what is a business development representative?
A business development representative is a person within a sales team who uses cold email, cold calls and networking to bring new business opportunities to the company. Business development usually drives strategic opportunities for an organisation by building partnerships and growth. It leverages the sales teams for lead generation and creates new business opportunities.
As a business development representative, you are invaluable in creating inbound opportunities. You ensure every channel is optimised to provide the sales team with a constant flow of leads. While a business development representative generates leads, they don't convert them. That's why they work with the sales teams to support them by providing strong leads that are easy to convert.
what does a business development representative do?
The role of a business development representative is to spark interest in products and services. You can work for small start-ups that want to expand fast or large companies that need a constant supply of new leads to optimise revenue. Most business development representatives engage with prospects or generate leads through digital marketing. However, if the organisation needs more leads, a BDR engages with potential buyers directly. Unlike your partners in the sale, you don't get the satisfaction of closing a deal or completing a sale, but you still contribute to a company's growth.
Would working as a business development representative suit your creativity and adaptability? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a business development representative role.
view jobsaverage salary of a business development representative
According to ONS, the average salary of a business development representative is £25,871 per year. You can take home a base salary of £20,000 annually at entry-level positions, while business development representatives with over four years of experience earn over £34,000 annually.
Aside from salaries, employers pay allowances and provide benefits to business development representatives. You can receive medical, house and transport allowances, bonuses and commissions for successful leads. You also enjoy paid sick leave and holidays.
how to increase your salary as a business development representative
When you are a business development representative, you can boost your compensation package by working for a promising business sector with higher commissions. For instance, generating leads for financial services and insurance companies pays more than generating opportunities for retail businesses. The company size also influences the base salary and the commissions you earn from the role. For instance, large companies deal with big clients and generating the leads earns you higher commissions. Their resources also make it easier for them to pay higher base salaries.
Your experience and personal attributes contribute to your success in the role and determine your pay structure. Additional qualifications improve your salary prospects, while your qualities can make you invaluable to a company.
types of business development representatives
Some of the types of business development representatives include:
- b2b business development representatives: as a business development representative, you find clients for your company. You cold-call prospective businesses and do social selling to improve the chances of landing a major client for your business.
- b2c business development representatives: as a b2c business development representative, you look for clients and prospective business from consumers instead of other businesses. You generate leads from the traffic to the company's website and identify potential buyers.
working as a business development representative
Working as a business development representative requires creativity and people skills to generate leads. Discover the day-to-day duties, work environment and schedule for the role.
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business development representative job description
The typical duties of a business development representative include:
- researching new markets: as a business development representative, you research your employer's current market share and look for untapped markets. You also research new channels where ideal customers hang out and use the data to build customer profiles. You can identify new lead generation opportunities using behavioural data and insights.
- generating leads: the primary responsibility of a business development representative is to generate leads. After compiling and analysing data from the research, you focus on stimulating and capturing interest in the company's products or services. Based on the traffic to various channels, you populate a list of potential clients to reach out to for business.
- cold calling: as a business development representative, you need to engage potential leads. Cold calling is an effective technique for engaging new leads. It allows you to communicate with prospective customers in real-time and customise your responses to the recipient's needs. Cold calling is challenging, and you must practise a few times to build your skills.
- cold emailing your leads: as a business development representative, you use cold emails to test the waters or generate new leads. Your job is to create the campaign emails and ensure they hook the reader or generate interest in the company's products.
- networking with prospective clients: as a business development representative, you don't just connect with customers online. You need to be good at working with people face-to-face and reassuring them of the benefits of working with your company. Sometimes you have to build trust and lasting business relationships through networking.
- social selling: as a business development representative, you need to be good at leveraging social media to engage target audiences. You should know the perfect platform to use and the best time of the day to get quality engagements. Social selling makes you an online authority and showcases your expertise in the industry. When you are good at social selling, you can build trust with your audience and generate opportunities.
- qualifying leads: as the BDR, you qualify leads by handling the initial conversation to ensure they fit the criteria. The initial meeting is for gathering information instead of trying to close a sale.
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work environment
Business development representatives work in corporate office settings in the marketing or sales departments. The role is mainly a desk job since you spend most of the day completing research and cold calling prospects from your office. Fortunately, the office environment is climate-controlled, and you enjoy comfortable work settings. Aside from working from the office, sometimes you have to attend networking events and conferences to meet with prospective clients. The role involves minimal travelling since you use online tools and techniques to generate new leads. You can complete most of the tasks working from home unless you are attending social networking events.
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who are your colleagues?
As a business development representative, your colleagues are likely to include sales managers, HR business partner, business development managers, business development executives and marketing managers. You will also work in close proximity to media sales advisor,
media sales executives, marketing executives and field sales representatives, as well as other specialists that could include social media managers, digital marketing managers and account managers. -
work schedule
The work schedule of a business development representative is 40 hours a week. You will work the traditional business hours from 9 am to 5 pm. It's possible to complete your tasks during business hours unless you are meeting clients in the evening for social networking. Sometimes, you have to attend weekend events to meet with prospects or qualify leads face to face.
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job outlook
Working as a business development representative gives you insights into managerial responsibilities, especially in sales or marketing. You can progress from the role to become a business development manager. Alternatively, focus on becoming the sales or marketing manager in the company. Some business development representatives become social media or digital marketing experts due to their expertise in lead generation.
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advantages of finding a business development representative job through randstad
Finding your business development representative job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a business development representative is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
Some of the academic qualifications of a BDR include:
- university degree: to become a business development representative, you should complete a bachelor's degree in communication, business management or marketing. You can also land a job with an undergraduate degree in a related field.
- work experience: to become a business development representative, you need prior work experience in sales or marketing. You can try an entry-level job in marketing or become a sales representative to acquire skills in cold calling and emailing.
business development representative skills and competencies
Some of the skills needed in business development roles:
- interpersonal skills: to be a successful business development representative, you need exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. You have to communicate clearly with potential leads and marketing team members. You also need confidence to cold-call prospects.
- creativity: as a BDR, you need to be creative to come up with original ideas on ways to reach the target audience. Once you contact a potential customer, you need to keep them interested in the company's services and products. You also need to respond creatively to rejections.
- persistence: you need to be persistent since it takes more than a single cold call or email to get someone interested. Persistence keeps you going in the face of rejection and helps you understand that business development is a long-term proposition.
- business acumen: as a business development representative, you need expert knowledge of the company and its products. It is also important to understand the competition. When you have business understanding, you will have the tools for making your company stand out from the competition.
FAQs
FAQs about working as a business development representative
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is a business development representative a good job?
The business development representative role is rewarding since you generate leads for your employer. You contribute to business growth and expansion by bringing new business.
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how much can you make as a BDR?
The average salary of a business development representative is £25,871 annually. With experience, you can earn up to £34,000 per year.
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is the BDR job hard?
Becoming a BDR is challenging since you spend most of the time cold-calling prospects. You don't always receive a positive response, and you need to be good at handling rejection.
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what is the career path for a business development representative?
A business development representative can become the manager or move to sales and marketing roles in the company.
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what is exciting about being a BDR?
Cold calling and networking with new people is the exciting part of becoming a business development representative.
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how do I apply for a business development representative vacancy?
Applying for a business development representative job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our business development representative job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!
