Many salespeople take pride in their ability to work with people. They strike up a quick rapport and have no issue shooting the breeze. More significantly, they are not shy about meeting new acquaintances. They have hundreds of contacts in their networks, and they relish the chance to meet for lunch or at a networking event.
But, in a virtual environment, what happens to the “people person”? When there’s always a middleman between you and them, how do you connect with them? In the “new norm,” many top salespeople are struggling, and we’re all trying to adapt. Furthermore, when you can’t meet face-to-face, how do you deliver the same warm, positive, charismatic sales experience?
At a recent LinkedIn Spark event, Seismic’s Head of Enablement, Irina Soriano discussed her thoughts on this topic. Her message is simple: “The feeling of being in a bubble became even stronger in 2020. But being in sales doesn’t necessarily need to feel this way.”
But it begs the question: which abilities are the most critical for sellers to master?
Of course, the answer differs depending on the role, sector, and buyers you’re targeting. (For example, selling to local SMBs is considerably different than selling to Fortune 100 executives.) Some skills, on the other hand, are useful in any setting. Here are a few sales abilities that every rep should have, as well as advice on how to help your team develop them.
1. Growth Mindset
Let’s pretend you’re a natural at establishing rapport. Do you think rapport-building is an innate skill or something you learned through hard effort, practice, and feedback from others?
You have a growth attitude if you choose the second option. People who have a growth mindset believe they can improve their innate abilities and learn new skills through time. People with fixed mindsets, on the other hand, consider their abilities to be set in stone. They’ve been dealt the hand they’ve been given, and that’s all there is to it.
2. Adaptability
When a salesman excels at listening to and acting on feedback, their name rises to the top of the scoreboard and remains there. After all, they’re combining the abilities of a successful salesperson with their manager’s ideas, wisdom, and experience. This is a fantastic combination.
Furthermore, sales professionals’ expectations are continuously changing. Buyers are far more intelligent than they were in 2001, and what worked in 2001 will almost certainly not work in 2024. Great salespeople must be adaptable and coachable to maintain processes and techniques current.
3. Empathy
A mediocre salesperson can become a stellar performer by seeing oneself in their prospect’s shoes. You may tailor your messaging to your prospect’s precise pain points and motives once you’ve figured out what they’re thinking and feeling. You’ll also be able to tell when to push and when to back off.
Furthermore, demonstrating that you are on the buyer’s side helps you avoid the stereotype of the aggressive salesperson who is just concerned with their quota.
4. Communication
Most salespeople spend at least 90 percent of their day communicating, whether it’s on the phone, sending emails, delivering demos, or speaking in meetings. It is critical to have excellent communication abilities. You must be able to communicate your views clearly and effectively, without wandering off on tangents or employing buzzwords and meaningless jargon.
Keep in mind who you’re speaking to at all times. Something is incorrect if you talk to your sales manager the same way you talk to your prospects: After all, their aims, desires, and background information are significantly different.
