The business field keeps growing. Employment in business and finance jobs is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations between 2023 and 2033, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Business development managers, or business developers, are vital to this growth. Business developers can be in entry-level positions right out of college as well as CEOs and other C-suite positions.
Blake Escudier, faculty member in the School of Business and Information Technology at Purdue Global, helps us understand the duties and responsibilities of a business developer.
What Is Business Development?
Business development involves implementing growth opportunities within and between organizations. The goal is to create long-term value from customers, markets, and relationships.
“Business development incorporates marketing and sales,” Escudier says, “but there's much more to it.”
While marketing focuses on reaching a wider audience, and sales typically revolves around closing deals, business development seeks to grow a business. The goal goes beyond increasing profits; it involves making strategic decisions for the overall health of a business.
What Does a Business Development Manager Do?
A business developer’s role is to contribute innovative ideas to help a company grow within its industry. They conduct market research and analyze a company’s current products and services to identify opportunities to increase customer engagement.
A business developer’s day-to-day roles, according to Indeed, can include:
- Coordinating with sales teams to develop beneficial proposals
- Building and maintaining client relationships
- Gathering actionable insights from customer and competitor data
- Identifying and researching clients
- Giving presentations to clients and company executives
- Overseeing project teams to ensure contracts are executed as specified
- Negotiating contract terms and communicating with stakeholders
- Managing strategic partnerships to grow business
- Creating and implementing processes and policies to support business goals
Business developers must stay knowledgeable about the current market to effectively target growth opportunities. They are expected to have expert knowledge of their target audience and engage with prospects to generate new business.
What Are the Skills Required for Business Development?
Business development requires a wide range of skills — from marketing to sales to project management and more.
“The skills could be very broad,” Escudier says. “But everyone in a company, in their own way, is doing business development just by doing their job.”
Some of the most common business development skills include:
Communication and Customer Service
Business developers must be able to write and speak confidently and clearly. They must call prospects, maintain long-term relationships with strategic partners, listen to the concerns of potential clients, and share valuable information with stakeholders.
Marketing
Business developers need to have a basic understanding of marketing concepts to position goods and services effectively. Business developers should be able to analyze new markets, understand the competition, and identify and educate new target prospects.
Negotiation
A business developer should be able to negotiate. They must be able to generate leads and keep them engaged throughout the sales funnel, even though business developers may not be the ones responsible for closing deals.
Planning and Project Management
Business development is an involved process, so managing it closely is vital to a business developer’s success. Some of the skills needed to be a great project manager carry over to the business development industry, including leadership, team management, and personal organization.
Forecasting and Data Analysis
Business development professionals must know how to analyze data to forecast future trends and use that data to present to managers and executives. The metrics business developers track will vary depending on the sales cycle, needs of the company, and industry.
Sales Management
Similar to sales professionals, a business development professional must be able to identify the company's target audience and effectively find and follow up on growth opportunities. Business developers typically work closely with sales team members to move prospects through the sales process.
Who Is a Good Fit for Business Development?
“Individuals who want to grow their career would be a good candidate for business development,” Escudier says. “They think, ‘What can I do to help my company?’ That’s what business development is all about.”
The traits that can help you succeed in business development include:
- Curiosity: A good business developer knows how to ask thoughtful questions and always seeks to discover their answers. They leverage this natural curiosity to solve problems.
- Product knowledge: Effective developers carry a deep understanding of their product. This enables them to create a clean plan for developing the business model.
- Pragmatism: Business development plans require professionals who set manageable goals and expectations. Developers must be sensible in their approach and able to evaluate progress objectively.
- Brand awareness: Business developers must deeply understand their brand and how the company promotes it to the public.
How Do You Become a Business Development Manager?
Becoming a business development manager requires a mix of education and experience. Here are four steps you can take to help you enter business development:
- Get an education. Many employers prefer candidates who have earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration or management or other related fields — possibly with specializations in business development. You could also pursue a master’s degree in business administration to increase your value.
- Find a mentor. A good mentor will help you expand your professional network and teach you more about launching a career as a business development manager. You could seek out a teacher, former manager, fellow alumni from your school, or any other experienced professional who could share their experiences, guidance, and advice.
- Develop a range of skills. Work on the hard skills listed above — such as marketing, sales, and project management — along with soft skills such as active listening and planning. You should also be familiar with customer relationship management software, spreadsheets, word processing, and business presentation software.
- Consider career goals. As a business development manager, you can climb the ranks through senior management, or you can start your own business. Focus on your goal, and determine how your knowledge and skills can lead to that outcome.
What Is the Future of Business Development?
Business development is a growing field. Business development positions are among the most in-demand roles in the world, according to the 2025 Future of Jobs Report from the World Economic Forum.
In the United States, the organization projects a 14% net growth for business development professionals between 2025 and 2030. American companies rank this role fourth in terms of positions key to business transformation, behind only AI and machine learning specialists, data analysts and scientists, and sustainability specialists.
Key Roles for Business Transformation in the U.S.
| Ranking | Job Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | AI and Machine Learning Specialists |
| 2 | Data Analysts and Scientists |
| 3 | Sustainability Specialists |
| 4 | Business Development Professionals |
| 5 | General and Operations Managers |
Source: Future of Jobs Report 2025
Escudier says he sees a growth in open positions in business development. “Every business wants to maintain its position and not fail. Therefore, the company has to invest in business development,” he says. “Today, with advances in technology and information access, with the potential for more use of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, business development experts are going to have more data available to evaluate and do their jobs better.”
Begin Your Career in Business Development
Purdue Global offers several paths to achieve the skills you need for a career in business development. A few online degrees you can explore include:
- Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration
- Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (concentration in business development)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Master of Science in Management and Leadership
Reach out today to request more information.
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