Salespeople are what makes a B2B company keep going. If they are not effective then deals will not be made and the company will run out of money. A key factor to not let that happen is to hire the right people with the right selling skills. So, today I will examine the essential sales skills to have as a salesperson and why they are paramount.

Before I start breaking down each topic, here is the list of them for reference:

Reasons to develop the skills related to a type of sales

your prospects relate better to you
it shows experience
you are more efficient

Important skills of salespeople in enterprise sales and low price sales

enterprise sales
low price sales

Reasons to develop the skills related to a type of sales

There is an infinite amount of sales techniques, approaches and areas to consider. Specialising in one of them is key to becoming a successful salesperson:

your prospects relate better to you and your sales personality
it shows experience in that area which is good social proof
you are more efficient due to optimising your sales process over and over

Each sector of sales will have its priority skill. One might value product knowledge. The other assertiveness. Another even ability to provoke emotions. Whatever the personality trait that you need to succeed in that area, incorporate it into your arsenal. Consequently, your prospects will resonate with you better.

Additionally, specialising in that skill will prove your experience to the prospect. It will provide you with social proof as well as credibility and trust.

Finally, meetings with prospects will run more smoothly. And you will avoid tasks that are unfruitful, becoming more efficient. Your reply, call setting and demo to close rates will be higher in consequence.

Now that I have explained the reasons to adapt your skills to a type of sales, let’s examine the important ones to have as a salesperson in enterprise sales vs low price sales.

Note: even though there are many more categories of sales, for simplicity’s sake I will separate the next part into enterprise and low price sales. Those two are the extremes of the spectrum. It will help you to understand which skills does your industry require.

Enterprise sales skills

Enterprise sales are a different game from any type of sales. That is because decision-makers are paying a lot of money per year for solutions. They put their reputation on the line so they need to believe and trust that you know your stuff.

1. Confidence in your credibility and knowledge

You cannot fake real confidence in your expertise. So, the remedy is to acquire knowledge and credibility. And then express it with confidence to your prospects.

“Being able to confidently deliver your pitch and answer the prospect’s objections is one of the most important skills to master on your way to becoming a sales pro.” – Steli Efti, CEO of Close.com.

2. Perseverance and patience

The average sales cycle requires 6.8 decision-makers and from three months up to a year. So, a lot of stern perseverance through patient follow-ups will pay dividends in the long run.

“Sales suffer from one of the highest attrition rates of all professions, which is why it serves to recruit salespeople who show resilience and grit.” – Calum Coburn, Director at The Negotiation Experts.

3. Networking skills

You will have to deal with different types of personalities from various departments. So, you need the ability to relate to people from different backgrounds.

“Sales professionals are in a position that requires strong communication skills, and that doesn’t necessarily mean their talking ability. It means hearing out your customers and finding what’s best for them.” – Livia Stancu, Content Strategist at Vivint Solar.

4. Disposition of prospects

According to my experience, in enterprise sales, it is better to be respected than liked. That is because decisions are made logically.

“One of the oddest things I’ve found in sales is that a ‘love of people’ is actually not required. Some very successful salespeople actually don’t really like people.” – Carrie Lauby, President of Sandler Training.

Low price sales skills

The opposite of enterprise sales is low price sales. In that case, prospects make decisions emotionally since products have a low price. And their reputation is not on the line. The worst-case scenario is: they use your product for a short period, realise it does not meet their requirements and switch to a competitor.

1. Assertiveness

In low price sales, you are racing against the competition to close deals. It is in your interested to not drag the deal-making longer than necessary. So, having the ability to charismatically push the decision-making process forwards is useful.

“Great salespeople are self-motivated and competitive. Most often, they put forward sales goals themselves to motivate them, and don’t wait for company direction. They also identify opportunities.” – Carrie Lauby, President of Sandler Training.

2. Confidence in the product

The emphasis of your confidence should be in the product, not so much in credibility. The salesperson’s credibility in the industry does not matter as much as their ability to convey the idea that their product is the best in the market.

3. Ability to create emotions

In this type of sales, decisions are made emotionally. So, the salesperson has to be able to create and grow the emotions inside of the prospect.

“People can sense your energy, size you up and judge you within the first 10 seconds of meeting you. You have to discern how people are feeling when you meet them, and then you have to try new approaches until you learn what works for you.” – Mike Monroe, Digital Strategy Manager at Vector Marketing.

Disposition of prospects

The short sales cycles and low compromise sign-ups contribute to decisions being made on the fly. Prospects ruminate for shorter periods of time before trialling a solution. So, it is better to have a repeatable and regimented sales cycle. And utilise urgency and scarcity to persuade prospects to buy from.

Conclusion

You need to make adjustments in your sales approach to optimise your ratios and improve your results. Hopefully, with this blog post, you will be able to develop the skills necessary to succeed more in your area of sales and close more deals. Here are the main takeaways from this blog post: