In This Blog:
- ➤What Is A Business Development Manager?
- ➤Name Confusion: Business Development Manager vs Sales Rep / Business Development Manager vs Account Manager
- ➤What a Remote BDM Does Day to Day
- ➤What a BDM Needs to Know Before They Start Reaching Out (AU Compliance)
- ➤What Does a Business Development Manager Cost in Australia?
- ➤How to Hire a Business Development Person? (Why AU SMBs Are Hiring Remotely)
- ➤FAQs About What Is a Business Development Manager? (What Is a BDM?)
- ➤The New Hire That Brings New Opportunities In
Are you a business owner? Then you were the person opening every door to new business.
Or since you’re reading this article, chances are… you’re still the one making it happen. Along with growth planning and keeping operations aligned to how and where you want your business to be.
It’s hitting you now:
No specific person doing dedicated market research and first-touch outreach leads to growth that feels like a foot-dragging, “I’ll get to it tomorrow” endeavor.
Networking strategies and events. Building pipelines. Referral partnerships. Opportunity sourcing for market expansion. Just four out of a number of other responsibilities that bring in new business. And they all answer: “What is a Business Development Manager?”
76% of small to medium-sized businesses say their founder or owner closes the most deals.
What does the person who’s supposed to be doing that actually do every day? Here’s a breakdown of their responsibilities, what other roles “BDM” is often interchanged with but are separate functions, and the benefits of a BDM to Australian SMBs.
The facts detailed in this article may very well be the push you need to finally hire one.
What does a Business Development Manager do?
A Business Development Manager (BDM) identifies new markets, builds relationships with potential clients and partners, and creates qualified opportunities that support long-term business growth. Rather than focusing on closing sales, a BDM develops a steady pipeline by researching prospects, initiating outreach, and uncovering strategic partnerships before handing opportunities to the sales team. For many Australian SMEs, a BDM also reduces the founder’s workload by making business growth a dedicated function instead of an owner-led responsibility.
What Is A Business Development Manager?
A Business Development Manager is responsible for finding and opening new revenue opportunities for your business. In other words, they find people and businesses that could become your next customers or partners. They don’t close the sale. That’s the sales team’s job. But they do start the conversation and make sure there are always new people to sell to.
You’ve probably searched “What is the role of Business Development Manager?” and dug up a slew of other roles that seem to do the same thing. Strategic partnerships. Market share. Revenue growth. What roles are specific to a BDM?
The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies this role as:
“
One that plans, coordinates, and directs business development activity, both inside your business and out in the market.
Role Classification
Their job is to make sure new businesses don’t begin and end with the owner. Although that’s also true of a number of other remote professions. What separates the duties of a BDM is this:
They find opportunities that aren’t there yet. To see to it that your next lead isn’t your last. They do research. Outreach. Relationship-building with people who’ve never heard of you (and in other cases, you’ve never heard of them).
The Part Many Don’t Know Goes Ahead of the Sales Process
It happens before any type of lead is classified and won over (and many times while lead generation is in progress). Before any conversion strategy’s put to the test.
Every deal your business ever wins goes through a typical sequence: Find the opportunity. Qualify it. Close it. Manage it after signing.
The first step’s all on the BDM.
Illustration: Arlo has grown his Adelaide-based industrial equipment supply business from 3 to 14. But even now, every square one is on him, from distributor relationship building to closing. He’s the one making the first phone calls. Cold or through people he already knew personally.
He has no qualms about the sales team. But opening new accounts? It doesn’t belong to them. Or to any other team. They’re on a slowdown when he’s the one doing them. The only one.
Name Confusion: Business Development Manager vs Sales Rep / Business Development Manager vs Account Manager
Ever thought of business development in a Hunter – Closer – Farmer perspective/context? It’s a popular and widely recognised framing that explains the 3 main roles in sales in a straightforward way:
Who finds new customers according to your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), who seals the deal, and who looks after the relationship afterwards. It describes how new business comes in and sticks around.
