Insights — Sales & Commercial Recruitment — 4 min read
How to Recruit a Business Development Manager: What to Look For and How to Assess Them
Recruiting a Business Development Manager is about finding someone who can build a pipeline from a standing start. Here is how to assess their skills, what to pay, and why the best BDMs aren't always the best closers.
In short
To recruit a good Business Development Manager, you must assess their ability to generate their own opportunities rather than just waiting for leads. Look for 'hunting' discipline, the ability to navigate complex stakeholder maps, and a resilient mindset. Assessment should include a review of their prospecting methodology and, ideally, a task where they define their 'first 90 days' plan for a specific territory. Pay is typically a mix of a competitive base salary and a commission structure heavily weighted toward new-business revenue.
A Business Development Manager (BDM) is the engine of growth for most B2B companies. Unlike an Account Manager who grows existing relationships, a BDM is tasked with finding, qualifying, and winning new ones. Yet, 'Business Development' is one of the most misused titles in recruitment, often applied to everything from junior lead generation to senior strategic partnerships.
Hiring the wrong person for this role doesn't just cost a salary; it costs a year of lost market opportunity. To recruit a BDM successfully, you must be clear on whether you need a high-volume prospector, a technical consultant, or a relationship builder. This guide sets out how to define the role, what to look for, and how to ensure your new hire actually delivers.
What to look for in a BDM
The authoritative source for this role at Evans is our Business Development Manager recruitment page. When assessing candidates, look for these three core competencies:
- Prospecting Discipline: The willingness and ability to perform outreach (calls, emails, LinkedIn, events) consistently, even when the pipeline feels healthy.
- Commercial Curiosity: The ability to ask the right questions to uncover a customer's business problem, rather than just pitching product features.
- Resilience: The mental toughness to handle a high volume of rejection without it affecting the quality of the next interaction.
BDM vs Salesperson vs SDR vs Account Manager
Confusion between these roles is the leading cause of failed hires. Use this table to clarify what you are actually recruiting for.
| Role | Primary Focus | Key Skill | Measured On |
|---|---|---|---|
| BDM | Winning new logos/customers. | Prospecting and closing. | New-business revenue. |
| Salesperson | Broad term; usually focused on closing. | Negotiation and closing. | Total revenue / quota. |
| SDR / BDR | Generating qualified meetings. | High-volume outreach. | Number of qualified leads. |
| Account Manager | Growing existing customers. | Relationship management. | Retention and upsell. |
Should a BDM generate their own leads?
In many businesses, the BDM is expected to be a 'full-cycle' seller, meaning they find their own leads and close them. In others, they are supported by marketing or an SDR team. We discuss this in depth in our guide on whether to hire a BDM or outsource prospecting.
If you hire a BDM and expect them to generate 100% of their own leads, you must recruit for someone with a high 'activity' drive. If you provide the leads, you are recruiting for a 'closer'. Most BDMs struggle to prospect because it is the hardest part of the job; they will naturally gravitate toward 'admin' or 'relationship building' if you don't recruit for prospecting discipline and hold them accountable to it through a system like the Opportunity Engine.
Interview questions for BDM candidates
- 'Tell me about the last new account you won from a completely cold start. How did you identify them, and how did you get the first meeting?' (Listen for the method, not just the result).
- 'What is your 'stack' for prospecting? Which tools and routines do you use every day?' (A good BDM has a system).
- 'How do you handle a month where your pipeline is dry? What is the first thing you change?' (Look for an increase in activity, not excuses).
- 'Explain our proposition to me as if I were a specific target customer.' (Tests their ability to research and translate value quickly).
- 'What is the largest deal you have lost at the final stage, and why did you lose it?' (Tests honesty and the ability to learn from failure).
How much should you pay a BDM?
Salary depends on the complexity of the sale, the seniority required, and the sector. A BDM selling building products into contractors has a different profile and pay scale than one selling specialist B2B software. Factors that increase the salary include:
- Technical complexity: Does the person need an engineering or science background?
- Deal size: Are they selling £5k orders or £500k projects?
- Sales cycle length: Is it a 2-week turn or an 18-month specification process?
- Geography: Are they office-based, regional, or covering the whole UK?
Generally, a BDM's package should be 'Ote' (On-Target Earnings) focused, where a significant portion of their total pay is only earned if they win new business. This aligns their incentives with your goal: growth.
How to know a BDM is 'actually good'
During the recruitment process, do not rely on their claims of 'having a great book of contacts'. Contacts go cold, and non-compete clauses often prevent them from being moved anyway. Instead, look for a repeatable process. A good BDM can explain *how* they will build a pipeline in your specific market, what their activity levels will be, and how they qualify an opportunity in or out early. If they cannot explain their method, they are relying on luck—and luck is not a scalable recruitment strategy.
Got a live sales or commercial vacancy?
Tell Evans about the role. We will tell you honestly whether it suits Recruitment Partner (£399 + VAT per month plus a 5% fee on a successful permanent hire, one active vacancy at a time, 12-month agreement) — or whether a different route would serve you better.
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