| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Sales and Business Development |
| Level | Entry level |
| Reports to | Business Development Manager |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | 1 to 3 years in business development or sales |
Business Development Executive job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Business Development Executive
Department: Sales and Business Development
Reports to: Business Development Manager
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Business Development Executive wins new business by generating leads, pitching the company's offering and closing smaller deals, while learning to handle larger ones. They prospect, qualify, present and follow up through the sales cycle to hit a new business target. A good business development executive builds a healthy pipeline, converts leads to deals and grows into more complex selling. The role reports to a business development or sales manager and drives new business in an assigned market or segment.
Key responsibilities
- Generate leads through calls, emails, referrals and networking in the target market.
- Qualify leads and understand the prospect's need before pitching a solution.
- Present the company's products or services to interested prospects.
- Prepare quotations and proposals and share them with decision makers.
- Follow up through the sales cycle and close deals to meet the target.
- Negotiate basic pricing and terms within the given authority.
- Maintain the pipeline in the CRM with accurate stages and next steps.
- Build relationships with prospects and turn first deals into repeat business.
- Hand over closed clients to delivery or account teams smoothly.
- Report pipeline, closures and market feedback to the reporting manager.
Requirements
- Graduate in business, commerce or any discipline
- Good communication and selling aptitude
- An MBA is an advantage
- 1 to 3 years in business development or sales
KRAs and KPIs for a Business Development Executive
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| New business | New business revenue meets the assigned target each period |
| Pipeline | Qualified pipeline held at the agreed multiple of target |
| Conversion | Lead to deal conversion kept above the agreed level |
| Activity | Outreach and meeting activity meets the weekly standard |
| New accounts | New clients acquired as per the monthly plan |
| CRM hygiene | Pipeline kept accurate and current in the CRM |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: CRM platform, Email outreach tools, LinkedIn, MS Excel, Calling tools.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Senior Business Development Executive, Business Development Manager, Key Account Executive
Interview questions for a Business Development Executive
- How do you generate your own leads?
- How do you qualify a lead before spending time on it?
- How do you pitch the company's offering to a new prospect?
- How do you follow up without annoying the prospect?
- How do you handle a prospect who says the price is too high?
- Tell me about a deal you closed and what you learned.
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What does a business development executive do?
A business development executive wins new business by generating leads, pitching the company's offering and closing deals. They prospect, qualify, present, prepare proposals and follow up through the sales cycle to hit a new business target. They manage a pipeline, build relationships and hand closed clients to delivery teams, growing into more complex selling over time.
What is the difference between a BDE and a sales executive?
A business development executive focuses on winning new clients, often handling the full cycle from lead to close. A sales executive may sell defined products, sometimes to existing customers or through a set channel. The lines blur, but business development leans toward hunting new business, while sales execution can include serving and repeat selling.
How do I become a business development executive?
A graduate degree, good communication and a selling aptitude usually qualify you, and one to three years of sales or lead generation helps. Employers want people who can prospect, pitch, handle objections and close, with the persistence to build a pipeline. Many start as associates or in telesales and move up as they show results.