5 ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR A SUCCESSFUL SALES CAREER

If you’re looking to have a successful career in sales, a lot more goes into it than just making countless calls and hoping for the best. 

Of course, consistency is great and the more you do something, the more you’ll learn and improve, but if you’re not intentional about learning, you may miss out on so many opportunities to do so.

To truly thrive, you need to focus on developing your soft skills – qualities that will set you apart, help with stress, and give you confidence when selling. Here are five essential sales skills that can pave the way for your long-term success.

Business Acumen

With sales, it’s more than just pushing a product; it’s about understanding the product and:

• The company

• It’s customers

• It’s market (industry trends & economic factors)

• It’s competitors

• It’s unique selling point (USP)

Having business acumen equips you to know the who, the what, the where, and the how – elevating your sales ability to the next level. 

Interpersonal Skills

At the end of the day, sales is about people. It’s about connecting with people on a personal level and understanding their needs. 

If you struggle to see that, you will find it difficult to build long-lasting relationships – something that is crucial in sales. No matter how much you nail your generic approach and understanding of the product/ service, you must tailor your conversations to connect with people on an individual basis. People have different needs and different ways they prefer to communicate, and if you want to not only make a sale but build a long-term relationship, you have to prioritise understanding them.

Developing strong interpersonal skills involves:

• Active listening

• Empathy

• Effective communication

Whether you're interacting with clients, colleagues, or prospects, prioritising genuine connections can turn a transactional exchange into a long-term relationship. 

Negotiation Skills

Negotiation is that one skill that can be so hard to learn, but once you learn it – it changes everything.

Many salespeople think negotiation is going straight into pitching in a one-size-fits-all approach, but actually, the ability to negotiate properly comes down to:

Building a foundation of rapport

Sales tip #1: don’t sell without rapport.

I know it would be easier to make a deal in the first cold call, but it doesn’t always work like that. Why? Because without getting to know someone you don’t know their goals, challenges, as well as other competitors they’ve bought from in the past. 

Having a better understanding of the person you’re selling to will help the negotiation process feel more genuine and trustworthy for the prospect.

Properly preparing 

If you want to negotiate with clarity and confidence, research your prospect and their business. This way before you even go on a call, you have an understanding of their pain points, challenges, and goals – meaning you can position your service as a valuable, relevant solution. 

Also, prepare and anticipate objections. If you understand the prospect, you can have an idea of what their objections will be and you can address any roadblocks when negotiating.

Actively listening

As a salesperson, you’re probably a good talker – but are you a good listener

Communicating is so much more than being a good talker, but is about taking time to understand your prospect. When negotiating, tailor your approach and:

• Ask open-ended questions

• Actively listen to their responses

• Show empathy by acknowledging their concerns

Negotiation shouldn’t just be about getting what you want, but about getting the prospect to see what’s in it for them.

Resilience

Setbacks are inevitable in sales, and resilience is what will determine whether your sales career in sales will be successful long-term. 

Resilience is all about mindset and being able to view setbacks as learning opportunities and keeping a positive mindset. You will get rejected, deals that fall through, and overall challenging periods but it’s down to what you do when that happens.

Any successful salesperson knows that these things are essential for growth. If you feel like quitting after one setback, you won’t be able to see how you could do better next time.

Time Management

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “time is money” and as a salesperson, this couldn’t be a truer statement. Time management is vital.

But sales is unpredictable, and with so many different things happening each hour, let alone each day, spending time managing your time can almost feel like it takes up too much of your time. But if you do it properly, you’ll:

• Maximise productivity 

• Alleviate the stress of deadlines

• Manage your tasks more effectively

- Written by Arun Sutton

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