Let’s face it; the ability to sell is perhaps one of the most important skill sets within any business.
If you are reading this from a business perspective, you will know just how important sales are within your business; if you aren’t selling, you aren’t growing. And if you are reading this as a sales person, or someone looking to grow their career in sales, then the ability to sell will really open up an exciting and prosperous career for you.
In our opinion, there are a lot of skills that make a great sales person. We have worked with hundreds, if not thousands of sales people over the years and we recognise what makes the difference between a top-earner, and an under-performer.
In this short article, we have compiled a list containing what we believe to be the top five skills that will make you a top sales person.
- Communication
Over the years, sales people have become labeled as having ‘the gift of the gab’, and stereotypical, people tend to see sales people as people who can talk!
However, the best sales people in the land are those that can listen effectively, and those that can communicate well.
No matter how you look at it, the ability to make a sale is no more than a complex conversation that leads to an outcome, and it is the sales person’s role to understand the needs of a person (by listening) and then delivering a solution (by communicating).
- Customer Focus
The customer is the most important part of any sales process. Without your customers, you won’t have anyone to sell to. It is so important to always look to put your customers first, and to ensure their needs are met.
Top sales people tend to put aside figures, targets and crazy closing techniques and tend to focus more on their customers.
Not only will this help to encourage the initial sale, but also helps to nurture repeat business, referrals and recommendations.
- Deep Knowledge
No matter how good your sales techniques and attitude are, if you do not know enough about your products or services then pitching anything is always going to be tough.
If you want to become a top sales person, make sure you take time to research everything there is to know about the company you work for, the products and services you sell and even your customers. That way, you can incorporate this knowledge into your sales pitch, and you will be armed whenever your customers and prospects ask you any questions.
- Problem Solving
Whenever we sell anything, what we want to ultimately do is solve problems by selling the solution to our customers.
Sometimes, we get lucky and customers will either come to us with their problems. Sometimes, prospects will tell us about their problems when we ask them. And sometimes, it is our job to remind prospects that they have a problem.
Once this problem is identified, all you have to do as a great sales person is to sell the solution.
- Action Taking
And finally, one of the key skills any sales person should have is the ability to take action. Sure, developing relationships, solving problems and putting the customer first are all well and good but if you cannot take action, or encourage action, then a sale will never happen.
The best sales people are always looking to take that that conversation to the next stage of the sales process until eventually it is ready to close!
You might be reading this article recognising these traits within you, or perhaps there are some here that you feel you need to work on. Just remember that being a sales person takes training, practice and skill enhancement just like any other job – keep working hard, and you will become a top sales person in no time at all.
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