The line-up works like this:
- BDM (the Hunter or Scout) – works upstream of the sales pipeline; researches markets, identifies who to talk to, opens the first conversation, builds relationships before there’s a deal on the table
- Sales Rep (the closer)- takes a qualified opportunity and converts it into a signed deal; steps in after someone’s ready to buy and sees the deal through
- Account Manager (the farmer): looks after the relationship from the moment the contract is signed; focused on retention and expansion of existing accounts
Role Comparison: Business Development Manager vs Sales Representative vs Account Manager
What To Do: Who found your last 7 to 10 new clients or partnerships? Was it you? For every single one? Then you know this isn’t your team’s oversight. You need a BDM to handle that part of your business.
When Should You Hire More Salespeople and When You Shouldn’t
Let’s cut to the chase: more sales representatives isn’t the issue here.
Hiring a sales rep, or two, or more when you don’t have a Business Development Manager is creating roles where they’ll have nothing to do. If there are no new opportunities created, there’s nothing to close.
Among businesses with less than $1 million in revenue, the 76% number of founders doing BDM duties goes up to 94%.
Illustration: Mia’s commercial cleaning contracting business is in Hobart. She grew it to a 20-person workforce last year. Naturally, she hired a sales rep, expecting new contracts to start coming in within a quarter.
Things didn’t pan out, and it wasn’t the rep’s fault. When the sales rep came in, leads had already been found. When those ran out, leads coming in were slow. Mia went hands-off. She thought that was the Sales Rep’s job.
What Exactly Does a Business Development Manager Do Daily? (What Does an Online Business Development Manager Do Day by Day?)
It’s time you see what fills a Business Development Manager’s calendar. It’s also a wake-up call, in a way, as you take a look at BDM responsibilities you’ve been covering (but should’ve, in fact, hired a BDM for).
You’ll understand why a BDM can complete their daily duties outside the office, and answer “Is BDM a good position?” with a resounding “YES.” Even from another country entirely. Here’s what their work generally demands, explained by function.
#1. Researching Who’s Worth Pursuing
A BDM does the opening play. They figure out and learn which industries and buyer or company profiles are worth pursuing. Before anyone from sales hits send on that first outreach email.
Before anyone sends a single email, a BDM figures out which industries, company sizes, or buyer profiles are genuinely worth your time. They cross off markets that are dead ends, while sifting out promising as well as good opportunities and marking places or gaps where your competitors don’t have much of a foothold yet.
What To Do: Ask BDM candidates to tell you how they’d shortlist ideal prospects from a broad market (you can create a fictional market or use a sales campaign from your archives). Reaching out to “everyone” is a reply that shouldn’t move the resume forward.
#2. Building a List of Real Decision-Makers
Not contacts. A BDM doesn’t collect names. They’re skilled in identifying the person to reach out to inside a target company. The one who has the authority to say yes or no to a proposal, and ultimately, a deal and a working relationship.
What tools do BDMs use here? Most go through LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo, or ZoomInfo. They then check those against your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) to avoid contacting someone your business has already been in touch with.
#3. Making First Contact With People Who’ve Never Heard of You
Never underestimate cold email sequences (most businesses today think it’s a retired strategy). Said email sequences, LinkedIn outreach, phone calls, introductions at industry events; they remain a reliable foot-in-the-door, conversation starter.
Oh, and a quick tip: never randomly send an email blast to EVERYONE, with no context or customisation.
Illustration: Naomi runs a 20-person commercial cleaning contracting business in Hobart. She hired a sales rep last year, expecting new contracts to start rolling in within a quarter. Nothing changed. Her rep had nothing to work with. Every lead reaching the rep had already been found and half-convinced by Naomi herself before he was ever looped in.
She hired someone to open doors that weren’t being opened, an expert BDM.
Quick Compliance Note: Any commercial email or SMS outreach needs consent. It also needs a clear, factual sender identity and a working unsubscribe option under the Spam Act 2004.
The Do Not Call Register exempts calls made to business numbers. However, if a sole trader uses their personal mobile for work (especially in AU SMBs), a BDM should know that extra protections may still apply.
