Sales Manager to Business Development Manager

Summary: 1 of the 6 core skills listed for Business Development Manager carry over directly from Sales Manager, and 2 more build on related experience. The US median salary changes by -12% ($120K → $105K). Difficulty: Challenging, typically around 9 months of focused upskilling.

The two roles

Sales Manager: Lead and manage sales teams to achieve revenue targets.

Business Development Manager: Identify and pursue new business opportunities and partnerships. Growth outlook +8%; AI-resistant. Typical education: bachelor. Typical experience: 3-6 years.

Skills that carry over

• Strategy

Builds on related experience

• Business Development — builds on Sales Leadership
• Lead Generation — builds on Sales Leadership

Skills to learn for Business Development Manager

• Partnerships
• Networking
• Market Research

Salary comparison (median, estimated)

Salary figures are estimates benchmarked against public compensation data — see methodology.

Next steps

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Related

Sales Manager career guide | Business Development Manager career guide

Other transitions to consider

• Sales Manager to Account Executive — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Sales Manager to Enterprise Sales Executive — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Enterprise Sales Executive to Business Development Manager — 2 of the core skills carry over
• Account Executive to Business Development Manager — 2 of the core skills carry over
• Marketing Manager to Business Development Manager — 2 of the core skills carry over
• Account Manager to Business Development Manager — 2 of the core skills carry over