High Performers
If you’re a sales manager who wants only high sales performers, you want reps with top sales competencies and you’ve got a lot of company. Every sales manager’s dream is to work with a team of “A” sales players. And yet, there are few sales teams that can boast of performing consistently at a high level. What does it take?
Visible and Meaningful Value
Every successful sales team needs to drive value. Every interaction with customers should bring customers value that strengthens their view that you know what you’re doing, that you understand their issues, and that you care about their success. High performing salespeople know how to provide value at every step of the sales process.
What is the Secret of High Sales Performance?
All well and good. But what are the competencies a salesperson needs to provide value consistently? What sales competencies should a sales manager look for when they hire, when they provide business sales training opportunities, and when they encourage desired behaviors through recognition and reward?
Top Sales Competencies of High Performers
Top sales performers are excellent communicators who know how to listen as well as ask questions to uncover needs. They can guide a buyer’s decision toward a win-win outcome. And they are focused on being the best they can be. They are able to:
- Connect with Customers
The best and most successful salespeople know how to build trusted relationships. Top sales performers know how to engender trust, how to listen, how to build bridges both professionally and personally. In general, the best sales reps are good “people people.”
They are alert to different communication styles and can adapt their own. They are more intent on learning about their customer than they are on tooting their own horn. They follow through on their commitments no matter how small. And they are available to their customers as needed. - Influence Customers
Having gained their customer’s trust that they truly want to help the customer succeed, they are able to guide the customer toward a solution that will benefit both the buyer and the seller. The best salespeople work with their customers as trusted advisors. They don’t browbeat or bully but gently move toward a solution that satisfies both parties. - Learn and Win
The classic image of a used car salesman is brash, over-confident and, let’s face it, out to put one over on the customer. There is no real or lasting value in these transactions. Instead, today’s successful sales reps have a dose of humility and a recognition that they don’t know it all. They are open to learning from others and ready to work with their team in a collaborative way – all because this is the path toward winning in the long-term.
The Bottom Line
Yes, you need a proven sales process, a sales methodology that is easy to follow and productive, and a sales driven culture that promotes customer centricity and high performance. But if you do not have the right sales team, you are not operating optimally. Are you doing all you can to focus on the top sales competencies that will support your success?
To learn more about top sales competencies of high performers, download How to Optimize Your Sales Force in the Face of Increased Performance Pressure