Business Development Manager Salary

By Henry Steele - January 8, 2018
Reading Time: 12 minutes
Reading Time: 12 minutes

The following article discusses the career path of Business Development Manager. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Business Development Managers.

Job Duties

Business development managers are responsible for developing proper business solutions and managing realistic expectations for the organization. They create business plans that effectively increase revenue, improve customer satisfaction, and increase brand loyalty. As such, their work is closely related to that of advertising and marketing managers.

See also 14 Great Jobs to Get with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business

Business development managers work closely with other staff in order to properly define projects, determine what the requirements are, and ensure time frames are agreed upon. They network with other managers in order to determine the progress that has been made. They are strong leaders who can effectively motivate others and they are innovative thinkers.

These managers hold responsibility for making sales objectives and managing accounts. They must hold strong written and oral communication skills and are proficient in office applications. They work with spreadsheets, write reports and proposals, and hold presentations. They also perform research and evaluation of different projects and products, while also investigating the competition. Furthermore, they have take a statistical look on the progress made.

Other job duties of business development managers are:

  • To ensure revenue goals are met
  • To put excellent working relationships in place with clients, thereby retaining them and encouraging client growth through references and referrals
  • To find new sources of clients, relationships, and referral systems
  • To find new prospects through strategic approaches in sales and customer retention

Where We Work

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 31,300 advertising and promotions managers in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals are:

  • Advertising, public relations, and related services: 34%
  • Information: 12%
  • Management of companies and enterprises: 7%
  • Wholesale trade: 6%
  • Retail trade: 6%

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported that there were some 218,300 marketing managers in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals are:

  • Professional, scientific, and technical services: 22%
  • Management of companies and enterprises: 16%
  • Manufacturing: 12%
  • Finance and insurance: 10%
  • Wholesale trade: 8%

How to Become

Generally, business development managers have a bachelor’s degree in a field, such as administration, business management, or a related field. Furthermore, it is expected that these managers have a number of years of work experience in a field related to business development management. Those with certificates in business leadership have the best prospects.

Education Requirements

It is expected that a business development manager has a bachelor’s degree as a minimum and those who have certifications in certain fields of business leadership and management are preferred. However, perhaps of even greater importance is the level of experience. Most managers grow from entry level positions through internal promotions.

Suggested degrees required:

Traits & Qualities

The most effective business development managers have the following traits to some degree or other:

  • Excellent sales skills
  • Strategic thinking skills
  • Planning and organization skills
  • Communication skills, both oral and written
  • Leadership skills, being able to motivate others
  • Innovative thinking
  • Computer proficiency

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s Degree

National Salary

The national average salary estimate for Business Development Manager was $75,226. This number is estimated from over 6,083,924 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $39.18 and monthly of $6,269.

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$15,000

$182,000

Salary Distribution

Salary by State

The following section lists Business Development Manager salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, DC had the largest quoted salary of $85,926 while West Virginia had the smallest quoted salary of $54,472.

Alaska Kentucky New York
Alabama Louisiana Ohio
Arkansas Massachusetts Oklahoma
Arizona Maryland Oregon
California Maine Pennsylvania
Colorado Michigan Rhode Island
Connecticut Minnesota South Carolina
DC Missouri South Dakota
Delaware Mississippi Tennessee
Florida Montana Texas
Georgia North Carolina Utah
Hawaii North Dakota Virginia
Iowa Nebraska Vermont
Idaho New Hampshire Washington
Illinois New Jersey Wisconsin
Indiana New Mexico West Virginia
Kansas Nevada Wyoming
Alaska – $58,647 Rank: 47th
The average salary ranks 47th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like LampeSG.

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$14,000

$164,000

Salary Distribution
Alabama – $62,388 Rank: 40th
The average salary ranks 40th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Direct Sales Recruiting, LLC, Universal Truckload Inc., SMS, and 12 Stones Staffing & Consulting.

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$16,000

$137,000

Salary Distribution
Arkansas – $61,941 Rank: 42nd
The average salary ranks 42nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Cameron Smith & Associates, Krystal Glass Writing Boards, Krystal™ Glass Writing Boards, and SMS.

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$14,000

$145,000

Salary Distribution
Arizona – $62,207 Rank: 41st
The average salary ranks 41st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Career Evolutions, SoundGuard – SoundGuardProducts.com, KB INTERNATIONAL COMPANY, and My Appy Business.

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$14,000

$153,000

Salary Distribution
California – $80,991 Rank: 5th
The average salary ranks 5th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Ricoh, Walmart, Cisco, and SoundGuard – SoundGuardProducts.com.

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$14,000

$207,000

Salary Distribution
Colorado – $74,488 Rank: 13th
The average salary ranks 13th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like PivotHire Recruitment Solutions, SMS, Equity Staffing Group, and Regional Sub-Contractor.

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$14,000

$193,000

Salary Distribution
Connecticut – $81,598 Rank: 4th
The average salary ranks 4th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting, The Sales Zone, CyberCoders, and SMS.

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$19,000

$188,000

Salary Distribution
DC – $85,926 Rank: 1st
The average salary ranks 1st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CONTACT 1, Netpique, Excella Consulting, and SoundGuard – SoundGuardProducts.com.

