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business developer recruitment

your next business developer, in good hands.

We combine our data, our sector experts and our AI algorithms to identify the headhunter most relevant to your role, from your first BDR to your head of business development.

  • no setup fees, pay on hire
  • guaranteed replacement
  • hire signed in under 26 days

they hire their salespeople with muzzo

100hiresSince 2023
9hiresSince 2022
7hiresSince 2023
15hiresSince 2020
7hiresSince 2022
6hiresSince 2022
45hiresSince 2023
4hiresSince 2021
3hiresSince 2022
15hiresSince 2024
1hireSince 2025
4hiresSince 2022
19hiresSince 2025
9hiresSince 2024
9hiresSince 2025
11hiresSince 2023
9hiresSince 2023
9hiresSince 2024
10hiresSince 2024
8hiresSince 2024
7hiresSince 2026
  • business developermost hired
  • business development representativevery often hired
  • business development officeroften hired
  • business managerregularly hired
  • head of business developmenta role we know well
also hired:

how it works

you only pay if you hire

  1. 01

    you describe the role

    Using the form above: the role, your company, your market. The rest is scoped in your first conversation with the Muzzo team.

  2. 02

    our data chooses the headhunters

    Our AI picks those who have hired the most business developers, from more than 2,500 selected headhunters.

  3. 03

    you meet the best profiles

    Approached and qualified by headhunters who are sales experts. You choose who you meet.

  4. 04

    you hire, then you pay

    Not before. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost.

they hired with muzzo

“

Muzzo's strength is the diversity of its recruiters: there is always someone listening to our needs.

Charles Bignonfounding partner · batibig
“

With Muzzo, I get the reactivity of a marketplace and the quality of a search firm.

Anne-Valérie Peyrettalent acquisition lead emea · liferay
Antoine Gigomas

let's talk about your role

Antoine and the Muzzo team help you scope your role and choose the right headhunters. Describe your role in the form: we'll call you back to discuss it.

Antoine GigomasCEO and co-founder of Muzzo

one last question?

You set the fee for each role, between 5 and 30%. You only pay it once the person is hired. No fixed fees, no deposit. If you don't hire, you pay nothing. The Muzzo team helps you choose the right amount.

You have a double guarantee. If your new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost. If we don't find a replacement within 4 months, we refund 50% of the fees. On average, 94% of new hires are still in post after 3 months.

Click “get started” and describe your role in two steps. The Muzzo team gets back to you to refine the need. Then the headhunters who hire the most business developers get to work. Launching is free, with no exclusivity.

sales headhunters are ready to start

A hire signed in under 26 days. You only pay when you hire.

the reality

a business developer is judged by the accounts they open, not by their CV

01

a good account hunter isn't looking for a job

They are paid on what they sign and their commission is coming in. They don't answer job ads. A sales headhunter knows them and knows what would make them move.

02

the same title covers three jobs

In a start-up, a business developer books meetings. In industry, they open a region. Elsewhere, they sign partnerships. The headhunter starts from your sales cycle, not from the job title.

03

a bad hire costs you twice

The salary paid, and months of prospecting lost in your market. The headhunter checks prospecting pace, accounts opened and deal size before introducing anyone.

the roles

the business developer profiles our headhunters go after for you

From cold outreach to opening a new country, each role goes to a headhunter who has already hired that profile.

  1. business development representative (BDR)

    They prospect cold, by phone and email, and fill the salespeople's calendars. The first role in a sales team that is starting out.

    already hired via muzzo

  2. sales development representative (SDR)

    They qualify inbound requests and follow up warm prospects. They are judged by the number of qualified meetings they pass on.

    already hired via muzzo

  3. business developer

    They find the account, land the meeting and turn it into a first contract. The most requested profile, and the hardest to assess on a CV.

    already hired via muzzo

  4. senior business developer

    They open bigger accounts, with several stakeholders to convince. We look for someone who has already opened accounts of that size.

    already hired via muzzo

  5. business development officer

    The banking, insurance and services equivalent of a business developer. They grow a portfolio across a territory.

    already hired via muzzo

  6. international business developer

    They open a new country: first clients, first partners, sometimes first hires. It takes the language, the market and independence.

    already hired via muzzo

  7. business manager and account manager in IT services

    In consulting and IT services, they sell consulting engagements and own the client relationship. A long-term business development profile.

    already hired via muzzo

  8. head of business development

    They build the prospecting engine, manage the BDRs and report to the CEO. Often the first manager in the sales team.

    already hired via muzzo

the method

a headhunter who specialises in sales, not one firm for everything

We have tracked every headhunter since November 2020, on three criteria: how many hires they make, the quality of their profiles, their speed.

