Sales - The skills to become a

successful sales rep

What you'll learn

 The fundamental skills you need to master to succeed in in a modern sales role


 How to prepare and feel confident facing customers

 The tools and process to negotiate and close sales
 Understand the sales background and process
 The perfect combination of attitudes, behaviour and knowledge in sales.

Requirements
 You need to be a good observer and listener (key to succeed in sales)
 Open mind and persistence. Sales is a demanding but also very rewarding role.

Negotiating Tips
 1. Establish Rapport and create a relationship
 2. Do your research
 3. Prepare
 4. Know your bottom line.
 5. Establish a fall-back plan
 6. Aim high – what is your ideal outcome
 7. Question and listen
 8. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want and don’t be afraid to go first
 9. Don’t be in a hurry.
 10. Give the other person room – you both need thinking time
 11. Always be willing to walk away.
 12. Show the other person how their needs will be met.
 13. Don’t give anything away without getting something in return.
 14. Don’t take the issues or the other person’s behavior personally.
 15. Make a list of concessions or extras you could offer that in reality make no
difference to you.
  16. Only make concessions for a reason. (e.g. you are getting something back in
return)
 17. Practice negotiating in situations where you have nothing to lose.
 18. Remember that there is no substitute for discussion.
 19. Keep reminding yourself that it is not about winning and losing.
 20. Agree what has been agreed at the end of the negotiation

Top 14 Inside Sales Skills

Every Sales Rep Must Master
1. Product Knowledge
A sales rep who doesn’t perfectly understand the product they’re selling is a completely
ineffective rep. Product training should be one of the very first things you teach new
reps – they should be able to explain in detail how each product works, what business
value it offers, and the reasons it appeals to your company’s ideal customers. This will
help ISRs (Inside Sales Reps) craft their sales pitch effectively, and ensure they
highlight each product’s strongest features. Deep product knowledge is honestly one of
the few things that separates the top 1% of reps from the rest
2. Strategic Prospecting Skills
Once ISRs have the product knowledge to sell, it’s time to do some prospecting.
However, while many sales leaders have their quota-carrying reps also do early cold-
calling, I actually don’t suggest for ISRs to do cold calling. From a unit-economics
perspective, it is obviously considerably more cost-effective to have your Sales
Development Reps (SDRs) do cold calls, while your quota-carrying ISRs should be
doing more sophisticated prospecting – what I call “strategic prospecting”. This means
searching for referrals through existing connections to new prospects that fit the target
buyer or ideal customer profile. It’s also important for reps to go back to Closed-Lost
opportunities with whom they already had previous conversations and try to revive
them. Another strategic prospecting activity is to ask for referrals from existing
customers, and even talk your investors (VCs) for referrals to their portfolio companies.
All of this is fair game for the quota-carrying ISRs to do prospecting.
3. Rapport Building on the Call
ISR’s have a disadvantage over outside sales in that they’re not meeting with prospects
face-to-face. This means they have to work harder to build a connection with busy and
sometimes hostile strangers over the phone. Some sales reps already have a natural
ability to create an instant rapport with a prospect, and only have to finesse it. Other
reps can learn to research prospects in advance and find common ground to empathize
with the person on the other end of the line. Whether you’re chatting about sports,
attending the same college, or just the weather, rapport should not be underestimated.
4. Buyer-Seller Agreement
In order to set mutual expectations and to make your prospects more comfortable, sales
reps should learn how to create a Buyer-Seller Agreement, (aka “Upfront Contracts” as
Sandler Sales Training calls them), to set the tone for all calls and meetings. These are
verbal agreements at the beginning of the sales process that outline expectations for
both sides. For example, a sales rep can ask a prospect, “Is it OK to ask a few
questions about your business and then I will show you a demo of our product to see if
there is a potential fit for both of us?” It allows the prospect to feel comfortable and
understand what is coming next, so no one feels ambushed by the next step. It also
allows the sales rep to open up a two-way street in the selling process so that both
parties get to a win-win conclusion.
5. Active Listening
Most sales reps feel comfortable talking to prospects, but listening is another story.
ISRs need to become proficient in active listening, or listening with a strict focus and
asking intelligent follow-up questions. People can usually tell if you’re really listening to
them, rather than just thinking about what you’ll say next – and most people appreciate
a good listener. Great listening skills can help reps empathize with prospects to learn
more about their business and pain points. With that knowledge, they can then sell
more effectively and offer a better solution.
6. Communication
On the phone, the tone of voice, volume and pace of a sales rep’s speech are
surprisingly important sales skills. In sales, how you say things to a prospect matters
more than what you say. According to Sandler Sales Training, only 7% of
communication relies on the content of what you say, whereas 38% of communication is
about other attributes of communication such as tonality, etc. As you may have heard
before, it’s not what you say but how you say it. Reps should try to subtly mirror a
prospect’s tone of voice and style of talking – if a prospect is more formal and polite,
speak similarly; if they’re more informal and joke around, do the same. This helps
prospects feel familiar with you, and relate to you more easily to create rapport. Reps
also need to speak clearly, not too quietly, and not in a monotone. You need to let your
emotion and personality shine through, so that the person on the phone knows you’re a
human, and is interested in talking to you.

