How to hire a Business Development Representative

How to hire a business development representative, step by step

Here's a step-by-step business development representative hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a business development representative job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new business development representative
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Business Development Representative do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a business development representative, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect business development representative also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of business development representative salaries for various roles:

   Type Of Business Development Representative	Description	Hourly Rate
   Business Development Representative		$12-39
   Sales Representative Internship	In a sales representative internship, an intern's duties depend on the directives of a supervising staff or manager. Typically, they are responsible for gaining industry insights while performing clerical tasks such as preparing and processing documents, greeting visitors, disseminating and organizing files, and running errands as needed... Show More	$12-20
   National Account Representative	A national account representative plays a pivotal role in managing client relationships. These professionals manage relationships for high-value customers, especially those who invest vast amounts in the company or those who have stayed in the organization for an extended period... Show More	$14-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Business Development
   • Work Ethic
   • Customer Service
   • BDR
   • Sales Cycle
   • Lead Generation
   • Sales Process
   • Account Executives
   • Cold Calls
   • Wine
   • Product Knowledge
   • Inbound Calls
   • Marketing Campaigns
   • Excellent Interpersonal

   Check All Skills

   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.
   • Manage customer portfolios, service relationships and cross-selling of all company's products and services.
   • Lead firm s social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Google+ and launch.

   More Business Development Representative duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your business development representative job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A business development representative salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a business development representative in Alabama may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level business development representative usually earns less than a senior-level business development representative. Additionally, a business development representative with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average business development representative salary

   $47,240yearly

   $22.71 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level business development representative salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2025

   Average business development representative salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$61,921	$30
   2	New Jersey	$58,479	$28
   3	Oregon	$58,072	$28
   4	Washington	$56,297	$27
   5	District of Columbia	$54,220	$26
   6	Virginia	$53,319	$26
   7	New York	$52,581	$25
   8	Pennsylvania	$51,557	$25
   9	Nevada	$50,805	$24
   10	Maryland	$50,747	$24
   11	Kansas	$49,412	$24
   12	Arizona	$49,334	$24
   13	Massachusetts	$48,346	$23
   14	Utah	$47,305	$23
   15	Michigan	$46,777	$22
   16	Texas	$46,541	$22
   17	Illinois	$46,371	$22
   18	South Carolina	$45,556	$22
   19	North Carolina	$45,402	$22
   20	Georgia	$44,871	$22

   Average business development representative salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Wipro Limited	$118,737	$57.09	6
   2	Cirrus Aircraft	$116,262	$55.90	6
   3	Mintz	$108,959	$52.38
   4	Better	$106,118	$51.02	3
   5	Cloudflare	$104,156	$50.08	35
   6	Google	$103,652	$49.83	82
   7	Zoho	$103,573	$49.79	3
   8	Vista Equity Partners	$101,602	$48.85	8
   9	Databricks	$100,815	$48.47	27
   10	Element Fleet Management	$97,407	$46.83	11
   11	Belkin	$94,008	$45.20
   12	SMUD	$91,912	$44.19
   13	PagerDuty	$90,291	$43.41	6
   14	Lenovo	$88,775	$42.68	72
   15	Platinum Real Estate	$88,414	$42.51
   16	Snowflake Computing	$86,051	$41.37	64
   17	Riverbed Holdings, Inc.	$83,911	$40.34	2
   18	Scality	$80,698	$38.80
   19	Crowe	$78,491	$37.74	5
   20	Continental Resources	$77,834	$37.42

4. Writing a Business Development Representative Job Description

   A business development representative job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a business development representative job description:

   Business Development Representative job description example

   Built on meritocracy, our unique company culture rewards self-starters and those who are committed to doing what is best for our customers.
   Brown & Brown is seeking a Business Development Representative for its team in Roseland , New Jersey ! As one of the largest insurance intermediaries in the industry, we need new sales executives to assist us in carrying on an unmatched tradition of success. If you have an a desire a profession where your accomplishments can offer unlimited potential income, then you may be a fit with our firm.
   
   The primary responsibilities of this role are to sell and renew insurance to businesses in this community and region. Our team environment will provide you with a wealth of resources to help you reach your full potential. New sales are the focus of the position and cross sales of existing clients is also encouraged. As a full service agency, we can bring Personal Insurance, Commercial Insurance and Employee Benefits products to our customers. You will report directly to our Sales Manager.
   
   WHAT YOU'LL DO:
   Prospect, develop, propose and bind new business Actively pursue new customer prospects through telemarketing, networking, and personal referrals Renew existing customers every year Assist in the collection of required coverage information and necessary deposit and renewal premiums Maintain the proper documentation for existing and prospective customers Oversee all aspects of your new customers with the assigned account manager Drive and support cross-selling strategies for existing customers, as well as new relationships Foster and seek relationships with teammates across all levels of Brown & Brown Ensure compliance with government agencies and corporate policies and procedures Attend training sessions, courses, etc. to maintain up-to-date skills Always conduct the highest level of confidentiality
   
   WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
   Bachelor's Degree, or an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered 3+ years' B2B sales experience, preference to those with experience in insurance sales. Active NJ Producer license, or willingness to obtain within sixty days Acceptable results of a Motor Vehicle Record and maintenance of minimum acceptable insurance coverages Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 Exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills
   WHAT WE OFFER:
   Base salary + commission compensation structure Unlimited earning potential Excellent growth and advancement opportunities Discretionary Time Off (DTO) Generous benefits package: health, dental, vision, 401(k), etc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan
   
   We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We take pride in the diversity of our team and seek diversity in our applicants.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find business development representatives for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any business development representatives they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level business development representatives with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find business development representative candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit business development representatives, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new business development representative

   Once you've selected the best business development representative candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new business development representative first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a business development representative?