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
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
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