B2B Sales: Skills that will work for you?

The B2B Sales Ecosystem is increasingly becoming a tough nut to crack. With the advent of the new technology age, competition has increased multi-fold and having a good sales team on-board has become of utmost importance for sales at corporate or enterprise level. Here is a sneak-peak at some skills that should consider honing if you want to be a part of this fast-moving and escalating band-wagon.

1. Finders are keepers: People who choose to be in B2B sales need to be dynamic and proactive. The old adage “whoever bells the cat first is the winner” is indeed apt for them. According to InsideSales.com, 35-50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first. Being proactive is not a choice, it’s a necessity.
2. Don’t just take the horse to the well- make it drink water. Developing good persuasion and negotiation skills will take you a long way in this career.
3. Being a people’s person: This is more of an inherent trait. If smiling at a stranger takes a toll on you, then you should seriously reconsider your choices. As a salesman, you will win better deals if you are congenial and have a pleasing personality. For customers today, buying is an experience. The better the experience, the happier they will be. Good relationships often culminate in good sales too!
4. Strong Networking Skills: Sales and Marketing people thrive on their network. Good networking skills come in very handy when you have big projects to chase. Knowing the right person can sometimes even convert a terrible situation into a sale!
5. Another important must have is the ability to communicate well and on time. Lack of communication skills will not only lead to no sales for you, but may also tarnish the image of your brand permanently.
6. Think out of the box: This trait is a good-to-have trait for any and every field.
7. Good observation skills: Even though this skill does not come under the necessary skillset on any sales job-description, people with a keen sense of observation tend to serve better in this domain. Having insights on how people think and behave gives you an edge over your consumers and a chance to better pitch your services according to their needs.
8. Strong leadership skills: Having a strong leadership is very important for any team to succeed. No matter if you are leading one team member or a team of 100, being a transformational leader will help you develop a more happy and satisfied team which, in turn, translates into well0looked-after customers.
9. Awareness: This refers to your commercial awareness. Knowing your customer is important. But it is equally important to know your market, your competition, the regulations, the demographics- basically everything related to the environment in which you are trying to sell.
10. You need to climb all steps to reach the top! Self-motivation is KEY. Sales, sometimes, can be extremely de-motivating. You should have the drive to keep moving even when things look downhill. Always have your eye on the end goal and keep moving without letting your focus dwindle.

Sales is a continuous process where the only constant is change. Thinking on your feet and adapting to change should become like a second nature for you to succeed in this field. At the same time, a career in sales can also be very rewarding. The performance based incentives become a blessing in disguise for a salesman who achieves his targets.

Blog also published on here.