Business Developer: Salary and Responsibilities in 2026

The Business Developer (or "BizDev") is the person who grows a company's revenue. They identify new market opportunities, develop partnerships, and convert prospects into customers.
It's a hybrid profile, sitting at the crossroads of sales, marketing, and strategy.

Job profile last updated on 09/06/2026.

Why do companies need this role?

In a context where markets evolve quickly, the Business Developer helps the company find growth levers: new clients, new sales channels, new offerings.

It's a key role for startups and scale-ups looking to accelerate their growth, validate their business model, or prepare for a fundraise.

Core responsibilities of the Business Developer

The Business Developer is involved at every stage of the sales cycle:

• Prospecting: identifying the right contacts (CEO, CMO, CTO, buyers, etc.) and approaching them with the right message.
• Qualification: understanding the prospect's needs and assessing their business potential.
• Closing: negotiating and finalizing contracts.
• Retention: nurturing the customer relationship and spotting new opportunities.
• Reporting & strategy: tracking KPIs (revenue, close rate, sales cycle, churn) and adjusting priorities.

Depending on the size of the company, they may also work hand in hand with marketing, product, or sales leadership.

Key skills

• Solid prospecting and negotiation skills
• Strong understanding of the market and business issues
• Mastery of CRM tools (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, etc.)
• Analytical mindset and ability to build a development strategy
• Fluent communication, adaptability, and persistence

Training to become a "BizDev"

Business Developers often come from business, management, or marketing schools (Bachelor's to Master's level), but also from technical or self-taught backgrounds, depending on the type of product being sold (especially in tech).

Salary

• Junior: €35K to €45K
• Confirmed: €45K to €60K
• Senior / Head of Sales: €60K to €80K (excluding variable)
  The variable component can represent between 15% and 40% of the total, depending on the targets set.

Possible career progression

• Account Executive (if focused on closing)
• Head of Sales
• Sales Manager
• Sales Director
• Or toward more cross-functional roles: Growth, Partnerships, Business Strategy

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FAQ about the Business Developer role

What is the difference between a Business Developer and a traditional salesperson?

A traditional salesperson (Account Executive) focuses primarily on selling and closing: they work from an existing pipeline with a defined process. A Business Developer has a broader role: they explore new markets, create new distribution channels, build strategic partnerships, and may even influence the product roadmap. In smaller companies, the two roles often overlap.

What is the difference between a Business Developer and a Growth Hacker?

A Business Developer is more oriented toward outbound and human relationships: prospecting, partnerships, contract negotiation. A Growth Hacker is more data and experimentation driven: optimising digital channels, A/B testing, and growth loops. In a scale-up, both profiles are complementary: the BizDev opens markets, the Growth team scales them.

Which sectors hire the most Business Developers?

B2B SaaS, fintechs, marketplace platforms, digital agencies, and consulting firms are the biggest recruiters. But Business Developers exist in every sector with an active commercial approach: digital health, proptech, edtech, defence, and manufacturing.

What is the salary of a Business Developer in France in 2026?

A junior Business Developer typically earns between €35,000 and €45,000 gross per year in base salary, plus a variable component of 15 to 30% depending on targets. A confirmed profile earns €45,000 to €60,000 in base salary. A Senior or Head of Sales can exceed €60,000 to €80,000 in base, with variable representing up to 40% of total compensation.

Which CRM tools should a Business Developer master?

HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive are the three market references. HubSpot is widespread in scale-ups and tech SMEs, Salesforce in larger organisations. Prospecting tools such as Apollo, Lemlist, LaGrowthMachine, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator complete the modern BizDev's toolkit.

How does a Business Developer generate leads?

Via outbound (cold email, LinkedIn outreach, cold calling, event networking), inbound (qualifying marketing-generated leads), partnerships (co-selling, referral partners), and sometimes Product-Led Growth (free trials, freemium). Mastery of multiple lead generation channels is increasingly expected.

What skills distinguish a senior Business Developer from a junior?

A senior BizDev masters go-to-market strategy, can build and optimise a full sales process, can manage a team, and has a strong grasp of financial metrics (ARR, NRR, CAC, LTV). They also bring a network of buyers or partners they can activate quickly. A junior is more focused on execution: prospecting, qualification, and supporting senior team members.

How is the Business Developer role evolving with AI?

AI is transforming low-value-add tasks: personalising emails at scale, automated lead scoring, sales call analysis (Gong, Chorus), and automatic database enrichment. The human BizDev then focuses on what AI cannot do: building trust-based relationships, understanding complex needs, negotiating, and closing strategic deals.