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$17,000

$207,000

Salary Distribution
Delaware – $71,517 Rank: 20th
The average salary ranks 20th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like HITRUST, Hostech Support, and Seishin Warrior Center.

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$14,000

$181,000

Salary Distribution
Florida – $67,038 Rank: 30th
The average salary ranks 30th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Gartner, ProGlobal SalesMachine, SoundGuard, and Picsolve International Ltd.

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$14,000

$175,000

Salary Distribution
Georgia – $69,903 Rank: 26th
The average salary ranks 26th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), The Prism Ink Hub, Cisco, and Life Sciences.

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$14,000

$170,000

Salary Distribution
Hawaii – $56,466 Rank: 49th
The average salary ranks 49th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Staffing Solutions of Hawaii and LampeSG.

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$14,000

$152,000

Salary Distribution
Iowa – $71,707 Rank: 18th
The average salary ranks 18th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Byrnes & Rupkey, Inc., SMS, Aureon Staffing, and HireQuality Solutions.

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$21,000

$151,000

Salary Distribution
Idaho – $59,318 Rank: 46th
The average salary ranks 46th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like BBSI, SMS, Vantage Point Recruiters, and FIDEX Ministries – Christian Guides.

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$14,000

$155,000

Salary Distribution
Illinois – $76,914 Rank: 8th
The average salary ranks 8th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Job Jobber, JDP Search Group, ATR Solutions Ltd, and Fowler Placement Services, Inc..

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$16,000

$182,000

Salary Distribution
Indiana – $73,189 Rank: 17th
The average salary ranks 17th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Boldthink Creative, Boldthink, University of Notre Dame, and SMS.

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$16,000

$172,000

Salary Distribution
Kansas – $65,826 Rank: 32nd
The average salary ranks 32nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Sprint, Confindental, SMS, and The AGA Group.

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$21,000

$134,000

Salary Distribution
Kentucky – $61,111 Rank: 43rd
The average salary ranks 43rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Third Party Search, Inc., SMS, Vantage Point Recruiters, and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices de Movellan Properties.

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$14,000

$146,000

Salary Distribution
Louisiana – $70,286 Rank: 24th
The average salary ranks 24th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like BIC Recruiting (Agency), Direct Sales Recruiting, LLC, 3coast, and SMS.

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$14,000

$175,000

Salary Distribution
Massachusetts – $77,512 Rank: 7th
The average salary ranks 7th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Beacon Hill Funding, The ProSource Group, Brafton, and SMS.

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$15,000

$190,000

Salary Distribution
Maryland – $69,209 Rank: 28th
The average salary ranks 28th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Technology, Dataology, Clinical Management Consultants, and Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$14,000

$169,000

Salary Distribution
Maine – $55,891 Rank: 50th
The average salary ranks 50th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Steel Pro,Inc., ROWE AUBURN, and Compass Rose Events.

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$14,000

$143,000

Salary Distribution
Michigan – $78,969 Rank: 6th
The average salary ranks 6th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Midwest Sales Leader in IT Services, Cameron Craig Group, fulltimeGiGS, and Outside Sales.

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$18,000

$183,000

Salary Distribution
Minnesota – $68,032 Rank: 29th
The average salary ranks 29th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Donaldson, Michael Page, WPD, and Comm-Works.

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$14,000

$169,000

Salary Distribution
Missouri – $75,832 Rank: 10th
The average salary ranks 10th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like SSE, SMS, Jay Wolfe Toyota, and Nextpage.

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$16,000

$179,000

Salary Distribution
Mississippi – $60,226 Rank: 45th
The average salary ranks 45th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like SMS, LampeSG, SnagMob Media, and The CPI Group.

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$17,000

$130,000

Salary Distribution
Montana – $60,859 Rank: 44th
The average salary ranks 44th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Vantage Point Recruiters, Fidex Ministries, CyberCoders, and PEG, International.

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$14,000

$157,000

Salary Distribution
North Carolina – $73,322 Rank: 15th
The average salary ranks 15th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like SoundGuard, CRO, Search Solution Group, and TEKsystems.

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$15,000

$177,000

Salary Distribution
North Dakota – $71,704 Rank: 19th
The average salary ranks 19th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Spherion, DICKINSON STATE UNIVERSITY, and Corwin Automotive Group.

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$15,000

$172,000

Salary Distribution
Nebraska – $57,765 Rank: 48th
The average salary ranks 48th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like LampeSG, Speedpro Imaging, and gpac.

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$14,000

$146,000

Salary Distribution
New Hampshire – $69,269 Rank: 27th
The average salary ranks 27th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Alignment Financial Group, The Job Jobber, Combined Insurance, and SNI Financial.

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$14,000

$166,000

Salary Distribution
New Jersey – $82,022 Rank: 3rd
The average salary ranks 3rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like SoundGuard – SoundGuardProducts.com, A Neumann & Associates, LLC, Hexaware Technologies, and SOG Recruiting.

