What the role does
Business development managers grow an agency's management portfolio by building referral relationships, conducting rental appraisals and converting owners into clients.
A typical day
- Pipeline calls to investors, past appraisals and referral partners.
- Rental appraisals and owner presentations.
- Referral partner meetings with brokers, accountants and sales agents.
- Onboarding won management and handing over to the property management team.
Typical responsibilities
- Building and managing a new-business pipeline
- Conducting rental appraisals and owner presentations
- Developing referral partnerships
- Managing handover into the property management team
Skills employers look for
- Consultative sales and follow-up
- Rental market knowledge
- Confident presentation and negotiation
- Pipeline reporting and CRM discipline
How people get in
- Experienced property managers moving to growth
- Leasing consultants with strong owner relationships
- Residential sales agents shifting to the rent-roll side
How the pay usually works
Commonly a base plus a per-management or multiplier-based incentive. Clarify whether the incentive is paid on signing, on the management surviving a qualifying period, or on rent-roll value.
Career pathway
BDMs often move from property management, leasing or sales. Progression can lead to growth leadership, department management, partnerships or agency ownership.
Useful development
Relevant development includes prospecting, presentation, negotiation, rent-roll valuation, legislation and commercial reporting.
Resources and practical advice
Check your state licensing requirements
Registration, certificates of registration, agent representative and licence rules are set state by state. Confirm current requirements with the regulator in the state you will work in (for example NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria, the Queensland Office of Fair Trading, Consumer Protection WA, Consumer and Business Services SA).
Understand how the rent roll is valued
Ask how the agency values a management, what churn it is running, and what happens to your incentive if a management is lost within the first year.
Common questions
- Is BDM a sales job or a property management job?
- Both. You need tenancy credibility to win owners and sales discipline to keep a pipeline moving.