7. Qualification Questioning
ISRs need to start off every sales conversation by asking questions during the
Discovery phase to analyze a prospect’s business needs (i.e. Needs Analysis). It’s
important to not just throw random features and benefits at the prospect hoping
something will stick. In fact, I tell ISRs to stop sharing all of your product’s capabilities all
at once. This is a bad tactic. Instead, you need to delve deep to discover your
prospect’s business pain and how your product can help them solve it by asking
qualifying questions. These questions help you determine what you should share about
the benefits and value in your product based on what is going to be most important for
them. Beyond the Discovery stage of the selling process, over time, ISRs will need to
qualify prospects for Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline, Competition and Buying
Process in order to get all the key criteria that will help them get to the purchase. Being
good at qualification is critical to be a successful ISR.

8. Time Management
The most effective ISRs are able to make the most of their time, with more dials and
more connects than other reps. The key to being highly productive is using good time
management skills. You need to train each rep to sort through leads to find the most
promising ones, and not waste too much time on a deal that isn’t going anywhere. You
can use analytics to identify the industry, business size, and other characteristics of
ideal leads, and share the information with your team. It’s vital to make the most of the
hours in the day to bring in more deals per rep.
9. Objection Prevention
Great sales reps practice the art of proactive “Objection Prevention” and not merely
“Objection Handling” and can thus reduce some of the most basic objections by way of
how they approach a sale. Train your reps to be strategic and think ahead by studying
what typical objections come up in most cases. For example, there is no reason to get
to a point when a prospect can say, “I don’t have a need for this” or “Call me again in a
few months”.

It is possible to be proactive and address a common objection before it even comes up.
For example, at InsightSquared, many of our reps hear people say “You do reports for
sales but I can get reports from Salesforce anyway.” Instead, we preempt that objection
by sharing during our Discovery Call that our cross-object sales reports are impossible
to run in the CRM and yet these reports can save time for the Sales VP or CEO to run
and can help grow revenue significantly and all this is possible in a few clicks of a
mouse button instead of days spent in Excel with data that will be antiquated by the time
you’re done.

10. Objection Handling

Even the best reps can’t prevent every objection, so it’s important to help your team
prepare for objection handling when they do hear one. Reps have to be on their toes so
that the sales process doesn’t end abruptly and they lose the opportunity at the deal. On
our sales team at InsightSquared, we coach reps to empathize, soften and ask good
questions to understand what is genuinely at the core of what the prospect is concerned
about. Reps need to learn to sincerely understand the prospect’s problem, ask for more
information, and offer clarity to help the prospect overcome their objections. You should
do extensive role play and training to help prepare your team for this.
11. Demo skills
For many B2B products, the demo is critical to starting a sales process. Sales reps
need to not only understand the product, but must be able to show off it’s capabilities to
a prospect effectively through a demo. Demos are challenging in that reps need to first
discover what benefits will be most important to solving a prospect’s pain, and highlight
the business value of those features during the demo. Throwing too many features at
the prospect is a bad tactic and can overwhelm and confuse them. This is another skill
that you should practice with your reps, so they can practice their demo presentation,
and clearly be able to show off the product.
Don’t miss these other great articles on sales reps skills:
 How to Hire Sales Reps: 5 Must-Have Traits to Look For
 15 Steps to Becoming a Better Salesperson
 How to Create a Great Sales Rep Profile on LinkedIn

12. Gaining Commitment

Great ISRs can get a prospect to commit to a deal fairly quickly. The key is making sure
the right people with the right approval power are bought in to the process as the sale
progresses. Reps must continually ask questions, assess the prospect’s needs and
reinforce what the prospect is interested in buying. Reps should ask “Is this helpful? Is
this how you envision it?” and more. By forcing the a prospect with buying power to
acknowledge again and again that you’re offering them real value, it helps push them to
commit to a deal.

