If you have a business mind and strong negotiation skills then a career as a Business Development Manager could be for you.
Career Overview
A business needs a Business Development Manager to help it grow its sales, its revenues, and its competitive advantages. As a Business Development Manager, you grow the business’ sales, revenues and competitive advantages by “developing” the company’s offerings and opportunities. You might hold any of several job titles – for instance, business development executive, business development specialist, or chief business development officer – but it’s always your responsibility to help your company secure new business in the form of brand-new clients and customers.
Required School Subjects
You will need to have taken the following subjects at high school:
- Pure Mathematics
Recommended subjects:
- Business Science
- Accounting
- Economics
Institution and APS
The following institutions are highly recommended for tertiary studies:
- University of Johannesburg (UJ) – APS of 25+
- University of Cape Town (UCT) – Faculty Point Score (FPS) of 480
- University of Witwatersrand (Wits) – APS of 42+
- University of Pretoria (UP) – APS of 30
- UNISA – No specific APS required
Required Qualification/s
Business Development Managers need to complete a bachelor degree in business, economics, finance, marketing or a related field. Since this is a senior role, most people in this position hold some other postgraduate qualification, like an MBA. You will be able to obtain a formal qualification at one of the abovementioned institutions. Here is more detail on the qualifications on offer:
University of Johannesburg
- BCom Marketing Management
- BCom Honours (Marketing Management)
- BCom Economics and Econometrics
- BCom Honours (Financial Management) | Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) (Financial Management)
University of Pretoria
- BCom Marketing Management
- BCom Business Management
- BComHons (Financial Management Sciences)
- Postgraduate Diploma in General Management (PGDip GM)
- Programme for Management Development (PMD)
University of the Witwatersrand
- BCom Marketing
- BCom Economics
- BCom Finance
- Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration
- Postgraduate Diploma in Management
University of Cape Town
- Bachelor of Business Science in Marketing
- Postgraduate Diploma in Management in Entrepreneurship
- Postgraduate Diploma in Management Practice
UNISA
- Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing Management
- Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management
- Bachelor of Commerce in Economics
- Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Business Management
- Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Financial Management
- Postgraduate Diploma in Organisational Development
- Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration
- Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Management
Top 10 MBA programmes in South Africa:
- University of Cape Town (UCT) – Graduate School of Business
- University of South Africa (UNISA)
- University of Pretoria – Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
- Regent Business School
- University of the Witwatersrand – Wits Business School (WBS)
- Henley Business School – South Africa
- Milpark Education: Milpark Business School
- University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB)
- Tshwane University of Technology
- University of KwaZulu-Natal
Required Skills
The following soft skills are important in this role of a Business Development Manager:
- Experience working to and exceeding targets
- High-level communication skills
- Stakeholder management skills
- Proven ability to negotiate
- Experience with design and implementation of business development strategy
- Conflict resolution
- Can motivate self and a team
Where you can work
Business Development Managers can work in both the private and the public sector.
Working Hours
They often work the usual 9am to 5pm workday, but may need to put in overtime if there is an important deadline coming up. They may also need to travel to attend conferences or networking events.
Expected Salary
Salaries of a Business Development Manager vary depending on the level of education and experience that you have.
Business Development Managers with:
- 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of R217 771 per annum
- 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of R385 635 per annum
- Over 10 years of experience earns an average total compensation of R505 862 per annum
What to expect
There are many things that you’ll like about this career, some of them include:
- Good, stable income and working hours
- Can have a great work environment with supportive colleagues
If you’re working in sales, it could prove stressful to deal with sales targets and quotas. It is also a position with a lot of responsibility, so it means that you have to be super accurate and methodical when giving advice or making estimates.
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