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Writing a Business Development Cover Letter (with Samples)
In this article, we'll cover:
Business development concerns handling the growth of organizations in a wide range of aspects. When writing a cover letter for a business development role, you might consider different jobs and their main duties:
- Business Development Executive
- Business Development Associate
- Business Sales Development Representative
- Business Development Officer
- Business Development Manager
A resume may list your skills, but a cover letter persuades. If you're on the road to a career in a specific area of business development, writing a cover letter shows your keen sense of business acumen for the job.
This guide provides business development cover letter samples at the entry, executive, and managerial level that you can reference to hone your own business development cover letter. We even included a business development cover letter template at the end to simplify the process.
Business Development Cover Letter Samples
💼 Entry Level Business Development Cover Letter
The following is an entry-level business development cover letter for a Sales Development Representative Intern position. With no professional experience, the applicant draws on relevant skills from her co-op program and club activities in her cover letter.
Jane Doe
416-123-4567
[email protected]
December 1, 2022
XCess
2130 Hartway Drive
ON MZN 29S
Dear Ms. Linds,
I am a second-year business undergraduate at BSU with a 4.0 GPA and very excited about the Sales Development Representative Intern position at XCess. From my leadership initiatives at BSU and experience as a co-op intern at DANWaves, I believe my prospecting expertise and interpersonal skills would be worthy to XCess.
At DANWaves, I strengthened my prospecting skills on a professional level. I worked alongside account managers to identify leads, assess risks, and close over 120 deals. I am also a versatile team player and collaborated with both sales and design teams to provide feedback for our website purchase funnels and create ad campaigns to identify 20% more customers on our social media channels.
As an active DECA member from high school to now, I have participated in coordination and leadership initiatives. My role as a DECA officer at BSU has offered me the opportunity to arrange meetings, lead event coordination for new executives, and land business sponsorships for our chapter.
Being a part of a technology platform like XCess would be an exciting opportunity for me to contribute my outreach and lead strategizing experiences. I hope to dive into what I have to offer in an interview.
Best Regards,
Jane Doe
💼 Business Development Manager Cover Letter
The following is a business development manager cover letter for a company that wants to increase its global reach. The candidate focuses on her multilingual background in her cover letter to speak to the company's key objective.
Jane Doe
216-123-4567
[email protected]
December 1, 2022
NOLLAB
1234 Danforth Street, OH 43123
Dear Mr. Sands,
I am interested in your Business Development Manager opening at NOLLAB. With over 5 years of experience working with corporations in North America and EU regions, and fluency in English, French, and Spanish, I would like to facilitate your expansion into the global market.
My pioneering vision has always guided my drive to increase market reach. Previously, I was in a leading role as a Business Development Manager at XYNet, where I developed client acquisition skills from our partnership work in the US and EU regions (France and Spain) through cold-calling and networking efforts. Furthermore, I am also well-versed in maintaining B2B and B2C relations as a former Account Manager at GenInc. During my time as a BDM, I took ownership of project deadlines by overseeing departments from our production, marketing, and operations departments.
Market research is a crucial component of global client acquisition. I researched market competitors and provided informed reports by using CRM systems to target sales leads from our global analytics.
Your mission for international outreach is perfect for the comprehensive mindset I have to bring to global markets. I would like to meet up and unpack how my cross-cultural and cross-departmental communication and leadership roles contributed to market expansion. I would be happy to provide further information regarding my qualifications and experience.
Kind Regards,
Jane Doe
💼 Business Development Executive Cover Letter
The following is a business development executive cover letter that relates resourcefulness and multi-departmental skills to serve a startup. Despite the candidate's corporate background, she moves the focus of her cover letter to the company’s search for creative problem-solving.
Jane Doe
216-123-4567
[email protected]
December 1, 2022.
SAEats
4321 Conners Road, OH 43321
Dear Ms. Reeds,
Your opening position for a Business Development Executive at SAEats speaks to my passion for creative problem-solving. At AXL, I worked with corporate clients in the food industry for 3 years, where I developed innovative planning and relationship-building skills that I want to bring to a food delivery startup.
To develop innovative plans for corporations, I paved the way for new markets by identifying opportunities. I was thoroughly engaged in networking efforts and conducted detailed competitor analysis to prioritize where to increase our sales efforts. My results-oriented approach led to the development of lead strategies that increased our sales conversion rate by 70%.
As a former Business Development Executive at AXL, I tracked and found 500 leads using CRM systems. I maintained updated contracts and provided support for B2B relationships with food suppliers, packaging manufacturers, and supermarket retailers—increasing client retention by 15%. A team player at heart, I worked with our sales team to drive our ROI up by 10% by cross-selling and upselling products that meet our client’s needs.
Although I come from a corporate background, my resourceful approach and abilities to build lasting relations will be great additions to the startup environment of SAEats. It would be a pleasure to meet you face-to-face to unfold my experiences in generating leads.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
How to Write a Business Development Cover Letter
💡 Format for a Business Development Cover Letter
1. A clear subject line (for emails):
If you are emailing your business development cover letter, write your desired job position in the subject line.
