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The differences between sales development representatives and business development sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sales development representative, becoming a business development sales manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a business development sales manager has an average salary of $111,309, which is higher than the $51,504 average annual salary of a sales development representative.
The top three skills for a sales development representative include SDR, lead generation and customer service. The most important skills for a business development sales manager are business development, customer service, and CRM.
| Sales Development Representative | Business Development Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $51,504 | $111,309 |
| Hourly rate | $24.76 | $53.51 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 199,588 | 181,115 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 8 |
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.
A business development sales manager is in charge of securing sales by reaching out to clients through calls, correspondence, or appointments. Their responsibilities often revolve around performing research and analysis to identify new leads and sales opportunities, offering different products and services, and creating proposals and price quotes for potential clients. A business development sales manager may also tailor payment plans, process billing, participate in various marketing initiatives, and produce progress reports. Furthermore, it is essential to ensure customer satisfaction and build positive relationships to strengthen the company's client base.
Sales development representatives and business development sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Development Representative | Business Development Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $51,504 | $111,309 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $77,000 | Between $68,000 And $179,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | Avient |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Professional |
There are a few differences between a sales development representative and a business development sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Sales Development Representative | Business Development Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between sales development representatives' and business development sales managers' demographics:
| Sales Development Representative | Business Development Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% | Male, 74.3% Female, 25.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |