Sales and business development are activities every business person wants to see in his organization. Sales are closing or securing a deal while business development is generating new ideas by researching and creating a pipeline of targeted potential, which will increase sales.
Sales are generating transactions, while business development is generating ideas. Business development comes first because when you generate new ideas by researching the needs of your customers and giving them a solution, you drive more sales to your business.
Sales are all about selling products or services to the final consumers, while business development is building new distribution channels, markets, or business areas. Sales are transactional in nature, while business development is relational. Business development is mainly a business expansion.