For instance: Jane Doe – Sales Development Representative Application
To intrigue the recruiter, you can add a needed quality to boost the subject line of your business development cover letter. For instance, if you are emailing an entry-level business development officer cover letter:
Analytical Planner Seeking Business Development Officer Position
2. Greetings:
Start your business development cover letter by directly addressing the recipient. Search with the online tools (social media, company website, job descriptions, etc.) you have at your disposal to find an exact name. If not possible, address your business development cover letter to “Hiring Manager” or “Hiring Team”.
3. Body paragraph(s):
Begin your business development cover letter with the desired position, the company name, and a description of how the company’s values align with your skills.
The following sample paragraph is a cover letter introduction for an applicant with no experience in the particular role:
I am thrilled to learn about your Business Development Officer opening at DelHealth. Your search for a candidate who is knowledgeable about influencing governmental policies ties in with my experiences as a Government Relations Specialist at LNS, where I drafted proposals, built relations between governmental stakeholders, and strategized policies. At XY University, my concentration for my International Studies major was in Global Health, and I share your mission in improving US healthcare systems.
Next, your business development cover letter should show how you deliver. Supplement your results with metrics and use the introduction of your business development cover letter as a guide for the skills and accomplishments you will discuss in your middle paragraphs. Refer to the company’s mission to make a case for why you want to work there.
4. Closing:
Close off your business development cover letter with a call to action and an interview invitation.
The following is a sample closing for a business development associate cover letter:
My constant search for new market trends, along with my wealth of experience in supply chain management and proposal preparations, are a preview of what I have to offer to the role of a Business Development Associate at XY Group. I would love a follow-up interview to discuss my market-updated strategies in client acquisition.
5. Sign-off:
End your business development cover letter with a polite and inviting sign-off (Best Regards, Sincerely, Kind Regards, etc.).
Avoid sounding over-the-top or inappropriately personal (Thanks, See ya, Love, etc.) in your business development cover letter.
6. Your contact information (for emails):
When sending a business development cover letter over email, invite recruiters to respond by adding contact information (phone number, email address, links to online profiles) to your signature.
💡 Tips for Writing a Business Development Cover Letter
Customize your cover letter for different companies. Take a look at the company’s mission statement, usually on their “About” page, to understand the nature of the workplace and the job. Craft your business development cover letter accordingly and discuss how your results and approaches match the company’s values.
1. Highlight relevant skills:
Business development comes with all sorts of targeted knowledge and one of the ways recruiters may find your cover letter is by using ATS systems, which scour for certain skills by filtering keywords.
Here are a few to look out for when writing your business development cover letter:
- Relationship-building
- Organizational
- Contract negotiation
- Interpersonal communication
- Strategy planning
- Verbal & written communication
- Networking
- Customer service
- Presentation
- Market intelligence
2. End with a compelling call to action:
Intrigue the recruiter in your CTA by framing your interview invite as a chance to understand what you have to offer. Tie the CTA of your business development cover letter to the organization's mission to grab the recruiter's attention.
3. Proofread your cover letter:
Carefully read through your cover letter and remove any typos or errors to make it professional.
4. Underscore educational experiences:
If you have no professional experience in business development, draw the focus of your cover letter to your educational experiences (e.g. internship, course presentations, club experiences). Mention relevant skills from shadowing stakeholders in your business development cover letter, for instance.
Business Development Cover Letter Template
Whether you are applying to an entry-level or a more experienced business development job, you can use the cover letter template below to remember the general components you should include in your business development cover letter.
[Full Name]
[Phone Number]
[Email]
[Date]
[Recipient Name]
[Company Name]
[Company Address]
Dear [Recipient Name],
Your opening for a [desired position] at [company name] excites me. I also share your values in [organization values or mission]. My role as [previous/current role] at [previous/current company name] gave me the opportunity to foster [soft skills] that I believe would be valuable to your goal in [company objective].
To deliver [relevant soft skill], I used [hard skills] to help businesses with [list tasks and responsibilities], leading to [result with metric]. My passion for [shared interest with company mission] can also be exemplified by my approaches to [job responsibilities], where my experience in [list hard skills] improved [results with metrics].
I would love to assist your journey in [company mission]. An interview would be appreciated to expand on what I have to offer in [relevant skills].
[Best Regards/Sincerely/Kind Regards],
[Full Name]
[Phone Number] (Optional)
[Email] (Optional)
[Profile Link] (Optional)
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Pay attention to how cover letters for an entry level, managerial, or executive level business development job differ in skillset and tone.
- Applicants with no experience in a specific business development job can draw on relevant educational internships or roles in their cover letter.
- Refer to the company’s mission to guide the body and closing of your business development cover letter.
- Proofread your business development cover letter.
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--- Originally written by Flora Lai ---
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