Good Sales Representative Skills

What makes excellent sales representative skills? We've looked at what skills are needed to be a sales representative previously, and that is actually the answer to the question. Let's re-look at them in this post.

9 good sales representative skills


These skills are not listed in their order of importance. These skills complement each other. Depending on the stage of a Sales Cycle where the representative is at, one ability becomes more relevant than the other. It's a question of relevancy more than good or 'not so good' skill.

So here they are (once again):

1. Skill in preparing to make the call


This is the first item on the list of excellent sales representative skills. What is required to plan for a sales call is enough information to set a specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound objective. This is better known as a 'Call Plan.'

2. Skill to open a sales call


Based on the Call Plan, sales representatives have a clear strategy to open their call that gets prospects attention, sparks their interest, fuels their desire and prompts them to take action. You probably are familiar with the saying: "The first impression lasts," and opening the call based on a solid plan always ensure a lasting impression.

3. Skill to present products or services


Prospects these days have minimal time to spend on representatives. Making full use of that limited time is what separates an effective sales call from an ineffective one. Presenting a product or service with an impact is another good sales skill to develop.

4. Skill to provide proof when selling


Proof comes in many forms. They can be verbal or visual or both. Knowing how and when to use those proof is vital to remove prospects' doubt and move them up a notch in the Sales Cycle. This is the Conviction stage.

5. Skill to identify buy-in


During the whole selling process, prospects often display certain behaviors that can be translated into buying signals. Knowing how to interpret them is very beneficial for representatives, and it allows them to skip many steps along the way.

6. Skill to address the concern or to handle an objection


Resistance is a norm in a selling process. This is one of those excellent sales representative skills; many reps aim to develop. In my humble opinion, a good rep learns and develop this skill. A better one learns to bypass resistance and work straight to commitment.

7. Skill to gain commitment


Skillful representatives have their own ways to get prospects commitment by reading the right buying signals and by bypassing their resistance. All these are achievable. All of these can be learned and trained.

8. Skill to promote another product


If representatives promote more than one products or services, moving from one to another is a skill that needs to be developed. The phrase "strike while the iron is still hot" applies here and that makes it another excellent sales representative skills.

9. Skill to follow up after a call


Most of the time, the real selling starts after a sales call ends. It is possible that a prospect's commitment is gained through subsequent calls (some experts mentioned 5 to 7 times after the initial request is made).

Sales reps who can learn and develop these nine excellent sales representative skills are going to produce sustainable and consistent sales results. Those who sharpen these skills are going to show top performance and reap the rewards from such an effort.

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