13. Closing Techniques

Now that the ISR has convinced the prospect that their company needs the product, it’s
time to close. Managers have to train reps to push prospects, ask for the order and get
it signed fast. A lot of prospects will try to push the closing date back a few weeks or a
few months, and your rep may be trying to reach a monthly or quarterly goal for the
team. In this case, reps have to establish a timeline, and push the prospect to sign
using a compelling event. This shows how the prospect is missing out on revenue by
not having the product in place now. With the right combination of pressure and value
offered, reps can learn to close deals sooner.

14. Post-Sale Relationship Management

 Many of us forget to thank customers and to continue building and maintaining the
relationship after the sale. Firstly, it’s important to be appreciative for the business
regardless of whether the customer will buy from you again. This is just common sense
and common courtesy. And those sales reps who are genuinely appreciative are the
ones who typically grow professionally and become masters of their craft. Furthermore,
you don’t want your customers churning later and going to a competitor. Additionally,
your customers can and will refer you to other customers. Finally, even ten years later
you can still go back to the individual to whom you sold years ago and they may still
become a customer even when both of you are in a new and different company.
Relationships really matter; it’s that simple. Yet some reps don’t engage in post-sale
with their customers. This is a key area at which I encourage all ISRs to get really
disciplined.

Make sure your reps are ready to sell, and have all the sales skills they need to be a
successful ISR. By teaching them these 14 key skills, you will improve their sales
abilities. The power is in your hands to train your ISRs effectively and see your sales
numbers soar.

 Product Knowledge. ...

 Strategic Prospecting Skills. ...
 Rapport Building on the Call. ...
 Buyer-Seller Agreement. ...
 Active Listening. ...
 Communication. ...
 Qualification Questioning. ...
 Time Management.

 How personal traits and emotions play a major role in sales

Yes, You Can Appear More Confident When Meeting a Client

 1. Make your voice more effective. Speak loudly and clearly to ensure that everyone in the
room can hear you. ...
2. Adjust your position. When you meet one-on-one with a client, sit up straight and keep
your head up. ...
3. Avoid nervous behavior. ...
4. Speak slowly. ...
5. Practice power poses. ...
6. Ignore negative self-talk. ...
7. Look the part.

 How personal traits and emotions play a major role in sales

The Role of Personality in Sales and Marketing

 View Large r Image

There’s no special, single plan for success in sales and marketing. It’s not as
easy as flipping a switch and suddenly turning into an expert salesperson.
There are factors at play that are hard to define, and lots of different elements
that may be responsible for a salesperson’s success or failure. Two people
may have the same education, resources, and amount of sales experience,
yet one of them ends up with far more sales than the other. This may seem
perplexing, but there is another factor to consider: personality. It may seem
obvious—sure, of course personality will play a part. But is it really that
significant a factor? And why does it matter, anyway?

Why Personality is Important

Every business is more than their product; a product – no matter how good it
is – most often is not enough to convince someone to buy it. This is what
makes sales representatives important. Every representative is the face of his
or her company to clients, giving personality to an inanimate product and
business. A company’s brand and marketing strive to add personality to the
business, but salespeople really drive it home. This is where a salesperson’s
personality comes into play. A sales representative’s personality and attitude
will shape the customers’ view of and feelings toward the product, company,
and brand. The way a client feels about the rep they interact with will often
determine the way the client feels about the company, as well as anything
they sell, do or make. A sales representative’s personality, then, must give
clients positive, confident feelings about the product or service they are
considering. This raises an obvious question: what kind of personality traits
make for the best salespeople?

Personality Traits to Pursue

It’s true that there are successful salespeople possessing certain traits that
other successful salespeople lack. There isn’t exactly a formula that
guarantees success or a perfectly-proportioned blend of personality traits that
ensures consistently mind-blowing sales results. However, there are
personality traits that tend to work in a salesperson’s favor, and these traits
are worth nurturing.

 Drive Without Pushiness: Any good salesperson must have the drive
to succeed. They must have the necessary motivation and ambition that
can withstand failure. Obstacles do not crush the best salespeople,
because a good sales rep has the internal determination to overcome
any hindrance. However, that ambition must never reach a point of
 excessive aggression, since disproportionate pushiness will be
interpreted as disrespect.

Pro tip:
If you want to learn how to improve the mental stamina or mental
toughness of your sales team, look into the psychology techniques used
in sports. These techniques can help sales people overcome the fear of
failure (or rejection), master the art of confidence, and learn how to keep
their composure when in the hot seat or under intense demands.

 Charisma: General likeability is always an asset. It helps to be a people

person, adept at interacting with others in a natural and friendly manner.
Charisma is a hard trait to define, however, a kind of magnetism and
allure that seems almost mystical. Some people just have it, the natural
charm that makes people gravitate toward the charismatic individual.

