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Business development manager skills for your resume and career

Q: What are networking skills?

Networking skills include communication, relationship management, and professionalism. Communication Communication on a personal level is a necessary part of networking. Having strong, open lines of communication continually strengthens your connections. Communication consists of face-to-face contact with good eye contact and being engaged in the conversation. Otherwise, consider responding promptly via email, text, and telephone. Responsive and engaged communication is important. Relationship Management Relationship management is important in networking. Maintaining these relationships can bring you to the forefront of future internships and job opportunities. Staying in contact regularly is an important step in maintaining these relationships. Building and maintaining these relationships create lasting connections that benefit everyone involved positively. Professionalism Professionalism has several factors to it. A person must be well-groomed, polite, reliable, and able to maintain an ethical standpoint. How you act, speak, and look reflects who you are as a person and a professional. Treating your superiors, peers, and clients respectfully is all part of professionalism.

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Jonathan Byers,

Adegoke Oke Ph.D.

Business development manager example skills

One of the most important hard skills a business development manager can possess is consistently meeting and exceeding sales goals because this demonstrates success in marketing and maintaining client relationships It's also important for business development managers to have the hard skill of finding and acquiring new clients.

When it comes to soft skills, business development managers should have strong customer service skills above all else. Business development managers need to keep great relationships with clients, so communication skills are also crucial.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical business development manager skills. We ranked the top skills for business development managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 8.3% of business development manager resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a business development manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 business development manager skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how business development managers use customer service:

Defined customer service vision by establishing and maintaining excellent client relationships to ensure client referrals and existing customer service upgrades.
Move also included determining and adding increased technical support capability to improve marketing, sales, and customer service abilities.

2. CRM

CRM stands for Customer relationship management and it is a complete process through which a business or organization monitors and administers its interactions with the customers. A process in which large amounts of data are collected through marketing via a company's website, polls, surveys, and other social media applications. The basic goal of CRM is to target the right audience for their product, and then fulfill their needs, to increase the sales and revenue of the company.

Here's how business development managers use crm:

Developed and conducted a MicroStrategy CRM application to replace an in-house CRM application for Coca- Cola national distribution in Atlanta.
Worked directly with department manager to implement and integrate sales CRM into operational procedure.

3. Healthcare

Healthcare is the maintenance or improvement of a person's health by the diagnosis and treatment of a person's injury, illness, or any other disease. Healthcare is a basic necessity of human life and is the responsibility of the country's government to ensure that each person gets healthcare. Providing healthcare is the job of certified health professionals that includes doctors, surgeons, nurses, and other physicians. Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, dentistry, therapy, and health training all come under healthcare. Healthcare plays a vital role in the country's economy and its development.

Here's how business development managers use healthcare:

Develop strategic alliances with local banks, HealthCare Agencies, CPA and LLC firms.
Managed the development of Healthcare focused sales and marketing efforts for UPS applications and electrical equipment infrastructure for hospitals and institutions.

4. Business Relationships

Here's how business development managers use business relationships:

Developed and maintained FAA customer business relationships in domestic and/or international markets; identified and developed opportunities for CACI business expansion.
Promoted business relationships with local business, legal associations, managed all business budgets and implemented a cost containment budget strategy.

5. Customer Relationships

Customer relationships are the interactions and efforts made by a company to improve its customer service. Customer relationships cover not just all of the essential roles performed by customer support, but also the initiatives made before and after the interaction with a customer.

Here's how business development managers use customer relationships:

Cultivate valuable customer relationships while providing all potential options regarding financing, design, permits strategy, construction and operation guidelines.
Increased market position in document imaging by locating, developing, defining, negotiating and closing sales and managing customer relationships.

6. Project Management

Here's how business development managers use project management:

Supervised project management and information technology infrastructure projects implementation.
Created processes to streamline the transition of clients through from business development to project management, eliminating repetition and increasing efficiency.

