employers include Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, VMware, and Gartner
Business Development Director Videos
Becoming a Business Development Director FAQs
How do I become a successful business development director?
You can become a successful business development director by understanding your employer's goals, utilizing proven business strategies, and developing intricate interpersonal skills, such as negotiations and communications. They also have a thirst for curiosity and heavily utilize research methodologies.
Successful business development directors also use every experience as a learning opportunity. These individuals will utilize the data from failed strategies and incorporate them into new strategies for their employers and clients.
Some of the most successful business development directors also establish an introspective view of their position and themselves. This allows them to continue focusing on their responsibilities without succumbing to biases or other mental hurdles.
How do you become a head of business development?
You can become a head of business development by securing a bachelor's degree in business administration or a similar field, gaining practical experience, and creating a proven portfolio or record of accomplishments and successful projects.
In-depth knowledge of daily tools is also, such as sales CRMs, is highly recommended. Other software may include reporting software, prediction software, and basic office administrative tools.
Business development heads are also in-tune with the needs of the company and the people operating within their department. They must know and understand how to properly dial into individuals at every level to succeed and help others succeed within their department.
How much do directors of business development make?
Directors of business development make around $194,300 per year on average, with the possibility for bonuses ranging from $20,000 to $30,000 depending on employer and industry.
Some directors of business development may find they make more than others in their professional sphere. These differences tend to appear based on client demographics, industry saturation and demand, and the specific employer.
A director of business development who works for a technology company, for example, may make about $212,400 annually. A director of business development for a healthcare company may only bring in about $159,000 per year. Salaries also increase or decrease based on region, state, and city.
How much does a business development director earn?
A business development director earns between $156,000 to $194,300 per year, on average. Some have reported salaries as low as $55,000 a year, but they tend to work for smaller companies, start-ups, or non-profit organizations. Most business development directors also earn bonuses based on performance.
Business development directors are considered regular employees and often have a base salary. This salary can increase by just the cost of living increases implemented by the company or can increase further based on performance. Many seeing an uptick in positive performance may go on to become senior business development directors.