#4. Chasing Down Partnerships
A Business Development Manager goes after partnerships that can bring in a steady stream of new business. Referral arrangements. Reseller relationships. They channel partners that generate ongoing deal flows. The cut where high-value opportunities potentially are.
Not so much single-lead, individual prospecting.
Instead of starting from zero with every new prospect, a BDM establishes relationships that continue opening doors on your business’s behalf. A “slow” approach, but is the tried and tested method when it comes to a BDM’s function. The payoff will be felt for years.
#5. Qualifying the Opportunity
…and not the lead. Lead or prospect qualification is a down-the-line function, and it belongs to sales. Qualifying opportunities have to do with how a BDM checks budget, need, timeline, and authority (of the prospect) when a prospect shows interest. They accomplishments all this before storing all that info in your CRM. Before passing the details on to the next role.
Their job on that specific opportunity doesn’t continue to negotiations. That’s deliberate.
#6. Reporting on What’s Going On in Your Market
Business Development Managers keep a close eye on competitors and pricing shifts, apart from tracking pipeline conversion rates, and how many conversations turn into real opportunities.
They report these back, so your team’s next step is based on what’s true now, instead of data that’s outdated or context that’s no longer applicable today.
What To Do: Ask how a prospective hire has reported pipeline activity with previous businesses or clients. This takes a bit more prompting to distinguish between those who haven’t been held accountable to numbers before and those who have. First-contact to qualified-opportunity.
Summary of BDM Function and Breakdown:
Before The BDM Starts Reaching Out (AU Compliance)
Is being a BDM a stressful job? Not when the BDM has working knowledge as one. Less stressful if they’re aware of compliance mandates.
Compliance is a key factor that the best Business Development Managers should have no problem learning to have a handle on. It’s okay to look for industry-specific BDMs. But note that as long as the BDM is able to go over and consistently apply your industry’s compliance requirements, niche backgrounds aren’t that significant an issue when choosing one BDM from the next.
The main Australian compliance requirements include:
- Spam Act 2003 – mandates about commercial electronic messages (email/SMS outreach); requires consent, clear sender ID, working unsubscribe
- Privacy Act 1988 / Australian Privacy Principles – how prospect data is sourced and stored during research
- Do Not Call Register Act 2006 – largely exempts calls to business numbers; a BDM should still know where a sole trader’s personal mobile might be covered by residential protections
What To Do: Before hiring, ask any BDM candidate how they’ve built compliant outreach sequences in a previous role. It’s possible that they may not have any experience with national compliance requirements, especially if they’ve worked with businesses outside Australia. In that case, try asking how they approached any kind of compliance issue, and what the results were.
What Does a Business Development Manager Cost in Australia?
Ready to post your job ad for a Business Development Manager? Give it a minute. You need to know the number closer to “real.” That number’s above base salary averages.
Here’s what the AU market’s paying:
Business Manager Salary in Australia Comparison:
Location (local) changes the numbers above. Sydney averages around $125,000 to $126,000. Melbourne follows closely behind at around $120,000.
Seniority has a heavier price tag, too. National or senior-level BDM roles average around $155,000. It’s common to encounter numbers as high as $240,000 for senior hires, and that’s factoring in bonuses and commission structures, which, of course, differ from business to business.
“Total” Can Mean Something Else
Whatever base salary you put your finger on, remember that it doesn’t include the Superannuation Guarantee (check updated Payday Super Rules in this article). Super’s at 12% as of 1 July 2025. Again, that’s just Super. Payroll tax, leave entitlements, onboarding, and training are to be added on top.
What To Do: Use the base salary you’re considering and multiply it by 1.25 to 1.35. That range is the number closest to your first-year cost of a local Business Development Manager. Because of this, you’ll see why the next section talks about how Australian SMBs are going about their hiring.
Related Read: Learn about other roles Australian businesses are hiring remotely— What Does a Project Manager Do, What Is The Role of a Chief of Staff, and What is the Difference Between a Chief of Staff vs Operations Manager.