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7. BDM

Here's how business development managers use bdm:

Assisted in leading a team of BDM's to achieve revenue, attrition, and value added service goals.
Exceeded quota by 138% in 2006, resulting in Top BDM & Company MVP/President's Club Honors.

8. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how business development managers use excellent interpersonal:

Identify new revenue opportunities and utilize excellent interpersonal skills to foster and maintain valuable working relationships with potential and existing accounts.
Performed work with excellent interpersonal communication skills and the ability to deal professionally with employees and clients at all levels.

9. Salesforce

Salesforce is an American cloud-based software company based in San Francisco, California. This company provides customer relationship management services that enable the customers to be closer to the company. It gives the company detailed information about each customer, including marketing, sales, commerce, and services. Salesforce also helps market a product to attract more buyers, and helps win more customers by targeting the right audience.

Here's how business development managers use salesforce:

Developed and implemented effective sales, marketing and business development plans, including acquisition and integration of market database into SalesForce.com.
Served as Project Team Leader on SalesForce Database design resulting in streamlined reporting and increased accuracy of market data.

10. Account Management

The process of strengthening the relationship between a company and client is called account management. Effective account management has two key objectives, one is to retain loyal customers and the second one is to help the company grow by creating connections with new customers.

Here's how business development managers use account management:

Recommended formation of Sales and Marketing organization to initiate merchant market sales, its structure and Direct/Indirect account management strategies.
Project and account management- Develop client relationships in a challenging economic environment using plans customized to meet customer's needs.

11. Sales Process

Here's how business development managers use sales process:

Directed and coordinated activities concerned with the sales process Evaluated new clients Organized Lead generation Strong focus on customer service Maintained website
Designed marketing material, implemented new proposal formats and sales process to enhance productivity and reduce time to deliver proposals.

12. Sales Cycle

Here's how business development managers use sales cycle:

Managed the development and execution of the entire sales cycle, including opportunity identification, qualification, proposal development and closing.
Led multiple research, development and direct-response marketing initiatives, profitably completing sales cycles through optimizing vendor retention and contract negotiations.

13. Client Relationships

Here's how business development managers use client relationships:

Maintained client relationships with on-site visits and consultations, teleconferences, in-depth technical calls and presentations, and web-based platform communications.
Attended and participated in company sponsored educational training seminars, trade shows and association meetings to manage positive client relationships.

14. Lead Generation

Here's how business development managers use lead generation:

Developed and implemented region store training program focused on revenue generation through systematic day to day, lead generation activities.
Created new qualified businesses and improved organization and efficiency of company database by developing and implementing weekly lead generation system.

15. Market Trends

Here's how business development managers use market trends:

Maintained accurate forecasts and provided management with regular updates related to ongoing opportunities and projects, competitive analysis and market trends.
Diversified company into new product areas by evaluating and qualifying potential partnerships and performing thorough analysis of market trends.

5 Business Development Manager resume examples

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What skills help Business Development Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on business development manager resumes?

Jonathan Byers

Assistant Director, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

- Professional skills related to career development competencies such as strong oral & written communication, teamwork & collaboration, leadership, problem-solving ability & creativity, and professional integrity, but we recommend that applicants do not just list these skills. They should provide evidence of how they have used them in their work experience, volunteer experience, academic experience, etc.
-The ability to use technology effectively to solve problems or improve collaboration; this could relate to social media management, computer hardware or software skills, proficiency with general programs like Microsoft Office Suite (also being able to demonstrate the use of these skills in various experiences).
-With diversity, equity, and inclusion becoming more important in 2020, the ability to appreciate different points of view, accept and appreciate different cultural backgrounds & types of identities, and increased awareness of one's own cultural biases and assumptions can also be important to market on a resume.

What soft skills should all business development managers possess?

Adegoke Oke Ph.D.

