Career
Business Development Manager
Business
Builds the relationships and pursuit strategy behind a contractor's biggest wins, the senior counterpart to Construction Sales focused on major, long-cycle pursuits rather than direct selling.
What is a Business Development Manager?
A Business Development Manager builds and maintains the relationships that win a contractor major work, developers, owners, architects, and repeat clients, and leads the strategy behind pursuing large projects long before a bid is ever due. It overlaps with Construction Sales, but where sales is often about closing individual deals, business development is usually a longer game: staying visible with the right people for years so that when a major project comes up, the firm gets invited to pursue it at all.
What they do
- Build and maintain relationships with developers, owners, architects, and repeat clients
- Identify and track upcoming project opportunities well before they go out to bid
- Lead go/no-go decisions on which pursuits are worth the firm's time and resources
- Develop proposal strategy and messaging for major pursuits, working with marketing and estimating
- Represent the company at industry events, associations, and client meetings
- Track win/loss data and refine pursuit strategy over time
A typical day
- 8:30 AMReview the pipeline of upcoming project opportunities and update pursuit priorities
- 10:00 AMMeet with a developer client to discuss an upcoming project still in early planning
- 12:00 PMHave lunch with a developer the firm has cultivated for years, ahead of a major project still a year or two from breaking ground
- 2:00 PMLead a go/no-go meeting on whether to pursue a major upcoming project
- 3:30 PMWork with the marketing team on proposal strategy for a pursuit due next month
Skills
Relationship building and networkingStrategic thinking and pursuit prioritizationPresentation and communication skillsUnderstanding of the construction industry and project delivery methodsProposal strategy and messaging
Software
Customer relationship management (CRM) software
Education
- Required:
- High school diploma or equivalent, plus significant industry relationship-building experience; no license is legally required for this role
- Preferred:
- Bachelor's degree in construction management, business, marketing, or a related field
- Helpful:
- The Society for Marketing Professional Services' Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) credential, which requires four or more years of relevant marketing/business development experience (with a bachelor's degree) and passing a 150-question exam
- Not necessary:
- A construction-specific degree; many business development managers come from sales, marketing, or account management backgrounds in other industries
Career progression
- 1.Business Development Coordinator
- 2.Business Development Manager
- 3.Director of Business Development
- 4.Vice President of Business Development or Chief Growth Officer
Who hires for this role
General ContractorsSpecialty Subcontractors (on larger firms with dedicated BD roles)Construction Management Firms