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Business development & sales executive skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
Quoted experts
Adry S. Clark Ph.D.,
Andrea Dixon Ph.D.
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical business development & sales executive skills. We ranked the top skills for business development & sales executives based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 16.2% of business development & sales executive resumes contained cloud as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a business development & sales executive needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 business development & sales executive skills for your resume and career

1. Cloud

Cloud is a server that is accessed over the internet. There are different programs and software that also run on these servers. These clouds can be accessed from anywhere in the world as they are not present in your computer storage, but have their online servers. Cloud consists of data centers all across the world.

Here's how business development & sales executives use cloud:
  • Increased revenues in SI, MSPs and Cloud Providers by 38% in 2015 and 27% in 2016
  • Developed segment strategic direction and vision for Volume Purchase Agreements, E-Procurement, Cloud Solutions and major technology initiatives.

3. 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 & sales executives use crm:
  • Closed six of the first Microsoft Dynamics CRM deals ever sold including the longstanding largest deployment at 1000 seats.
  • Increased the number of cold calls, improved the client list in the Sage CRM database.

4. Direct Sales

Here's how business development & sales executives use direct sales:
  • Skilled in direct sales, pipeline management, partnership alliances, and channel management.
  • Direct sales responsibility for a diverse group of vertical markets including medical, industrial, commercial and consumer electronics.

5. Financial Institutions

Financial Institutions come in all sizes, forms, and are meant for all sorts of purposes. Some only keep money, some only trade it, some focus on extending loans, some work with only other financial corporations or regular business and companies, and some are built to be useful and multi-purpose. A central bank, for example, is a banking institution meant to keep an eye on other banks and ensure that no laws or rules are broken or bent.

Here's how business development & sales executives use financial institutions:
  • Deployed a customized clearing/settlement and imaging application (Remote Deposit Capture) to financial institutions throughout the United States.
  • Developed a go-to-market strategy for a BPO service that targeted financial institutions.

6. Financial Services

Financial services are economic services that are offered by the finance sector, which includes banks, financial institutes credit-card agencies, insurance companies, accountancy firms, and others that handles assets. Organizations in the financial services sector are concerned with money and risk management.

Here's how business development & sales executives use financial services:
  • Generated leads and sold Insurance and financial services to High Net worth Individuals 3.
  • Developed sales and marketing strategies for industry-leading financial services company, resulting in a 400% increase in revenue.

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7. 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 & sales executives use account management:
  • Establish and maintain key client relationships, with associated responsibilities including account management and follow up.
  • Facilitate account management and customer services.

8. 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 & sales executives use salesforce:
  • Worked in Salesforce to define pipeline of customers and potential advertisers.
  • Created a massive, timely lead database in Salesforce based on market research; Boolean search, and trigger events.

9. C-Level

C-Level refers to corporate-level jobs such as chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO). These positions are the highest level of management within a company and are typically earned after years of working at various positions within a single company. As C-level executives oversee large teams, excellent communication and management skills are required for these positions.

Here's how business development & sales executives use c-level:
  • Develop key relationships with C-level executives to develop and implement effective strategies to maximize long term sustainable growth.
  • Prepared and delivered presentations on grid computing to C-level executives.

10. Sales Process

Here's how business development & sales executives use sales process:
  • Negotiated bespoke packages for clients as part of the sales process.
  • Managed entire sales process from remote location.

11. Digital Marketing

Here's how business development & sales executives use digital marketing:
  • Envision and implement overall business strategy and approach, including the digital marketing strategy.
  • Participated with internal teams in assessing existing digital marketing, e-business and technology strategies.

12. Customer Satisfaction

Here's how business development & sales executives use customer satisfaction:
  • Provide marketing feedbacks to product manager/product development department regarding the new features comments, market response and customer satisfaction.
  • Provided delivery management to ensure customer satisfaction and reference-ability.

13. Lead Generation

Here's how business development & sales executives use lead generation:
  • Proposed, implemented and managed lead generation programs.
  • Developed successful sales training and lead generation programs for Fortune 500 companies.

