The profession of “salesperson” is one of the oldest in humanity and a key element in ensuring the continuity of different business models.
During the crises we have already faced, many professionals had to reinvent themselves and replace face-to-face meetings with digital alternatives that maintained sales.
In today's article, we highlight the fundamental skills for the sales professional of the future, which also include knowing your competitors well and making faster decisions.
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7 Skills Every Salesperson Should Master
To help salespeople improve their knowledge and stand out in such a broad and competitive market, we have selected the main skills that every salesperson needs to have, based on the study “Skills Every Salesperson Should Master”, from the consultancy Gartner.
1. Demonstrate expertise in the subject matter
The salesperson must have in-depth knowledge of their products or services, as well as their sector of activity, to make it easier to identify what their customers need.
In addition to gaining more agility in closing the deal, the seller increases the chances of establishing a relationship of trust at the time of sale.
2. Understand what the customer wants
Knowing the buyer is not enough to close a successful negotiation. The seller needs to identify what the other party is looking for, which usually goes far beyond the purchase.
Today, experience throughout the entire process plays a significant role when choosing partners. Therefore, clearly understanding what customers need is the first step to truly helping them.
3. Personalize your interactions
Forget about generic messages or ready-made sales pitches. Just like in B2C, B2B customers are increasingly looking for personalized service.
To personalize interactions, it is important for the salesperson to know the buyer's sector of activity and demonstrate diverse knowledge of trends, events, launches, etc.
4. Help potential customers
The biggest mistake salespeople make is to consider closing a sale as their main goal. In most situations, customers want help solving a specific problem.
Therefore, the salesperson needs to remember that, when interacting with a potential customer, he first seeks to make sure that his problem will be solved and then close the deal.
5. Use technology to increase your productivity
By 2025, Gartner expects 80% of purchasing and sales interactions between B2B suppliers and buyers to happen through digital channels.
In addition to shortening the average sales cycle, having the tech As an ally of the seller during the negotiation process, it allows him to gain more time to sell more.
6. Manage your pipeline as a portfolio
Top salespeople track the performance of each opportunity, daily, and are able to conduct a “bottom-up” analysis of their pipeline at any time.
This way, they can know which business opportunities deserve to be concentrated on, which ones are hottest to close and which ones will certainly decline.
7. Be present on social media
Being present on social media, such as LinkedIn, and being an active user can help bring the seller closer to their potential buyer customers.
Take advantage of your professional profile to connect with your target audience: share your experiences, invite them to chat and keep your network of contacts always active.
Above, we saw some of the main skills that make a good salesperson a highly valued professional in the market.
Do you agree with all the skills listed in this article? Share your opinion with us. 😉
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