Business Development Specialist

Socket.dev; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 36,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Base Pay

401k

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life

Job summary

HdL Companies in Houston seeks a driven, self-starter to support Sales by identifying opportunities from inbound and outbound sources, qualifying leads, and coordinating with marketing. You will generate MQLs, research agencies, and maintain Salesforce records while supporting ongoing campaigns.

The role requires 1+ year in business development or related field, strong written and verbal communication, and familiarity with AI tools for research and automation. Houston-based, full-time position.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 1+ years in business development, sales development, inside sales, or related role.
• Experience writing outbound emails, sequences, scripts, and follow-ups.
• Hands-on use of ChatGPT and AI/LLM tools for research and outreach.
• Experience using CRM systems to manage prospects and pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Generate and qualify MQLs from inbound and outbound sources.
• Prospect daily via phone, email, LinkedIn, and approved sequences.
• Qualify and route leads from campaigns, conferences, events, inquiries, and prospecting.
• Conduct fit calls to assess pain, timing, and service fit.
• Schedule discovery calls and hand off context to Sales.
• Research target accounts and market needs; maintain Salesforce records.
• Report monthly on MQLs, conversions, and pipeline metrics.
• Maintain knowledge of HdL services and market trends.
• Meet monthly/quarterly/annual MQL, conversion, and pipeline targets.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Communication

Stakeholder management

Organization

Account management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM (Salesforce)

CRM (HubSpot)

Sales engagement tools

AI tools (ChatGPT)

Job description

Company Overview

The HdL Companies help cities, counties and special districts maximize revenues through research and discovery efforts, financial and economic analysis, and provision of software that supports local government operations in a variety of important ways. We are regarded as a leader, occupying a specific niche in the financial services sector and serving over 900 local governments nationwide. Leveraging our talented team of professionals, along with leading edge software and database systems, HdL discovery efforts have recovered over $3 billion for our local government partners.

Core Values

HdL team members individually and collectively aspire to the following core values:

Deliver Excellence In Everything – We anticipate needs and believe that delivering extraordinary service, inside and outside our organization, is key to our success. We passionately pursue excellence in everything we do.

Do The Right Thing – We always act in the best interests of our company and our clients. We are respectful, have high integrity, and are accountable for our actions.

Foster Relationships – We build lasting relationships based on trust with our teams and our clients. We value collaboration toward our common goals and inspire each other to improve and progress.

Give Generously – We give generously of our time and resources with our teammates, clients and communities. We impart information for best practices, encourage professional development, and support charitable community organizations.

Enjoy The Journey – We enjoy our journey and enthusiastically celebrate our successes. We have fun and find fulfillment working with our colleagues and clients.

Be Authentic, Grateful, and Humble – We are thankful for the success we have achieved individually and as a company and never take it for granted.

Job Summary

Driven, self-starter who supports Sales in identifying opportunities from inbound and outbound sources by seeking out and qualifying new and expansion business.

Job Responsibilities

• Primary performance KPI: Generates and qualifies MQLs from inbound and outbound sources for Sales.
• Prospects daily through phone, email, LinkedIn, and approved outreach sequences.
• Qualifies and routes leads from campaigns, conferences, events, inbound inquiries, and direct prospecting.
• Conducts fit calls to assess pain, timing, buyer role, service fit, and next steps.
• Schedules qualified discovery calls and provides Sales with complete handoff context.
• Partners with Sales and Marketing on target accounts, contacts, campaigns, and priorities.
• Researches agencies, stakeholders, needs, service fit, timing, and prior engagement.
• Maintains accurate prospect, activity, qualification, lead-attribution, and follow-up records in Salesforce.
• Reports monthly on MQLs, conversions, pipeline, activity, and lead-source performance.
• Maintains knowledge of HdL services, target markets, competitors, and relevant market trends.
• Meets established monthly, quarterly, and annual MQL, conversion, and pipeline objectives.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Skills and Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate professionally with senior and executive-level stakeholders.
• Strong organization, prioritization, follow-through, and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple accounts, campaigns, and follow-up cycles.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across Sales, Marketing, and business teams.

Education and Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• 1+ years of business development, sales development, inside sales, or related experience.
• Experience writing effective outbound emails, sequences, phone scripts, call talk tracks, and follow-up messaging.
• Hands-on experience using ChatGPT and AI/LLM tools for research, personalization, outreach, and workflow efficiency.
• Experience using CRM systems to manage prospects, activities, follow-up, and pipeline information.

Preferred

• Experience prospecting into government, GovTech, professional services, or complex B2B environments.
• Familiarity with local government, municipal finance, revenue administration, or compliance.
• Experience with Salesforce, HubSpot, or comparable CRM platforms.
• Experience with Reply.io, Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo, or similar sales engagement platforms.

Compensation

The starting base salary for this Houston, TX position is expected to be between $26.16 to $30.08 per hour. Actual salary will be determined based on skills, experience (to the extent relevant) and other job-related factors, consistent with applicable law.

Benefits

1. Competitive Base Pay
2. Opportunity to participate in 401k
3. Medical, Dental, Vision, Life/AD&D, LTD and Employee Assistance Program
4. Paid time off for Vacation, Sick and Holidays
5. Employee Stock Ownership Plan (learn more about the HdL ESOP at: https://www.hdlcompanies.com/about/careers)