"Some of my greatest skills are my strong written and verbal communication, and interpersonal skills. A business development manager spends most of their time talking to potential clients, maintaining relationships with existing clients and meeting with their team. To do this successfully, they must have strong communication and interpersonal skills, which I do."

"We had several monthly and annual targets at my previous company, such as increasing revenue by at least 2% every month and 25% by the end of the year, and lower the annual cost of client acquisitions by 10%. With the help of my talented team, we always hit our monthly and yearly targets."

"I have been in the sales industry for over ten years. I started as an account coordinator and moved up to account executive after five years. My experience in these roles has greatly improved my sales knowledge and ability. I have also perfected my communication skills, making it much easier to build and maintain relationships with clients to generate sales."

"When I first started at my old company, I was working closely with the account executive. I thought the account executive was working with one of our clients to update them, and she thought I was. This led to no communication with the client for months, so he cut ties with our company. This prompted my account executive and I to sit down and discuss our separate responsibilities, ensuring it never happened again."

"My sales tactics vary based on the client, but I usually try to build a relationship with the client first before pursuing a sale. I do this by talking with them on the phone or over e-mail, then meeting with them in person. This shows clients I am involved in their business and not just looking for the next best lead. Doing this also helps me get to know the client and their needs better, which allows me to sell them a product or service they would genuinely be interested in."

"I maintain relationships with my clients by getting to know them first, as each client has different needs. For example, if a client prefers constant communication, I ensure to schedule a weekly call, meeting or e-mail. If a client prefers infrequent updates, I plan a monthly call or e-mail. It's important to take detailed notes about each client and ensure I'm meeting their unique needs to build and maintain strong relationships."

"The most difficult client I ever had was one that wanted constant communication. He wanted me to call him every day and talk for over half an hour, even when I didn't have any updates for him. I put a lot of effort into maintaining relationships with clients, but this daily call was taking my attention away from other clients who needed it. I had to explain to the client that going forward, I was only available for a weekly call to discuss our progress and updates, and he agreed."

"To stay up-to-date with current business and sales trends, I follow a lot of online magazines. One of my favourites is Bloomberg Businessweek, a weekly magazine with articles about current industry trends. This allows me to stay updated and apply any new knowledge to my work."

"In my previous role, I used an onboarding template I would personalise and e-mail to clients. Having a template allowed me to streamline the onboarding process and ensure I was sending out all the necessary information to new clients. If I was calling or meeting with the prospective client in person, I used the template as a checklist."

"Before actively pursuing any lead, I always thoroughly research the client to see if they would be a good fit for our company. I look at things like their annual revenue if it's available, their motto or company culture, and their needs to see if my company can offer them a product or service they would actually use."

"Having researched your business, I noticed that your annual revenue is low as you have only been in business for two years. My short-term goal would be to onboard five new clients a month to bring up sales. My long-term goal would be to retain 90% of your clients and increase annual revenue by 30% by the end of the year. At the end of the year, I would reevaluate our goals and create a new strategic plan."

"My management style varies based on my team and the company's goals. However, I generally adopt a transformational management style. This allows me to motivate employees to focus on reaching our monthly and annual goals while showing them I value their contributions and hard work."

"I do think cold calling is an effective sales strategy in moderation. Cold calling potential clients is a great way to pursue leads and schedule a meeting, but it's not as effective alone. I combine cold calling, e-mailing and building relationships with clients on social media into my onboarding process. Essentially, I don't spend all of my time cold calling in case the leads don't work out."

"The most difficult negotiation I had in my previous role was with a major client that could help us bring in over $150,000 a year. The client was looking to find a new supplier for his business but wanted to make sure it was with the right company. I spent months talking to the client on the phone, over e-mail and in-person to build a strong relationship with him. Over the months, I brought him multiple offers and finally after six months of negotiations, I was able to onboard him."