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$26,000

$167,000

Salary Distribution
New Mexico – $64,596 Rank: 35th
The average salary ranks 35th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like SMS, Tudip Technologies Pvt Ltd, Sabio Systems, and LampeSG.

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$14,000

$159,000

Salary Distribution
Nevada – $63,202 Rank: 36th
The average salary ranks 36th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like SMS, Randstad Professionals, SIGNATURE LANDSCAPES, and AppleOne.

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$14,000

$159,000

Salary Distribution
New York – $84,190 Rank: 2nd
The average salary ranks 2nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The ONeil Search Group, The Sales Zone, Krystal Glass Writing Boards, and Financial Processing Solutions.

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$22,000

$185,000

Salary Distribution
Ohio – $70,007 Rank: 25th
The average salary ranks 25th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Russ Hadick & Associates, Inc., Alliance Search Solutions, thinkCSC, and Cameron Craig Group.

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$15,000

$166,000

Salary Distribution
Oklahoma – $62,784 Rank: 37th
The average salary ranks 37th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Aspire Recruiting Solutions, The Onin Group, Inc., ProRecruiters, and Madison Strategies Group.

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$14,000

$155,000

Salary Distribution
Oregon – $65,742 Rank: 34th
The average salary ranks 34th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Will Casey Placement, CyberCoders, SMS, and CIG.

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$14,000

$159,000

Salary Distribution
Pennsylvania – $73,471 Rank: 14th
The average salary ranks 14th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Mackenzie Stuart plc, Life Sciences company, Quality Builders Warranty Corporation, and Porter Group.

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$16,000

$171,000

Salary Distribution
Rhode Island – $62,616 Rank: 39th
The average salary ranks 39th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Nigel Frank International, Express Employment Professionals, and LampeSG.

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$16,000

$137,000

Salary Distribution
South Carolina – $71,507 Rank: 21st
The average salary ranks 21st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Quality Builders Warranty Corporation, Direct Sales Recruiting, LLC, Life Sciences company, and The Van Every Group.

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$14,000

$174,000

Salary Distribution
South Dakota – $71,183 Rank: 22nd
The average salary ranks 22nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like 2Source Talent, LampeSG, and Franchise Career Advisors.

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$17,000

$160,000

Salary Distribution
Tennessee – $62,722 Rank: 38th
The average salary ranks 38th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like DSR, Robert Half Technology, Universal Truckload Inc., and BairesDev.

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$14,000

$152,000

Salary Distribution
Texas – $76,418 Rank: 9th
The average salary ranks 9th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Diedre Moire, CyberCoders, Schlumberger, and KBR.

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$14,000

$192,000

Salary Distribution
Utah – $65,779 Rank: 33rd
The average salary ranks 33rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Quality Builders Warranty Corporation, NFINITY Web Solutions, Krystal Glass Writing Boards, and CIG.

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$14,000

$165,000

Salary Distribution
Virginia – $66,841 Rank: 31st
The average salary ranks 31st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like KJMK Management, Inc. DBA RealStreet Staffing (A), WORLD COMPETITION CONSULTANTS, SoundGuard – SoundGuardProducts.com, and FCR – Federal Consulting Resources, LLC.

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$14,000

$166,000

Salary Distribution
Vermont – $74,673 Rank: 12th
The average salary ranks 12th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Combined Insurance and Franchise Career Advisors.

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$17,000

$172,000

Salary Distribution
Washington – $75,669 Rank: 11th
The average salary ranks 11th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Amazon.com, WORLD COMPETITION CONSULTANTS, Audienz, and Barrington James.

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$17,000

$177,000

Salary Distribution
Wisconsin – $70,802 Rank: 23rd
The average salary ranks 23rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Verne Johnson & Associates Inc., Cameron Craig Group, Markent Personnel, and Executive Recruiting Services, Inc..

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$17,000

$161,000

Salary Distribution
West Virginia – $54,472 Rank: 51st
The average salary ranks 51st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Business 2 Business Restaurant Marketing and Conspicuous Ltd.

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$14,000

$138,000

Salary Distribution
Wyoming – $73,250 Rank: 16th
The average salary ranks 16th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Fidex Ministries.

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$16,000

$172,000

Salary Distribution

Top 20 National Employers

According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Business Development Manager. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.

Employer Name Location Average Salary
Netpique DC $300,000
: Honesty Group South Carolina $245,411
A Neumann & Associates, LLC Connecticut $202,765
SoundGuard Florida $200,000
Picsolve International Ltd Florida $200,000
Diedre Moire Texas $189,410
The Premier Partners Colorado $173,185
FCR – Federal Consulting Resources, LLC Virginia $173,055
Excella Consulting DC $169,415
Revecent Missouri $163,164
Cisco Georgia $159,519
CyberCoders Texas $157,676
CRO North Carolina $156,224
SoundGuard – SoundGuardProducts.com Florida $150,000

Learn More

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Henry Steele
Henry Steele
Managing Editor
Henry is Managing Editor of BusinessStudent.com. He is a seasoned business professional who regularly consults with local business's throughout Southern California. Henry pursued his undergrad in Business and Economics at the University of San Diego and gained valuable life changing experience through a unique internship upon graduation.

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