Sales jobs · South Africa
BDR jobs in South Africa
A BDR generates new business, usually through outbound prospecting: finding companies that are not yet customers, starting the conversation and turning it into a qualified meeting. In many companies BDR and SDR are the same entry role. Here is what the job looks like in South Africa, where to find openings and how to land your first one — even without sales experience.
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What a BDR does day to day
- Build lists of target accounts and contacts
- Prospect outbound by phone, email and social selling
- Discover pain points and qualify opportunities
- Set meetings and support the Account Executive in the first call
- Report on pipeline created each week
Skills employers look for
- Comfort with cold outreach and rejection
- Commercial curiosity about how other businesses make money
- Organisation: dozens of conversations at different stages
- Listening more than talking on discovery calls
- Basic CRM and sales-tool skills
How to get your first BDR job in South Africa
- 1Understand the B2B sales cycle: prospect, qualify, meeting, proposal, close.
- 2Practise cold openers and the classic objections until you can answer with a question.
- 3Look for “BDR”, “business development representative” and “new business” roles on PNet and CareerJunction, especially in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
- 4Show initiative: send a short, personalised message to the sales manager after applying.
- 5Prepare one story with numbers that proves you can hit a target.
Interview questions you should prepare
- What is the difference between a lead and a qualified opportunity?
- Walk me through how you would prospect into a new account.
- What would you say if a prospect told you they already have a supplier?
- Tell me about a target you hit and how you did it.
Where to find BDR jobs in South Africa
- PNet. One of South Africa's largest job boards, with many sales roles.
- CareerJunction. Strong in sales, call centre and financial services jobs.
- Careers24. Wide range of entry-level sales openings.
- LinkedIn Jobs. SDR and account executive roles in international companies.
BDR jobs by city
How Ventaka gets you ready
- Short game-style lessons: from zero to selling, 10 minutes a day
- Written role-plays with AI customers who push back with real objections
- The «sell me this pen» interview test with Cal, who scores you at the end
- A sales CV and a scam-offer detector
- A verifiable certificate to show recruiters