Business Development Manager

Overview

Business Development Manager - Soft Does (Comeback Agency).

Location:

Mission, Kansas (Kansas City Metro) - Hybrid/In-Office Preferred. Compensation: $65,000 - $80,000 base + performance bonus. Type:
Full-time, Founding Team Member.

Start Date:

Immediate.

Month 1:
Learn the Business

• Shadow our current discovery calls and client consultations
• Understand our service offerings, pricing models, and delivery capabilities
• Meet the offshore development team and project managers
• Learn our current sales process (it exists, but it is informal)
• Identify gaps in our current approach and quick wins

Months 2-3:
Build Your Sales Engine

• Take over qualification and discovery calls for inbound leads
• Develop your own outreach strategy for target accounts
• Create sales collateral (pitch decks, one-pagers, case studies)
• Build and refine our CRM/pipeline management system
• Work with Marketing Manager to align on lead quality and messaging

Months 4-6:
Own Revenue Growth

• Manage full sales cycle from discovery to contract signature
• Develop account-based sales strategies for enterprise targets
• Build referral programs and partnership channels
• Create pricing frameworks for different service tiers
• Train future sales hires on the system you9ve built

Long-term (Year 1+):

• Build and lead a sales team as we scale
• Establish strategic partnerships with complementary vendors
• Develop vertical-specific sales strategies (healthcare, fintech, etc.)
• Create predictable revenue forecasting and pipeline management

90 Days:

• Closed 3-5 new clients outside of Upwork ($50K+ combined contract value)
• Built repeatable sales process documentation
• Created core sales collateral and qualification framework
• Established baseline metrics for pipeline health

6 Months:

• Consistent $75K-$100K monthly new contract bookings
• 50%+ of new revenue from non-Upwork channels
• Built referral engine generating 2-3 qualified leads monthly
• Developed vertical-specific sales approach for 1-2 target industries

12 Months:

• Leading a 2-3 person sales team
• Predictable $150K+ monthly new bookings
• Multiple revenue channels (referrals, partnerships, direct outreach, inbound)
• Established sales playbook ready to scale

Must-Haves:

• 5+ years B2B sales experience (preferably in software, technology services, or consulting)
• Proven track record closing $25K-$150K deals
• Technical fluency - you can discuss APIs, databases, cloud infrastructure, AI/ML at a high level
• Experience selling services (not just products) - you understand scoping and custom solutions
• Comfortable with full-cycle sales (prospecting → discovery → proposal → close)
• Strong communication skills - you can simplify complex technical concepts
• Self-directed and resourceful - you don9t need hand-holding

Nice-to-Haves:

• Experience in early-stage companies or startups
• Background in software development, product management, or technical consulting
• Existing network in Kansas City business community
• Experience building sales processes from scratch
• Familiarity with AI/ML services and integration work
• Previous founder or business owner experience

Deal-Breakers:

• Need warm leads only - you9ll do outbound prospecting
• Require extensive sales training and enablement
• Can't translate technical requirements to business value
• Need large existing team or corporate resources
• Uncomfortable with ambiguity and rapid change

How we get clients now:

• 70-80% from Upwork (project marketplace platform)
• 10-15% from referrals (past client recommendations)
• 5-10% from inbound (website, Linked In, word of mouth)

Our typical deal:

• Contract size: $5K - $150K (average $15K-$25K)
• Sales cycle: 1-4 weeks from discovery to signed contract
• Decision maker:
  Founders, CTOs, Product Managers, Business Owners
• Industries:
  Healthcare tech, real estate platforms, fintech apps, enterprise automation

What you ll inherit:

• Strong technical delivery team (we actually build what we promise)
• Portfolio of successful projects across multiple industries
• High client satisfaction (testimonials on website are real)
• CEO and Solutions Architect who can support technical scoping
• Marketing Manager (hired Q1 2026) building brand awareness

What you ll need to build:

• Outbound…