01

you describe the role

You fill in the form, then we talk it through: the market, the target, the base and the commission. You set the fee, between 5 and 30%.

02

we choose the headhunters

From more than 2,500 selected headhunters, we keep those who hire the most business developers.

03

you meet the right profiles

The headhunters approach and check every profile, prospecting numbers included. You receive few CVs, but profiles that match.

04

you only pay if you hire

Nothing to pay upfront. No fixed fees, no deposit.

hiring a business developer: what you need to know

why use a sales headhunter to hire a business developer

A business developer opens new accounts. The job is prospecting: calling, writing, following up, landing a first meeting. Many people call themselves business developers but have mostly managed existing customers. Business developer recruitment comes down to telling the two apart.

A sales headhunter does exactly that, asking how many accounts the person opened, how fast, with which tools and against which target market. You meet hunters, not portfolio managers.

why use a sales headhunter to hire a business developer

business developer, SDR, account executive: who does what?

In B2B software teams, the SDR or BDR prospects and qualifies, the account executive runs the deal to signature, and the account manager grows existing customers. In industry and services, the business developer often runs the whole cycle, from prospecting to signature.

In the brief, say where the role starts and stops. A junior BDR and a senior business developer who closes alone are hired neither at the same salary nor in the same places.

business developer, SDR, account executive: who does what?

base, commission, status: building a business developer's offer

A business developer's pay combines a base salary and commission tied to targets. Strong profiles first check whether the targets are achievable: high commission that nobody reaches drives them away. Prepare the commission share, how it is calculated and what your current salespeople actually earned.

For a travelling role in France, the VRP status may apply: article L7311-3 of the French Labour Code reserves it for someone who works exclusively and continuously as a sales representative, for one or more employers, makes no sales on their own account, and whose contract sets the products, territory or customer base, and pay rate. The headhunter also checks for non-compete clauses that could keep someone out of your market.

hiring a business developer for industry or international markets

Selling software and selling a machine or an industrial service call for different reflexes. In industry, the business developer has to understand the technology and talk to procurement teams. Internationally, they need to know the target country's business customs and speak its language.

Our headhunters have already hired international business developers, business managers and sales engineers. Each role goes to the one with the strongest track record on that profile, out of more than 2,500 selected headhunters.

how much does it cost to hire a business developer with Muzzo?

Most agencies charge a percentage of the new hire's gross annual salary, sometimes with a deposit when the search starts. With Muzzo, you set the fee, between 5 and 30%, and you only pay it on hire. No deposit, no fixed fees, and getting started is free, with no exclusivity.

If the new hire leaves within 3 months, we restart the search at no cost. If no replacement is found within 4 months, we refund 50% of the fee. On average, a Muzzo hire is signed in 26 days, from brief to signature.

your questions about hiring a business developer

The business developer opens the door: they prospect, land the meeting, sign the first contract. The account executive runs a sales cycle through to signature, often from meetings already booked. If your sales calendar is empty, start with a business developer.

The headhunter asks for facts: calls and meetings per week, accounts opened over recent months, size of contracts signed. They cross-check them with references. You meet profiles whose results are verified, not just claimed.

On average, a Muzzo hire takes 26 days, across all roles, over the last 12 months. For a business developer, the timing depends mostly on the sector, the language and the level of independence expected. The Muzzo team gives you an estimate from your first conversation.

Yes. We choose the headhunters according to your market. Selling software to start-ups and opening distributors in Germany don't draw on the same networks. For a very technical role, see also our technical sales page.

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