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The differences between business development leads and sales development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a business development lead, becoming a sales development manager takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a business development lead has an average salary of $118,868, which is higher than the $102,790 average annual salary of a sales development manager.
The top three skills for a business development lead include project management, cloud and emerging technologies. The most important skills for a sales development manager are SDR, salesforce, and customer service.
| Business Development Lead | Sales Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $118,868 | $102,790 |
| Hourly rate | $57.15 | $49.42 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 172,226 | 171,101 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 39 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 4 |
Business Development Leads oversee the continuous pursuit of growth opportunities for the company. They should be familiar with current industry trends and economic news. They should also be familiar with the business performance to identify areas for improvement and development. They should know the company's target market to help create marketing campaigns. Business development leads may also be asked to create product innovations that would cater to their target market's needs. They are expected to spearhead programs that aim to attract new clients and retain existing ones.
Sales Development Managers oversee a specific function in the sales department. They are in charge of creating sales pitches, communication tools, and strategies to boost the company's sales performance. They may be assigned to do these activities for a specific product or service or for the whole product line of the organization. Sales Development Managers are also expected to create branding images that will help their sales strategies. They are required to fully understand the company's history, image, and target market. This will ensure that the branding and sales strategies they create are in line with the company's values.
Business development leads and sales development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Development Lead | Sales Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $118,868 | $102,790 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $167,000 | Between $66,000 And $157,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Apple | Everyday Health |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a business development lead and a sales development manager in terms of educational background:
| Business Development Lead | Sales Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between business development leads' and sales development managers' demographics:
| Business Development Lead | Sales Development Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.7% Female, 30.3% | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 4.4% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 18% |