A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER should have to:
Identifying new sales leads
Pitching products and/or services
Maintaining fruitful relationships with existing customers
When it comes to generating leads, day-to-day duties typically include:
• Research organizations and individuals online (especially on social media) to identify new leads and potential new markets
• Researching the needs of other companies and learning who makes decisions about purchasing
• Contacting potential clients via email or phone to establish rapport and set up meetings
• Planning and overseeing new marketing initiatives
• Attending conferences, meetings, and industry events
When it comes to the challenge of actually selling, other typical duties include:
• Preparing PowerPoint presentations and sales displays
• Contacting clients to inform them about new developments in the company’s products
• Developing quotes and proposals
• Negotiating and renegotiating by phone, email, and in person
• Developing sales goals for the team and ensuring they are met
• Training personnel and helping team members develop their skills.
How to use strong action verbs on your resume
To effectively use resume power verbs, focus first on filling out your experience section with specific, quantified examples of your accomplishments. Then, use a compelling verb to enhance your bullet points.
Here’s a sample bullet point where the candidate improperly used resume action verbs:
Don't
“Went to all weekly company meetings to share department news.”
This example starts with a weak verb. “Went” doesn’t convey any positive information. This verb just indicates you did what was expected of you.
Hiring managers will be impressed if you show your proactiveness and back it up with quantifiable evidence.
Here’s the same example enhanced with resume action words:
Do
“Spearheaded weekly company meetings by communicating departmental growth and productivity.”
The applicant opens with a much more targeted action verb. Unlike “went to,” “spearheaded” is decisive and suggests the candidate has leadership abilities, organizational skills, and a knack for planning.
The applicant also includes the strong verb “communicating,” which is among the most common resume keywords recognized by corporate applicant tracking systems (ATS). By using action verbs, your resume is more likely to bypass the ATS and land in the hiring manager’s inbox.
Finally, the candidate ends their bullet point by stating explicitly what they communicated: “departmental growth and productivity.”