Business Development Representative

What You’ll Do

Drive Revenue & Qualify Opportunities

• Balance dual responsibilities of direct revenue generation and pipeline development for the broader sales team

• Qualify enterprise prospects using BANT criteria to identify high-value opportunities for Account Executive handoff

• Own and close small to mid-sized accounts (lower seat/FTE requirements) through efficient email communication and concise 15-minute discovery calls

Strategic Outbound & Market Development

• Execute targeted outbound campaigns to penetrate specific industry verticals

• Use social selling to represent the Perplexity brand—posting, commenting, and experimenting with new formats to stay top-of-mind with prospects

• Research and map accounts within assigned verticals to build comprehensive prospect lists

• Develop vertical-specific messaging that resonates with industry pain points and use cases for Perplexity Enterprise

• Contribute to top of funnel strategy

Sales Operations & Excellence

• Maintain pristine data hygiene in Salesforce, ensuring all prospect interactions and qualification criteria are documented

• Respond rapidly to inbound inquiries with consultative, value-driven communication

• Build and iterate on outbound sequences that drive consistent pipeline generation

What You'll Need

Core competencies

• Exceptional communication skills: Ability to articulate complex AI/search solutions clearly via email and phone, adapting tone and technical depth to various stakeholders

• Vertical expertise: Demonstrated understanding of at least one key industry (e.g., Financial Services, Healthcare, Legal, Consulting) with ability to speak to industry-specific challenges

• Sales acumen: Proven ability to qualify prospects using BANT methodology while maintaining velocity in the sales cycle

• Technical aptitude: Comfort discussing enterprise software, APIs, and AI capabilities at a high level

• Self-starter mentality with ability to manage competing priorities (closing deals vs. qualifying for AEs)

• Data-driven approach to tracking conversion rates, response times, and pipeline metrics

• Intellectual curiosity about how AI and advanced search transform enterprise workflows

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment where processes are still being defined

Nice to Haves

• 1-2 years in SaaS sales development or business development roles

• Experience selling to technical and non-technical buyers

• Familiarity with enterprise AI/ML solutions or search technologies

• Track record of consistently achieving 100%+ of quota

• Pulling data with Salesforce Reporting, SQL or Business intelligence tools

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience

• Experience at a high-growth technology startup