Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Business Development Professionals
Entry-level business development roles often start as "business development analyst associates" or "coordinators," supporting senior colleagues in sales and account management, "taking notes...logging that information into the CRMs," and gradually taking on more responsibility. Career progression typically involves managing a portfolio of accounts and clients, with some entry-level roles focusing more heavily on "cold calling and selling as many products as possible" from the outset.
Sales, Account Management, Business Development, CRM Software, Client Relations
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
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Traits
Maurice Scarborough
Head of Business Development
Xsolla Holding Company
University of Missouri - 2010
UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA
Creative Writing, Journalism
Gaming
Sales and Client Management
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Entry-level positions in business development often start as Business Development Analyst Associates or Coordinators, supporting senior team members.
2. These roles typically involve assisting with sales, account management, taking notes during calls, updating CRMs, and managing pipelines.
3. Progression often involves taking on more post-sales work, managing accounts, and eventually handling a portfolio of clients and business independently, with the path varying across different companies and roles. Some roles might focus more on cold calling and sales initially.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider pursuing?
Specifically on the business development side, they have business development analyst associates, or coordinators, as they call them. Essentially, these are entry-level sales or account management roles.
Typically, these roles involve partnering with a senior BD person who manages accounts and sales. You'll support them in executing sales and managing those accounts. This is how I got my start.
I would join calls with my bosses, take notes, and log that information into the CRM. I also made sure all materials and pipelines were updated. Over time, this transitioned into me taking over and handling more of the post-sales work and account management.
You progress by managing your own portfolio of accounts, having more day-to-day client interaction. Eventually, you move up from that position to handling your own portfolio of clients and business.
It really depends on the company. Some BD roles involve cold calling from day one, following a script to churn through business and sell as many products as possible. In my opinion, entry-level account management and entry-level sales roles are the two main entry points for anyone coming out of undergrad.