What is a Business Developer?

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.

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