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What is a business development representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Brian Abraham Ph.D.,
John Cicala Ph.D.
introduction image

A business development representative identifies and pursues new business opportunities. They build relationships with potential clients and assess their needs to provide effective solutions. A business development representative typically works in sales or marketing and acts as a liaison between a company and its clients. Their duties may include creating marketing strategies, conducting market research, negotiating contracts, and closing deals. The role requires communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills, as well as creative and independent thinking.

What general advice would you give to a business development representative?

Brian Abraham Ph.D.

Instructor, Full-time faculty member at Nichols College, Augsburg University

While it is exciting to be starting your first job as a recent graduate, don't be too hasty. Be sure you are entering a positive atmosphere with strong leadership. Take time to ask about the company culture and turnover rates. You can find low and high turnover rate ratios on the Internet for your industry. A high turnover rate company likely has a poor working atmosphere.
ScoreBusiness Development RepresentativeUS Average
Salary
3.7

Avg. Salary $47,240

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
7.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.38%

Asian 5.57%

Black or African American 6.75%

Hispanic or Latino 16.32%

Unknown 4.05%

White 66.92%

Gender

female 49.13%

male 50.87%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress level
7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a business development representative?

Pros

  • Potential for high earnings through commission

  • Opportunity to develop sales and negotiation skills

  • Possibility for career advancement within the company

  • Ability to work remotely or from home

  • Opportunity to attend industry events and conferences

Cons

  • May require long hours or working outside of regular business hours

  • Client demands can be unpredictable and may require last-minute changes or adjustments

  • High turnover rate in some companies, leading to unstable job security

  • May require extensive travel for client meetings or events

  • Difficulty balancing time between finding new clients and managing existing relationships.

Business development representative career paths

Key steps to become a business development representative

  1. Explore business development representative education requirements

    Most common business development representative degrees

    Bachelor's

    70.0 %

    Associate

    12.4 %

    High School Diploma

    8.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific business development representative skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Business Development18.99%
    Work Ethic7.38%
    Customer Service7.34%
    BDR5.74%
    Sales Cycle4.29%
  3. Research business development representative duties and responsibilities

    • Lead BDR team in overall net new leads and opportunities in 2013 , 2014 and to date 2015
    • Follow up on leads generate from web hits, public Webinar registrations and tradeshows.
    • Write content and manage marketing automation through Pardot, creating campaigns and analyzing results.
    • Create hold leads into SalesForce cloud system for further outbound call on possible sale.
  4. Prepare your business development representative resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your business development representative resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a business development representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable business development representative resume templates

    Build a professional business development representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your business development representative resume.
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    Business Development Representative Resume
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    Business Development Representative Resume
    Business Development Representative Resume
    Business Development Representative Resume
    Business Development Representative Resume
    Business Development Representative Resume
    Business Development Representative Resume
  5. Apply for business development representative jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a business development representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first business development representative job

Zippi

Are you a business development representative?

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Average business development representative salary

The average business development representative salary in the United States is $47,240 per year or $23 per hour. Business development representative salaries range between $26,000 and $82,000 per year.

Average business development representative salary
$47,240 Yearly
$22.71 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do business development representatives rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Business development representative reviews

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2021
Pros

Cultivating relationships with customers and accessing customers needs , I like solving their problems with the product or service that I am pre selling to them before passing the lead to a sales executive.

Cons

I am passionate about my role as a BDR and there is nothing that I don't like. I don't like to be put in a box so to speak I enjoy reaching high and don't like to limited.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Pay was consistent and you pick your own rate based on the commission you choose to bring in. Spending so much time together created a bond between the team where uplifting one another on bad days became part of the job. I guess it depends on your particular work environment but the bonds created kept us going.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.