Skills that make a great sales individualBy Inside Selling

@insideselling

insideselling.hubpages.com/

Introduction

Our research has shown that successful sales individuals have a set of skills that are common across the board.

These skills or traits transcend industries, product types and even geography.

With this slideshow we hope to highlight those common skills/traits

1: Collecting business insights

The best sales individuals can collect and analyze a prospect’s business case with ease.

They can also use these insights throughout the sales cycle.

For more information on collecting a business case click here.

2: Active listening

Great sales individuals are not just good listeners, they are great listeners.

They actively listen and pay attention to detail when a prospect is talking to them.

Effective sales individuals can also ‘sense’ a lot from the prospects voice modulation, tone and the way they talk.

Contrary to popular believe this is a skill needed in both field and inside salese.

"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." - Ernest Hemingway

3: Objection handling

Effective sales individuals are not afraid of objections, they welcome them.

A particular art they are adept at is handling pricing objections.

Great sales individuals tackle objections even before they arise and anticipate possible objections.

An objection is not a rejection; it is simply a request for more information. - Bo Bennett

4: Demonstrate value

Sales individuals are expected to demonstrate value not features. However, great sales individuals excel at demonstrating value.

Sales individuals that remember this are always ahead of the game.

The best sales individuals are adept at story telling and demonstrating value at the same time.

5: Focus

Our research has shown one of the reasons sales individuals are successful is because they do not lose focus of their goals.

Focus is the single most important factor that helps sales individuals make their numbers month on month.

It is also responsible for keeping sales individuals motivated.

The game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can't let yourself be beat because of lack of effort. – Michael Jordan

6: Articulation

Effective sales individuals are able to articulate the most complex concepts in plain language.

This is a skill especially relevant when selling ‘technology heavy’ products and services.

Great sales individuals are also great story tellers.

If the tongue had not been framed for articulation, man would still be a beast in the forest. - Emerson

7: Risk taking

Sales individuals that can take calculated risks based on data are difficult to find but equally desirable.

Saying no or sticking to one’s guns is something risk taking sales individuals excel at.

Note of caution. Risk taking should not be confused with baseless random risks.

The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks. – Mark Zuckerberg

8: Learning

Sales is an constantly changing field. In the last decade alone terms like social selling have changed the way sales are done.

Sales individuals that invest in learning make sure they stay ‘relevant’.

Great sales individuals are always learning and investing in learning.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. – Mahatma Gandhi

9: Research

Prospecting is no longer about finding the right person to sell products to.

Our experience has shown that sales individuals that excel in research also excel in sales.

The same sales individuals also know how and when to use the research they have done.

Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought. - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

10: Expectation setting

Sales individuals that are great at setting their prospect’s expectations, guaranteeing lesser objections in the later stages of the sales cycle.

Expectation setting is also a great tool to ensure customer satisfaction.