business developer
Role lens
Are you passionate about identifying new opportunities and driving business growth? As a business developer, you’ll be at the forefront of expanding a company’s market presence and securing its future success.
Business developers are vital to companies seeking to increase their market share. Your days will involve analyzing market trends, identifying potential clients, and collaborating with marketing and sales teams to develop strategies for lead generation and sales support. You'll be a strategic thinker, constantly assessing a company’s strengths and finding ways to leverage them for competitive advantage.
- • Conducting strategic analyses of products and services to identify core advantages.
- • Developing and implementing marketing campaigns to generate leads.
- • Collaborating with sales teams to support sales efforts and close deals.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.
Figures cover Business and administration professionals — 134 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Greece, Italy, Romania.
Longest-running shortage: Italy, 3 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
Explore More
Find your career path and explore the science behind our recommendations.
Could business developer fit you?
Answer three quick questions. This is not a full assessment — it is a teaser to help you decide whether to compare your profile.
Do you enjoy tasks that require Analytical Thinking?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Attention to Detail?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Dependability?
Future Outlook for business developer
The outlook for business developer reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could business developer change as AI adoption grows?
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could business developer change as AI adoption grows?
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- collaborate in the development of marketing strategies
- liaise with managers
- expand store regional presence
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- carry out sales analysis
- analyse business plans
- study sales levels of products
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Marketing & Sales
A typical day as a business developer
09 09:00 · Morning analyse business plans
10 10:30 · Mid-morning carry out sales analysis
12 12:00 · Midday expand store regional presence
14 14:00 · Afternoon apply business acumen
15 15:30 · Late afternoon collaborate in the development of marketing strategies
17 17:00 · Wrap-up identify new business opportunities
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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corporate sustainability
A business practice to conduct long-term sustainable growth by seeking environmental, economic, and social strategies as its three main pillars.
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sales strategies
The principles concerning customer behaviour and target markets with the aim of promotion and sales of a product or a service.
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services marketing
The set of marketing activities for businesses that provide services to improve brand awareness and raise sales. It focuses on intangible commodities.
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customer insight
The marketing concept referring to the deep understanding of the customer's motivations, behaviours, beliefs, preferences, and values that help understand the reasons why the way they do. This information is then useful for commercial purposes.
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vertical markets
A vertical market is a market in which vendors offer goods and services specific to a particular industry, trade, profession, or other group of customers with specialised needs.
- brand marketing techniques
- business analysis
- financial analysis
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carry out sales analysis
Examine sales reports to see what goods and services have and have not sold well.
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analyse business plans
Analyse the formal statements from businesses which outline their business goals and the strategies they set in place to meet them, in order to assess the feasibility of the plan and verify the business' ability to meet external requirements such as the repayment of a loan or return of investments.
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apply business acumen
Take appropriate actions in a business environment in order to maximise possible outcome from each situation.
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identify new business opportunities
Pursue potential customers or products in order to generate additional sales and ensure growth.
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study sales levels of products
Collect and analyse sales levels of products and services in order to use this information for determining the quantities to be produced in the following batches, customer feedback, price trends, and the efficiency of sales methods.
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expand store regional presence
Identify and develop strategies to expand the company's regional coverage.
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collaborate in the development of marketing strategies
Work together with a group of professionals to develop marketing strategies performing market analysis and financial viability while staying aligned with the company's goals.
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manage accounts
Manage the accounts and financial activities of an organisation, supervising that all the documents are correctly maintained, that all the information and calculations are correct, and that proper decisions are being made.
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liaise with managers
Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does business developer fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What skills are most important for a business developer?
- Strong analytical skills, excellent communication and interpersonal abilities, and a strategic mindset are crucial. You’ll also need to be comfortable with market research, data analysis, and presenting information effectively.
- Can I work as a business developer as a freelancer?
- Yes, while this role is typically an employment position, freelancing is also a common arrangement. Many companies hire freelance business developers for specific projects or to supplement their existing team.
- How does the role differ from a sales role?
- While both roles involve generating revenue, a business developer focuses on the bigger picture – identifying new markets, developing strategies, and building partnerships. Sales roles are more focused on closing deals with existing leads.
- Business Developer — is there a shortage in Europe?
- No. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a surplus was reported in 11 of the 14 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany and 7 more. 3 countries reported a shortage. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.
- Business Developer — what does it pay in the United States?
- $100,750 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $65,800 to $124,160. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.