If you’re trying to land a good software sales representative role, it’s best to get a head start by putting together a strong application. This includes a resume that highlights your education and skills, as well as a software sales cover letter that explains exactly why you’d be perfect for the role.
A professional cover letter gives you a chance to introduce yourself without being physically present. Making a strong first impression is the best way to stand out from the competition and make sure you are called back for an interview. In this guide, you will learn how to craft a great cover letter and software sales resume to help you land your dream software sales job.
Software Sales Cover Letter Guide
A software sales cover letter is a one-page document, usually between 250 and 400 words, which is sent in with a job application alongside your resume. It contains a brief introduction of yourself and an overview of your professional background.
Why Does Your Software Sales Cover Letter Matter?
While a resume usually details your experience and professional and educational qualifications, a cover letter allows you to add a personal touch and show your enthusiasm for the role. It is your chance to convince a hiring manager you are the ideal candidate and express appreciation for the organization you are applying to.
In your cover letter, you should explain how your previous experience in software sales can help you generate results for the company. In the same way that you position a tech company’s services or products to the target audience when you’re in software sales, your cover letter is your chance to position yourself as a leading candidate in the hiring manager’s eyes.
When you’re searching for a job, you’re up against a crowd of people that may have similar or even better skills and experience than yours. An effective cover letter exists to help you stand out from the crowd and compliment your resume. This is especially true in the world of sales where you have to show employers you can communicate convincingly.
Essential Components of Your Software Sales Cover Letter
Your software sales cover letter should not simply echo the information on your resume. Instead, it should complement that information with details about your past successes and motivation to land the role. Below are some critical components of an effective software sales cover letter.
- Header: Make sure you include your name and all relevant contact information in your header. This way, recruiters will be able to easily reach you in case they are interested in you as a candidate.
- Salutation: Make sure to open with a warm, professional greeting. It is best if you find the name of the hiring manager and mention them directly, as this adds a personal touch to your letter.
- Introduction: This is where you need to engage your reader and make sure they stay until the end. Make sure to open with an enthusiastic tone, and mention the reason why you’re excited to apply for this particular role.
- Body: The body of your letter should be one or two paragraphs long. Make sure you mention any achievements you have from past roles. Aim to be as quantitative as possible in a software sales cover letter. If you increased sales by 15 percent, make sure to mention it. If you’ve led a team that has exceeded its goals, specify by how much.
- Conclusion: When you close, make sure to summarize why you think you’d be great for the role, summarize how your selling skills can be used to help the company, and invite the candidate to reach out to you.
5 Tips for Writing a Strong Software Sales Cover Letter
Now you know all of the essential components of a good software sales cover letter, but you still have to think about what you want to express before putting pen to paper and start writing. Here are a few tips to help you create a solid and effective cover letter.
- Personalize it. Personalization is crucial in sales because it humanizes your customer relationship, experience, and the whole sales process. The same applies to cover letters. While resorting to templates may be tempting, nothing beats a personalized letter that demonstrates you took time to study the role and the company.
- Use figures and bullet points. To emphasize your noteworthy accomplishments from a previous role and your product knowledge, use bullet points and figures. This will not only make your letter stand out, but it will also help you keep it short and to the point.
- Focus on the job description. Everything you include in your sales cover letter should be related to the job description in some way. Make it crystal clear that you possess the abilities they seek. If they use specific vocabulary, try to imitate it. Reiterate your capabilities if they require a particular skill. Let the job description be your guide to the information you include.
- Focus on what makes you unique. Dozens of similar-sounding cover letters will be submitted to the hiring manager, especially for software sales associate and sales manager positions. Look back on your education and job experiences and find whatever characteristics make you uniquely effective at software sales, and make sure to mention it.
- Ensure there are no errors: Make sure your sales cover letter is grammatically correct and free of typos before submitting it. You can have a friend or family member review it for you. Alternatively, taking a break for a few hours might sometimes help you spot problems that you may have overlooked previously.
Software Sales Cover Letter Example
Now that you are familiar with what a strong cover letter should include, let’s take a look at a good sample software sales cover letter to help you get an idea of what a well-written letter should look like.
Software Sales Cover Letter Sample
Full name Email Address
Phone number
LinkedIn profile
(Date)
(Name of Hiring Manager, Title)
(Name of Company)
(Address)
(City, Zipcode)
Dear (name):
As a software sales, training, support, and tactical client management professional, I’ve had the privilege of planning, developing, implementing, and showcasing large initiatives that resulted in millions of dollars in recurring income.
I managed teams that aided people, managers, executives, the organization as a whole, and, most significantly, customers whose sales and service experiences were vastly improved due to the execution of my forward-thinking concepts. I’m searching for opportunities to collaborate with like-minded people to keep this winning streak going.
Allow me to highlight my strengths:
- Analytical thinker and acknowledged professional with excellent communication and closing skills.
- Drive company growth strategies and regularly surpass sales targets; aggressively acquired and maintained many award-winning sales targets.
- Utilize a consultative sales technique to analyze client needs and establish unique sales strategies to provide product suggestions, gain customer commitment, and close transactions.
I believe that my qualifications would make me a valuable asset to your company. My accompanying résumé contains further information about my background and accomplishments. Recognizing that this information falls short of expressing my strengths, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you.
If you are in need of an experienced, dynamic, and results-driven software sales management professional with advanced communications skills, a proven track record of strategic and innovative sales strategies, I will make myself available to discuss how my qualifications would be a perfect fit. I am eager to learn about the challenges your company faces and discuss how I can make a difference.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Software Sales Resume Guide
To go with a well-written cover letter, you need a great resume to help you get recruited for a software sales position. Your resume is where you will showcase your background, technical skills, and previous experience. Keep reading to learn how to build a strong software sales resume.