AU SMBs Are Hiring Remotely: How to Hire a Business Development Person?
A BDM’s responsibilities aren’t tied to an office or a site. Everything they do can be done from anywhere. That’s as literal as that statement gets. The role is fully platform-based (research, outreach, CRM work); physical presence adds nothing to whether they’re doing a good job or not.
Local BDM talent is competitive, and salaries are climbing because experienced Business Development Managers are in short supply. So, businesses are turning to offshore talent through managed providers like Remote Staff.
Remote Staff has been pairing AU SMBs with the best remote BDMs for over 18 years. We take candidate vetting seriously. We review work experiences and knowledge or alignment in terms of niche and industry.
More than that, we take care of the process from onboarding, payroll, HR, and admin work, and you get to choose the engagement model that matches your business needs.
We’re here to help you stay compliant in all areas of your business as well. Here’s what you need to know about the Modern Slavery Act Australia.
FAQs About What Is a BDM
Is a business development manager a salesmean? (Is a business development manager the same as a salesperson?)
No. A BDM finds new opportunities; a salesperson converts those newfound opportunities into new accounts. Some small businesses combine both functions in one hire, or expect that hiring one automatically leads to fulfilling the role of the other. But the responsibilities are actually distinct.
Is BDM higher than Sales Manager? (Sales Manager vs Business Development Manager: Who is higher, Sales Manager or Business Development Manager?)
No. There’s no general hierarchy in terms of whether a BDM or a Sales Manager carries a “higher” position than the other. In larger companies, such a hierarchy isn’t a point of contention at all since both roles generally report to the same person. In smaller companies where there are fewer leadership roles, the BDM tends to report to the Sales Manager.
Still, this role “ranking” is more dependent on the responsibilities of each one, and how each business decides to structure its team/s.
How much does it cost to hire a business development manager in Australia? (What are Business Development Manager Hourly Rates in Australia?)
Base salaries range from $105,000 to $135,000. Senior roles usually reac $155,000 or higher. To get the real (or as close to it as possible) first-year cost with Superannuation, payroll tax, and onboarding, add around 25 to 35% on top of the base salary. The numbers go down significantly with a remote BDM.
Can a business development manager work remotely? (Can a business development manager work from home?)
Yes. The entirety of a Business Development Manager’s responsibilities is done through research tools, CRM platforms, and outreach channels like LinkedIn and email. Video calls and meetings, and cloud-based collaboration tools, also make it easy to build relationships and work closely with the rest of the team from anywhere.
Do you need a Business Development Manager or a Sales Rep? (How do I know if my business needs a BDM instead of another salesperson?)
If new clients or partnerships currently trace back to you, the founder or business owner, you need a BDM. That’s their responsibility (not a business owner’s). Following through and closing those new opportunities is for Sales Representatives.
The New Hire That Brings New Opportunities In
You’re the business owner. The founder. In your mind, it makes sense that bringing new customers, new business, is your responsibility. But when talking about efficiency and moving business one rung higher on the ladder every time, the owner should be focused on leadership, and not on these responsibilities.
They’re a Business Development Manager’s duties. That’s their ground to cover. For Lifetime Value (LTV).
Don’t let revenue growth stop because you’re the only one looking for new partnerships and references, and you’ve put on hold your owner responsibilities like leading your team and actually running the business.
Growth rarely comes when everything’s channeled to one person. Even if that person’s the business owner.
Hire a remote Business Development Manager and let them find new opportunities for your business. Call us or Request a Callback today.
Vaune Everis Cura has always been a writer in the truest sense, drawn to the art both as a personal creative pursuit and as a profession. Her experience penning content across digital marketing spaces and collaborating with business owners and market shapers has broadened her craft to include strategic direction and SEO insight. Having spent years with the InterContinental Hotels Group before stepping boldly into freelancing, she understands that at the centre of it all are genuine, meaningful brand–customer relationships built on purposeful, human content.
