Sales recruitment in Australia: how to hire salespeople who perform
Business development manager salary and job description in Australia (2026)
Updated October 2026.
A business development manager (BDM) in Australia typically earns on-target earnings (OTE) of around $120,000 to $180,000, made up of a base salary of about $80,000 to $110,000 plus commission. In technology and software, where the equivalent role is often called an account executive, OTE commonly reaches $200,000 or more. A BDM’s job is to win new clients: finding prospects, opening conversations and turning them into revenue. The best BDMs combine prospecting discipline with resilience, because most of the work happens before anyone says yes.
How much does a business development manager earn in Australia?
| Measure | Base salary | OTE | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| BDM, general industries | About $80,000 to $110,000 | About $120,000 to $180,000 | Sales Channel Solutions, NSW Sales Salary Guide 2026 |
| Mid-level BDM selling to SMEs | About $85,000 to $115,000 | About $110,000 to $150,000 | Remote Staff, BDM salary guide, July 2026 |
| Account executive, mainly technology sales | Median about $134,000 | Median about $240,000 | RepVue, Australia, 2026 |
OTE is what someone earns at 100% of target: base salary plus target commission. For BDM roles, commission commonly makes up around 30% to 40% of OTE. Top performers earn above OTE through uncapped commission or accelerators. Advertised salaries on SEEK sometimes quote base and sometimes total package, so compare carefully.
What does a business development manager do?
A BDM is responsible for new business. In practice, that means:
- identifying and researching target clients,
- prospecting across calls, email, LinkedIn and networking,
- running discovery conversations to understand a prospect’s problem,
- building proposals and negotiating terms,
- closing new clients and handing them over smoothly,
- forecasting and reporting their pipeline.
BDM or account manager? A BDM wins new clients. An account manager keeps and grows existing ones. Some businesses combine the two, but they need different strengths, and asking one person to do both well is rare. Our account manager guide covers the other side.
BDM or account executive? In many businesses, particularly technology, “account executive” means the person who closes deals that others have sourced. A BDM usually finds and closes their own.
Other titles for the role include business development executive, new business manager, sales executive and partnerships manager.
Business development manager job description template
About the role: You’ll win new clients for [business], building relationships with [target market] and turning them into long-term revenue.
What you’ll do:
- Build and manage a pipeline of new prospects in [market or region]
- Prospect consistently across phone, email, LinkedIn and events
- Run discovery and present solutions that fit each client’s problem
- Prepare proposals, negotiate and close new business
- Hand new clients over to account management smoothly
- Forecast accurately and keep the CRM up to date
What you’ll bring:
- [x] years in a new business role, ideally in [industry]
- A track record of winning new clients against target
- Comfort with high activity and regular rejection
- Clear, confident communication with senior decision-makers
Nice to have:
- Existing network in [target market]
- Experience selling [product or service type]
What separates the best business development managers?
Experience matters, but it isn’t what separates the best. The BDMs who perform consistently tend to share three things:
- Prospecting discipline. They keep filling the pipeline when it already looks full, because they know today’s activity is next quarter’s revenue.
- Resilience. Most outreach goes unanswered. The best BDMs don’t take it personally, and they don’t slow down.
- Curiosity about the client. They ask more than they pitch, and they understand the client’s business well enough to make a sharp case for change.
Research backs this up. A 2022 meta-analysis found personality has moderate, consistent links to performance in sales jobs, and a 2019 review of a century of research found conscientiousness to be the strongest non-cognitive predictor of job performance. Our sales recruitment guide covers the evidence.
How to hire a business development manager
- Define success first. What should a great BDM have achieved at 90 days and 12 months? New meetings, pipeline value, first clients won.
- Look beyond applicants. Good BDMs who are hitting target are rarely applying. Referrals and direct approaches matter more for this role than most.
- Assess how they work early. A validated assessment, completed straight after the CV review, shows how candidates work and what drives them before you’ve invested interview time.
- Test the real work. Ask shortlisted candidates for a 30-day prospecting plan for your market, or a short discovery role play.
- Check results against target. Ask what they achieved against what was expected, not just the headline numbers, and confirm with referees.
- Plan for ramp time. The Bridge Group’s 2026 research found new account executives take 6.2 months to reach full productivity. Set expectations, and onboarding, accordingly.
Interview questions worth asking:
- Walk me through how you built your pipeline in your last role. Where did your best clients come from?
- Tell me about a quarter when you were behind target. What did you change?
- How do you decide which prospects to stop chasing?
- What did you achieve against target in each of the last two years?
Frequently asked questions
What’s the average business development manager salary in Australia?
Typical OTE for a BDM is around $120,000 to $180,000, on a base of about $80,000 to $110,000. In technology sales, OTE for the equivalent account executive role is often $200,000 or more.
What’s the difference between a business development manager and an account manager?
A BDM wins new clients. An account manager keeps and grows existing clients.
What’s another name for a business development manager?
Common alternatives include business development executive, new business manager, sales executive and partnerships manager.
How long does it take to hire a business development manager?
Ashby’s 2026 data puts the median time to hire for business roles at about 30 days. Senior or specialist BDM roles often take longer.
Hiring for a role now? Tell us about it, and we’ll tell you what the market looks like for it and when you could expect a shortlist, before you commit to anything.
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