Why Does Your Software Sales Resume Matter?
Your resume is a summary of your professional background and serves as the first point of contact with a hiring manager. It includes information about your abilities and training, work experience, education, and achievements with previous employers. It also concisely educates the employer of your career objective and describes what you can bring to the table if hired.
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You most likely won’t stand a chance without a resume, and a weak resume will swiftly exclude you before you even have a chance to compete. That is why it is critical to have a strong resume that effectively communicates what you can achieve in software sales.
Essential Components of Your Software Sales Resume
To get that software sales position, you’ll want to make sure that your resume includes relevant information in a clear, straightforward way. Most hiring managers only skim through a resume for a few seconds before deciding whether the candidate is fit for the role. To make sure your resume takes you to the next round, make sure it includes the components listed below.
- Personal Information. The top part of your software sales resume should include your contact information. Include your name, address, email, and phone number. You can also add links to your portfolio or LinkedIn profile.
- Career Objectives: This section helps employers understand who you are as a professional and why you are interested in working with them. You can add information like your present work title, what you intend to achieve in your future career, and what qualifies you for the position you’re applying for.
- Educational Background: It is crucial to list your education on your resume. Because a software sales role may require a background in both sales and software, it’s a good idea to demonstrate to recruiters that you’ve completed coursework in one or both fields. If you don’t have a degree in either, you can list any relevant training, such as coding bootcamps or online courses, to back you up.
- Professional Experience: This is where you list any relevant past experiences. Make sure to add your main responsibilities in your previous roles, and focus on your successes and ways you made a positive impact on your previous organization.
- Relevant Skills: To work in software sales, you need a combination of technical and soft skills. In this section, you can include any skills that make you great at your job and that are relevant to the role, such as attention to detail, communication skills, or excellent customer service.
5 Tips for Writing a Strong Software Sales Resume
Writing a strong software sales resume is easier when you have good knowledge of all the essential components. Once you have the structure down, make sure to follow the following tips to write a strong software sales resume.
- Write an attention-grabbing summary or introduction: Because the first piece of your resume that hiring managers will view is your resume introduction, it’s critical to grab their attention right away. We recommend writing a resume summary in one sentence that communicates to the hiring manager how your relevant experience, abilities, credentials, and career highlights demonstrate why you’re a good fit for the position.
- Quantify your sales experience: Sales managers work with numbers daily, from making sales to balancing budgets. You should reflect that in your resume by using instances of your successes backed up by hard figures.
- Use action verbs: You should begin each bullet point in your resume with a strong action verb in addition to presenting hard numbers. Using action verbs on your sales manager resume shows that you have initiative, leadership abilities, and, most importantly, that you “take action” while on the job.
- Use the right keyword: Employers usually include industry-specific keywords in job descriptions that they wish to see on applicants’ resumes. It is common practice to use applicant tracking systems to check applications for these keywords. Study the job description and include the keywords in your resume so that it passes the initial scan.
- Make time to edit and proofread: Don’t be in a hurry to submit your resume as soon as you’re done writing it. You should make sure to read through thoroughly for any grammatical, typographical, or punctuation errors to be corrected. You could even pass it to your friend or colleague for proofreading.
Software Sales Resume Examples
A properly crafted resume is what you need to stand out and be noticed. Check out the following sample career objectives section and full resume template to help you create the best possible resume and land your dream career in sales.
Software Sales Resume Sample: The Career Objectives Section
Career Objectives
Motivated sales specialist with over eight years of experience in delivering individual and team sales quotas. Seeking a software sales specialist role with XYZ Industries, where I can contribute my knowledge of sales techniques and market research.
Software Sales Resume Template
Contact information
[ Full Name]
[ Address]
[ Phone Number]
[ Email]
Objectives/ Personal Summary
[ Summary of your goals for employment, including where you have been and hope to go in your career]
Professional Experience
[ Name of Company] [Location]
[ Job Title] [Duration]
[Job Description]
- Include as many relevant professional experiences as possible
Education
[ Name of College]
[ Degree]
[ Honors]
Software Resume Template Resources
- Zety: Zety provides tips, guides, and an easy online resume builder to help create a perfect sales representative resume.
- Live Career: Live career offers resume proofreading, scoring, and guidelines to create a great resume. They also have an online resume builder with samples and easy-to-use templates.
- Resume Genius. Resume Genius provides guidelines and expert tips along with resume templates that you can quickly download.
Importance of a Software Sales Cover Letter and Resume
A software sales cover letter and resume are tools that represent your professional capabilities for the position. They are an opportunity to impress your hiring manager and advance through the applicant screening process. These documents are a testament to your suitability for the job, your personality, and your desire to work for the organization.
Software Sales Cover Letter and Resume FAQ
In order to write a strong cover letter, you should study the job listing and the company to make sure you are a good fit for the role. Make sure to take stock of your past successes in previous roles, and connect them to the job requirements. Finally, make sure you have a structure or follow a template so you can keep your writing on track and to the point.
Your cover letter should illustrate why you are a fantastic fit for the role, using concrete examples when possible. You should also explain why you are excited about working for this specific organization. It should be as thoughtful as possible and personalized to each job offer.
While both documents may contain some similar information, a cover letter is usually tailored to the position you’re applying for as it focuses on current and future goals. In contrast, a resume lists previous positions, education, and accomplishments.
No, unless the job posting specifically requests it, you should not include salary expectations in your cover letter. Salary negotiations usually take place after the recruiting manager has made you an offer.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