14. Professional Services

Professional service is a type of service wherein they offer medium to high rates because of their work. It consists of lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers, consultants, and financial advisers. Usually, they offer knowledge base skills depending on the need of the client. Also, professional services give way to leverage their capabilities in the form of providing professional services.

Here's how business development & sales executives use professional services:
  • Ranked #1 revenue-producing sales executive in both software licensing and professional services.
  • Utilized Solution Selling techniques to provide complete solutions - software application and professional services/implementation.

15. 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 & sales executives use customer relationships:
  • Developed customer relationships at all levels including engineering and top management.
  • Led DMR Software Team in cultivating customer relationships, performing contract/bid negotiations and increasing sales revenues in 2009.
top-skills

What skills help Business Development & Sales Executives 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 & sales executive resumes?

Adry S. Clark Ph.D.Adry S. Clark Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Director, Western Oregon University

The skills that stand out on resumes fall into two categories: 1) Skills required to do the job and 2) Skills almost all employers look for. The most important aspect of resumes is to make sure it reflects exactly what the employer needs. Study the job description, identify key skills, and have them reflected on your resume. Think about transferrable skills, not the specific roles you've had.

Most employers look for skills such as communication (written/oral), flexibility, proactivity, problem-solving, project management, and technical. Make sure to cultivate those skills in whatever role you have, and have examples that demonstrate those skills.

What soft skills should all business development & sales executives possess?

Andrea Dixon Ph.D.

Executive Director, Center for Professional Selling, Frank and Floy Smith Holloway Endowed Professorship in Marketing, President, University Sales Center Alliance 2019-2021, Baylor University

Since sales professionals have a lot of information available to them today via customer relationship management (CRM) systems, the sales manager's "supervisory" role is less important (especially for experienced sellers). Consequently, the sales manager needs to be more of a coach and enabler of high performance. Having confidence balanced with humility allows the sales manager to engage more effectively with their salespeople.
One of the critical soft skills for sales managers going forward will be the ability to connect members of the sales team to others in the organization - in other words, the sales manager of the future needs to have strong skills in network building for others. Sellers have access to data which helps them build success.
They also need access to the right people to turn to when they need specific expertise or assistance.

What hard/technical skills are most important for business development & sales executives?

Andrea Dixon Ph.D.

Executive Director, Center for Professional Selling, Frank and Floy Smith Holloway Endowed Professorship in Marketing, President, University Sales Center Alliance 2019-2021, Baylor University

One of the growing technical skill requirements for sales managers is in the area of data analytics. Our performance and customer systems provide a myriad of data, and the role of the sales manager is to be a sense-maker of that mound of data. What are the implications for changes in strategy or behavior evident in last quarter's activity? How can the sales manager help a specific seller "see" where the data suggest new approaches?

What business development & sales executive skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Kaustav Misra Ph.D.Kaustav Misra Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

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 & sales executives need?

Michael MikitkaMichael Mikitka LinkedIn profile

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 & sales executive stand out to employers?

Todd Lee GoenTodd Lee Goen LinkedIn profile

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.

List of business development & sales executive skills to add to your resume

Business development & sales executive skills

The most important skills for a business development & sales executive resume and required skills for a business development & sales executive to have include:

  • Cloud
  • Market Trends
  • CRM
  • Direct Sales
  • Financial Institutions
  • Financial Services
  • Account Management
  • Salesforce
  • C-Level
  • Sales Process
  • Digital Marketing
  • Customer Satisfaction
  • Lead Generation
  • Professional Services
  • Customer Relationships
  • Client Relationships
  • Sales Strategies
  • Sales Pipeline
  • Revenue Growth
  • Sales Targets
  • Trade Shows
  • Integrated Marketing
  • Product Development
  • Sales Presentations
  • Business Sales
  • Healthcare
  • Enterprise Sales
  • Market Research
  • DOD
  • Contract Negotiations
  • E-Business
  • Gross Profit
  • Saas
  • Company Sales
  • Cold Calls
  • ROI
  • OEM
  • Sales Revenue
  • Account Relationship
  • Business Plan
  • Customer Retention
  • Business Relationships
  • Product Line

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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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