Fractional Business Development Lead — Outbound Calling to Business Owners

About Us We're a boutique sell-side M&A advisory firm. We help founder- and family-owned businesses in the lower-middle market ($10–$50M enterprise value) run a professional, well-managed sale process and find the right buyer. We bring big-bank process rigor to a segment that's typically underserved by larger institutions. The Role We're looking for an experienced business development professional to help build a pipeline of business owners who may be considering a sale of their company, across broad target sectors including business services, home services, industrial services, and manufacturing. You'll make outbound calls to owners of target companies, build rapport, and set up an initial confidential conversation with our firm's founder. This is a part-time, remote engagement. It's best suited to someone who has already spent time on the phone with owners of small or mid-size trade, manufacturing, or distribution businesses, and who's comfortable with a longer, relationship-driven sales cycle rather than a fast-close transactional one. What You'll Do - Make outbound calls (with supporting email/LinkedIn touches as needed) to owners of companies on a target list, provided or built together with us - Build genuine rapport and gauge basic fit — ownership structure, approximate size, and any signals around timing, succession, or interest in a future sale - Warmly introduce the idea of a confidential, no-obligation conversation with our firm's founder - Log call outcomes and notes in a shared tracker/CRM after each session - Maintain a professional, credible, consultative tone — this is a conversation with a business owner, not a telemarketing script What We're Looking For - Prior experience cold-calling or prospecting to small or mid-size business owners (trades, manufacturing, distribution, or similar industries) — general corporate or tech-industry sales experience alone is not a fit - Comfortable making unsolicited outbound calls to unfamiliar business owners and navigating gatekeepers - Strong verbal communicator who sounds consultative and credible, not scripted - Self-directed and comfortable working part-time and remotely with minimal oversight - Background in M&A, business brokerage, banking, or the trade/industrial sector is a plus, though not required - U.S.-based preferred Engagement & Schedule Part-time, fully remote. Initial volume of roughly 10 hours per week, with room to grow based on results and fit. Compensation This role is structured to reward outcomes, not just activity: - Base hourly rate: $30/hour for scheduled call time, prep, and logging - Lead Bonus: $100 for each qualifying call — a live conversation with the actual owner or senior decision-maker of a company matching our target profile, lasting at least a few minutes (not a voicemail, gatekeeper contact, or wrong-number dial) - Mandate Bonus: $1,000 when a conversation you originate results in us being formally engaged under a signed sell-side agreement - Transaction Bonus: $10,000 when that mandate successfully closes