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What is a business development specialist and how to become one
A business development specialist is an individual who is responsible for identifying and pursuing new business opportunities to increase revenue and profits for a company. They analyze market trends, develop marketing strategies, and build relationships with clients and partners. They work closely with sales teams to define target markets and create plans to reach them.The goal of a business development specialist is to help a company grow and expand its reach in the market.
What general advice would you give to a business development specialist?
Ellen Daniels
Associate Lecturer, Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship Sales Program Coordinator Coach, KSU Sales Team Lead Faculty Advisor, PSE, Kent State University
Avg. Salary $57,410
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 10%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%
Asian 8.83%
Black or African American 6.36%
Hispanic or Latino 9.39%
Unknown 4.56%
White 70.43%
Genderfemale 49.27%
male 50.73%
Age - 43American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 43Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
What are the pros and cons of being a business development specialist?
Pros
Opportunity for career growth and advancement
High earning potential with commissions and bonuses
Chance to develop a broad skill set in sales, marketing, negotiation, and relationship building
Opportunity to build a strong professional network
Satisfaction from securing new business deals
Cons
High-pressure job with performance targets and deadlines
Requires persistence and resilience in the face of rejection and setbacks
Long hours and irregular schedules may be required
Constantly having to adapt to changes in the market or industry
Requires strong communication and interpersonal skills to build relationships with clients and colleagues
Business development specialist career paths
Key steps to become a business development specialist
Explore business development specialist education requirements
Start to develop specific business development specialist skills
Skills Percentages Work Ethic 10.25% CRM 9.12% Customer Service 7.15% Healthcare 6.42% Sales Process 4.02% Research business development specialist duties and responsibilities
- Utilize a number of sales tools such as SalesForce to manage pipeline.
- Develop and manage all SEO, SEM, and all social media platforms and authore all content.
- Manage and coordinate a successful implementation of a cloud-base ERP system.
- Manage logistics, control engineering and design, order placement, vendor relationships, customer utilization and technology.
Prepare your business development specialist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your business development specialist resume.
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Choose from 10+ customizable business development specialist resume templates
Build a professional business development specialist 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 specialist resume.
Apply for business development specialist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a business development specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first business development specialist job
Are you a business development specialist?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average business development specialist salary
The average business development specialist salary in the United States is $57,410 per year or $28 per hour. Business development specialist salaries range between $38,000 and $85,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do business development specialists rate their job?
Business development specialist reviews
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.
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.
Innovating a business model is key for a profitable business and growth. Without a proper and sustainable business model, even the best product or technology innovations will not flourish. Learn the skills and knowledge needed to start improving your business as you learn through real-life examples from fellow entrepreneurs, innovators and leading experts on business model innovation. Benefit business owners, entrepreneurs, business consultants or business developers who seek better understanding of business models and the tools to develop them.
There's nothing much not to like about this role.
Learn about many businesses and help to improve business profitability with mergers and partnerships.
Updated January 8, 2025
