Are you a savvy business mind with a flair for socialising? Becoming a business development manager (BDM) might be the next step on your career ladder. To be successful in this intriguing role, you will need to be independent, strategic, and have the ability to build strong relationships. Does that sound like you?

 Here’s what you need to know about how to kick-start your business development manager career today!

There are many routes into business development jobs. The most direct route is to undertake a bachelor’s degree in business, business management, marketing or any other similar discipline. You may also be able to gain a business development manager via an apprenticeship, although this route will take longer and require extra experience.

Since business development manager roles are diverse, your skill set will need to be relatively varied too. Some examples of the skills that are crucial to the role are:

From dealing with clients face-to-face to taking calls, the business development manager acts as the face of the company. When potential new clients or leads need information about the services on offer, this is the person with whom they will communicate. While these are the core duties of the role, it does not end there. In fact, the grand scope of a business development executive position is as diverse as it is interesting.

As the scope of a business development manager position is so wide-ranging, so are the responsibilities that accompany this role – for example:

Working as a business development manager will allow you to form productive business relationships with many clients, businesses and organisations. Ultimately, this will not only enable you to hone your skills but it could provide you with the opportunity to later try your luck as a consultant; a path which is known for being extremely lucrative and rewarding.

Alternatively, once you’ve worked as a BDM for some time, you may be able to get hired to serve in a leadership role within a business development team. This will considerably change your day-to-day responsibilities as the focus of your role is shifted from management of individual contributors to strategic decision-making and seeing to company goals at a higher level.