Pro tip:
Charisma is not something that someone can learn…either someone is
charming or they aren’t. However, if you understand how to be likeable
to nearly everyone it will be easier to disguise a lack of charisma. How
is this done? By understanding the buyer as well as what keeps them
up at night and brings purpose to their life. This will require some
research but can be well worth the effort.

 Positivity: Clients aren’t looking for a glum, negative individual. Sure,

the sales rep might run into some snags, but any obstacles or
miscommunications should always be handled with positivity. Positivity
helps clients feel both comfortable and confident.

Pro tip:
Staying positive requires a mindfulness of being positive. In other
words, if the desire is to eliminate negative thoughts, perceived threats
and pessimism among sales teams there must be a clear understanding
of each representative’s emotional intelligence. These tests help to
identify two things: strengths and weaknesses. Strengths can be
leveraged so that these skills work to a representative’s advantage,
while weaknesses offer opportunities to improve. Additionally, when
used in conjunction – someone’s weaknesses might complement
 someone’s strengths which is where micro-teams consisting of 2-4
people can be highly effective.

 Honesty: Positivity is important, but it doesn’t mean a sales rep should

sugar coat everything. Clients don’t want a salesperson who dances
around the issue, afraid of addressing difficult subjects. Even if the
honest truth is something the customer doesn’t want to hear, a lie is
never the answer. The best sales reps will be honest about any
difficulties, while also working hard to address overcome these
obstacles.

Pro tip:
Recent studies have demonstrated that most people, not just those in
sales, use deception even if it a white lie, within the workplace. The
number one reason a lie is told – fear of losing a job or losing a
customer. One of the best scenarios managers can set up for teams is
to welcome honesty, even if that means that losing a sale or
customer. When the fear of termination is eliminated, sales teams will
be more willing to be honest. Furthermore, post-sales customer check-
ins should also address the issue of honesty in surveys, etc.

 Competitiveness: The sales game is a competitive one, and the best

salespeople play to win. Whether it’s in regard to other reps at the same
company, or competing companies, the best reps are looking to outdo
the competition. They want to provide better service, create better
relationships, and reach better numbers.

Pro tip:
A little healthy competition never hurts in sales environments. However,
if the only competition is around quotas, there may be significant missed
opportunities to promote a more rounded (and healthier) competition
that better represents the business or brand. For example,
competitions, at the micro-level, can be on scoring the highest in
customer satisfaction surveys, minimizing the need for post-sales
support, earning repeat business, earning the most margin per sale,
etc. Another way is to offer a larger motivator for top performers. This
can be a non-cash incentive such as an all-expense paid trip to an
exotic location as it not only rewards for positive outcomes but provides
insights into new cultures and encourages conversation with prospects.
  Confidence Without Arrogance: Part of a salesperson’s job is building
customer confidence. The goal is to make a client confident that they’re
making the right choice, assuring them that the product or service in
question is truly beneficial to them. But a salesperson lacking
confidence will have a hard time building confidence in his or her client.
Sales representatives must possess confidence in the product or
service they are selling, truly believing that what they sell is beneficial to
their customers. However, this confidence must be balanced so that it
doesn’t come across as arrogance.

Pro tip:
Better educated sales representatives as well as first hand experiences
with products and services can do wonders for even the least confident
sales representative. If confidence appears to be lacking, it could be a
symptom that additional training is needed, or that it is time for
management to step in and build confidence through encouragement.

 Inquisitiveness: Sales is about relationships, and questions are a great

way to build rapport. They show that your clients aren’t merely numbers
on a page, but real people who you’d like to invest in. Of course,
business questions are just as important as personal ones. The best
salespeople aren’t afraid to ask questions—even tough questions—
because questions produce answers, and answers are information.
Sales reps want as much information as possible, knowledge that will
help them better serve their clientele.

Pro tip:
Knowing the right questions to ask can be taught, and in other cases it
comes from experience. This is where a combination of training and
partnerships with experienced, top performers, can be helpful. Most top
performers are rarely asked how they do what they do, but are more
than willing to share if when inquiries are made. This combined with
mentorship programs can be a powerful combination in helping sales
teams learn the questions to ask – as well as helping them to refine
their intuition as it related to the customer base.

Conclusion

There are plenty of variables when it comes to landing a sale, but a

salesperson’s personality and behavior are a significant factor. Sales
representatives do well to cultivate traits that help build relationships and earn
trust. It is those personality traits that often help seal the deal and make the
sale.