Professor of Supply Chain Management, Arizona State University

In general, people skills: leadership, effective communication and negotiation skills, the ability to work effectively with people in different cultures and in a team environment.

What hard/technical skills are most important for business development managers?

Adegoke Oke Ph.D.

Professor of Supply Chain Management, Arizona State University

Data analytics skills are currently in high demand, so is understanding the impact of emerging technologies and digitization on business

What business development manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Kaustav Misra Ph.D.

Associate Dean, Central Connecticut State University

This pandemic taught us many things and one important thing that we have an efficiency gap.

The way of doing business will be much more technology orientated. Hence graduates should be ready to unskill and upskill their credentials. This time it is necessary to forget the old way of doing business and learn new skills to get a job or stay in a current job. Soft skills have become much more important than before, but a different soft skill set would be essential to interact with future market participants. Thus, a gap year should be utilized to unskill-upskill and enhance relevant credentials by getting into short-long term programs, training, and workshops would be highly recommended.

What type of skills will young business development managers need?

Michael Mikitka

Executive Vice President, MHI – Material Handling Industry

Courses and internships are essential. While the required depth of knowledge may vary from one position to another, employers are generally looking for candidates with strong "people-related" skills, those who are willing to continue to learn, and those with the ability to be flexible and adapt.

By "people-related" skills, I mean the abilities associated with effective communication (listen and express ideas and direction) and the skills related to working independently and a team.

As for the interest to continually learn... from a technology, data, and equipment perspective, today's supply chain looks very different than it did 10-years ago. The willingness and ability to continually learn are essential for anyone in a leadership role.

As for flexibility and adapting...supply chain/logistics is as much about responding to disruption and demand as it is planning for it. There is a predictable demand (i.e., seasonal...everyone knows when back-to-school shopping begins). Then there is the unpredictable demand (i.e., power-outages, wildfires, pandemic) that impact market and the ability to operate. Candidates that express flexibility and problem-solving skills will be much sought-after.

What technical skills for a business development manager stand out to employers?

Todd Lee Goen

Instructor & Internship Director, Christopher Newport University

Technical skills are often industry and/or position specific. Applicants should highlight any technical skills related to the position advertisement and those that add value to the position/organization. Most importantly, requirements for technical skills change with time and technological advances. This means employers value workers capable of adapting to change and continually improving and acquiring new technical skills. Thus, it's usually more important to demonstrate you are capable of learning and developing technical skills than it is to have a specific skill set upon hire (although this is not true for some positions/industries).
That said, technical skills related to online presentations, virtual meetings, virtual networking, remote working and the like are hot commodities right now. While most organizations were in the process of adopting many of these technologies and ways of doing business pre-pandemic, the pandemic accelerated the process. Organizations are making it work, but they often don't know best practices or the most efficient means of working in the largely virtual, pandemic environment. Post-pandemic, many of the remote/virtual changes the pandemic brought will stay in some form. Technical skills that support this type of workplace will make applicants stand out to many employers because they need/want to do virtual/remote business better.

Do you want to know more?

List of business development manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a business development manager resume and required skills for a business development manager to have include:

Customer Service
CRM
Healthcare
Business Relationships
Customer Relationships
Project Management
BDM
Excellent Interpersonal
Salesforce
Account Management
Sales Process
Sales Cycle
Client Relationships
Lead Generation
Market Trends
Revenue Growth
Work Ethic

Sales Strategies
Trade Shows
Customer Satisfaction
Relationship Building
Product Development
Business Plan
Market Strategies
Sales Targets
Market Research
Sales Presentations
Excellent Organizational
HR
Shared Services
Business Development
Strong Analytical
RFP
Market Analysis

Real Estate
Linkedin
Strong Negotiation
Sales Pipeline
Cold Calls
Product Line
Sales Growth
Gross Profit
Cloud Computing
Lead Qualification
DOD
Strategic Plan
ROI
R
Strategic Partnerships
Amazon Web Services

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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