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The differences between business development representatives and sales development representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales development representative has an average salary of $51,504, which is higher than the $47,240 average annual salary of a business development representative.
The top three skills for a business development representative include business development, work ethic and customer service. The most important skills for a sales development representative are SDR, lead generation, and customer service.
| Business Development Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $47,240 | $51,504 |
| Hourly rate | $22.71 | $24.76 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 269,704 | 199,588 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A business development representative's role is to find new business and client opportunities through market research and networking. They are primarily responsible for participating in creating strategies to enhance client relations, improve sales, and reach out to potential clients through calls, correspondence, and meetings. Moreover, it is also their responsibility to perform follow-up calls, offer recommendations, and even build rapport to strengthen client base. As a representative, it is essential to coordinate with managers and supervisors and adhere to policies and regulations.
A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.
Business development representatives and sales development representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Development Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average salary | $47,240 | $51,504 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $82,000 | Between $34,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Wipro Limited | PitchBook Data |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a business development representative and a sales development representative in terms of educational background:
| Business Development Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between business development representatives' and sales development representatives' demographics:
| Business Development Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.6% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 6% |