Business Development Specialist

Business Development Specialist

Generates qualified leads and books discovery calls so the closer can close — full stop.

Sector

Financial Services — Fractional CFO & Accounting

Reports to

Founder & CEO · works in tandem with the Salesperson

Type

Part-time to start, minimum 20 hrs/week · scales to full-time as pipeline grows

Hours

US business hours · ET/PT overlap required

Location

Remote — anywhere (US hours overlap required)

Tools

Apollo.io, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, GoHighLevel CRM, Gmail, Teamwork

Role Overview

Our client has a capable closer whose calendar is not being filled fast enough. The salesperson is currently handling their own prospecting — that is the wrong use of their time. This role fixes it.

The Business Development Specialist owns everything before the discovery call: identifying the right prospects, building awareness, starting conversations, qualifying interest, and handing a booked calendar invite to the closer. The target buyer is a business owner generating $3M–$10M in revenue, not yet working with a fractional CFO, and open to paying $5,000/month for the right financial partner. They are problem-aware. This role's job is to find them and get them to a conversation.

Key Responsibilities

Outbound prospecting via Apollo.io

• Build targeted prospect lists using Apollo: company revenue range, headcount, industry, and relevant growth signals
• Write and manage multi-touch cold email sequences — subject lines, hooks, value framing, follow-ups that read as specific, not mass-sent
• Monitor sequence performance rigorously: open rates, reply rates, positive responses — test, iterate, improve every two weeks
• Handle inbox responses promptly: engage interested prospects, handle objections, move qualified leads toward a discovery call

LinkedIn outreach via Sales Navigator

• Maintain targeted lead lists in Sales Navigator, refreshed weekly by company size, title, and industry
• Identify and prioritize prospects who have engaged with the client's LinkedIn content — likes, comments, follows — and reach out with personalized messages
• Write connection requests and InMails that reference something specific and real — not templates
• Coordinate with the Marketing Manager to leverage high-performing content as a credibility asset in outreach

Qualification and handoff

• Qualify all leads against ICP criteria: revenue range, business maturity, financial complexity, readiness for fractional CFO support
• Book discovery calls into the CRM with a context note covering the prospect's situation, pain points, and any objections surfaced
• Follow up persistently on leads who expressed interest but have not yet booked
• Maintain clean, current pipeline records in GoHighLevel at all times

Reporting

• Weekly summary: contacts added, sequences active, emails sent, reply rate, calls booked
• Bring data-backed observations on what is and is not converting — with suggestions

Who Will Succeed

This is a high-ticket, high-trust sale. The firm's retainer starts at $5,000/month. The BDS needs to approach prospects with enough credibility and specificity that a financially sophisticated business owner takes the meeting — not because they were spammed, but because the outreach was relevant and the offer is compelling.

• Metrics-driven by nature — knows their numbers cold without looking them up
• Writes outreach that sounds human and specific even when running sequences at volume
• Understands the difference between a lead and a qualified lead — does not book meetings just to hit a number
• Accountable without being managed — reports what they committed to, flags problems early

Experience & Skills

• Required: 2+ years in an outbound SDR, BDR, or lead generation role
• Required: Hands-on Apollo.io experience — sequence building, list management, response handling
• Required: LinkedIn Sales Navigator fluency — precise list building, InMail and connection request strategy
• Required: Strong written English — outreach samples will be reviewed at screening
• Required: CRM pipeline discipline — clean records, consistent updates
• Required: AI-fluent — uses AI to research prospects, personalize outreach, iterate messaging
• Preferred: Experience in a BDR role for professional services, consulting, or financial advisory
• Preferred: GoHighLevel CRM experience
• Preferred: ZoomInfo or similar data enrichment experience

Screening Priorities for Recruiters

• Request outreach samples — at least one cold email sequence and one LinkedIn message; filter hard on quality and specificity
• Ask what their best and worst performing sequences looked like and what they learned — look for data-driven iteration, not guesswork
• Ask how they handle a prospect who goes cold after initial interest — look for a structured follow-up approach, not giving up after one nudge
• Confirm they understand high-ticket B2B prospecting — the posture required here is different from volume-based SaaS outreach

90-Day Success Markers

• Consistent outreach rhythm established at agreed weekly volume targets
• Qualified discovery calls being booked weekly — ICP-matched, showing up, real problems
• Salesperson no longer doing their own prospecting
• GoHighLevel pipeline is clean: every lead has a note, a status, and a next action
• Three or more messaging variations tested with clear performance data