The business developer career

In brief
The business developer looks for new levers of growth for their company, whether markets, clients or offers, and steers the projects that make them happen.
They differ from a classic sales role through their share of analysis and strategy. The expected level is Bac+5, which several Master of Science (MSc) programmes at Excelia Business School prepare for.

What is a business developer?

A business developer's main mission is to find new levers of growth for their company. This article draws on the job profile from APEC, the Association pour l'emploi des cadres. According to this profile, the business developer finds these levers by canvassing new markets and new clients, or by changing the company's marketing strategy.

The job title is confusing: people hear “sales” in it, whereas selling is only one stage of the work. The role goes further: the business developer chooses where the company looks for its growth before going out to find it. Several Master of Science (MSc) programmes at Excelia Business School prepare for this career, as we shall see below.

What does a business developer do day to day?

A business developer's work follows a four-stage cycle, from market analysis to project follow-up.

It all begins with a development strategy: internal audits, market studies, then choosing a new market or new clients to target. Next comes canvassing, which consists of approaching these clients and building a relationship of trust with them. The business developer also proposes savings and expansion plans to the company's internal departments, which means working with them. Finally, they steer development projects: they negotiate contracts, follow the business plan that puts figures on the project's stages and retain the clients they have won.

The career is practised in all sectors, from industry to construction, from trade to services, most often in mid-sized companies or large companies, and also in SMEs looking to develop.

What skills do you need to become a business developer?

Two kinds are needed, those of relationships and those of analysis, and the business developer needs both equally. The idea that you would have to be a born salesperson therefore doesn't hold up well.

• Relationships: listening, a sense of negotiation, sales techniques and team spirit
• Analysis and follow-up: statistical analysis, cross-referencing data, mastery of Excel, rigour, a talent for synthesis, organisation, project follow-up and knowledge of the competitive environment

A person who is more comfortable with figures than with public speaking is therefore not ruled out automatically, provided they accept negotiation, which is part of the role.

Is this career really right for you? To judge, test your affinity with management careers.

How much does a business developer earn?

A business developer's remuneration combines a fixed part and a variable part. According to APEC, 80% of offers of gross annual remuneration fall between €31,000 and €65,000, for an average of €45,000.

These amounts describe the market for the career as a whole, not what a person earns on graduating: the same profile states that three years' experience is frequently required. For a young graduate, it is a benchmark, never a promise.

What career progression is there after a business developer role?

The possible career paths lead towards greater responsibility, up to general management:

• senior business developer
• business manager, in charge of an activity
• sales manager
• key account manager, in charge of major accounts
• managing director

A neighbouring career, the account manager career, consists in retaining a portfolio of existing clients, whereas the business developer goes out to find new markets and new clients.

What path leads to becoming a business developer?

According to APEC, the expected level is Bac+5, that is five years of study after the baccalaureate: a master's degree in administration, or a business school qualification with a specialisation in sales or in business development. Three years' experience is frequently required, but the role is possibly open to young graduates who have completed internships in companies.

Several Master of Science (MSc) programmes at Excelia Business School prepare for the career of business developer. A benchmark for employers in France: these Master of Science (MSc) programmes are State-accredited, leading to a Grade de Master. The school itself holds the quadruple accreditation EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master, which fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide combine. Each programme has its own angle:

• Sales: the MSc in Marketing and Sales Management covers marketing across all channels, complex negotiation, project management and digital marketing, and notably prepares for the roles of sales manager, sales director and business developer
• Entrepreneurship: the MSc in Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation notably opens onto roles as an entrepreneur, innovation manager or business developer, from the startup to the large corporation
• Business relationships between companies (B2B): the MSc in Sales Engineering notably opens onto roles as a business developer, commercial engineer or key account manager

This last MSc trains for a neighbouring career, presented in another article: the sales engineer career. The arrangements for each programme are given on its page.

If you are still at secondary school, Excelia Business School's Master in Management (Programme Grande École), accessible after the baccalaureate, allows you to specialise afterwards in these fields.

Discover the MSc in Marketing and Sales Management

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a business developer and a salesperson?

A classic sales role focuses on selling, whereas the business developer steps in upstream, through market analysis, and downstream, through steering projects and retaining clients.

What qualification do you need to become a business developer?

APEC indicates a Bac+5 level, either a master's degree in administration or a business school qualification focused on sales management or business development.

Can you become a business developer on graduating?

It is sometimes possible. Job offers frequently ask for a minimum of three years' experience, but APEC points out that the role can take on young graduates whose background includes internships in companies.

Is the business developer career accessible without a strong sales profile?

Yes, if you are willing to negotiate. The career calls for as much data analysis, rigour and project follow-up as commercial sense, which leaves room for a more analytical profile.

What roles does a business developer progress to?

The possible progressions range from senior business developer to managing director, via business manager, sales manager or key account manager.