The 19 sales skills every rep should master for 2024

The pressure is always on as a sales professional. You need to keep up with constant changes in buyer behavior while connecting with potential customers, nurturing leads, and closing deals—all in hopes of hitting your sales targets. Handling so many tasks at once certainly isn’t easy, but with the right set of sales skills in your arsenal, you can set yourself up for success.

If you want to learn how to be a better sales rep, start by honing the essential selling skills. You’ll be better equipped to build effective sales relationships, close more deals, and become a leader for your team.

We consulted the experts, and they weighed in on the top 19 skills every sales rep should master in 2022. We’ve broken them down into categories based on the three primary types of sales skills.

Process-driven sales and marketing skills

Process-driven skills are all about being prepared to succeed during the sales process. Fundamentally, they’re more about doing your homework and working consistently to improve your methods and techniques. As a result, these skills enhance your ability to convert prospects and up your sales stats.

1. Product knowledge

When you have an in-depth understanding of the product you’re trying to sell, you can present an accurate picture of the benefits it provides to prospects. You’re also better able to field customer queries and counter objections during the selling process.

James Lloyd-Townshend, CEO of Frank Recruitment Group, points out that this particular skill helps sales reps “control the conversation” and bring it to a close at the perfect moment.

2. Teaching ability

Teaching is a particularly crucial sales manager skill. In sales management, you must train new agents and coach them to their fullest potential. If you cannot teach, your team won’t be set up for success.

Of course, this skill is also helpful for sales agents. A persuasive salesperson is always angling to educate prospects rather than strong-arm them. Your expertise builds trust with buyers because you’re helping them arrive at the answers they need. Encourage questions and always be prepared to answer fully and accurately.

“If you see your role as teaching someone about a product or service rather than trying to talk them into taking out their wallet and paying for it, you will convert more often,” suggests Gergo Vari, CEO at Lensa.

“If you see your role as teaching someone about a product or service rather than trying to talk them into taking out their wallet and paying for it, you will convert more often,” Gergo Vari, CEO at Lensa

3. Closing

There isn’t a single “right” way to convert customers, but you should continually refine your techniques.

• Try a consultative sales approach, and ease the pressure by helping customers discover their pain points. Then, emphasize how your product can solve their problems. Arm yourself with information so you can answer their questions and address any concerns.

• Speak with prospects as though you’ve already made the sale. Show them you’re confident that they’ll find the product or service valuable.

• Leverage your brand advocates. These loyal customers are your company’s biggest fans, so they’ll happily rave about your products or services. They can also provide the real-life success stories you need to seal the deal.

4. Time management

There are many activities in sales—prospecting, follow-up calls, sales conversations, and closing, to name just a few. Time management helps you prioritize the most critical activities and complete them efficiently.

Tyler Pavlas, a senior account executive at Air, recommends performing high-yield tasks at the right time. Avoid getting bogged down in work that keeps you “busy” but not productive. Instead of spending your day chasing unqualified leads, for example, you can devote that time to following up with promising leads or prospecting to keep your funnel full.

5. Tech-savviness

It’s not a secret: 2020 was the year when a lot changed. With many leads now eager to hop on video calls, sales teams are shifting to virtual selling. And knowing how to use tech is now a must-have sales skill to stay relevant.

6. Prospecting

Prospecting is a critical skill because it keeps a constant flow of leads moving through your sales pipeline. Even if you’re a great seller, you always need new prospects to ensure you have ample opportunities to close deals.

Prospect-focused sales rep skills

Prospect-focused skills revolve around your clients. These are the skills that you practice in the field and that directly affect your ability to convert prospects and improve your sales percentages.

7. Persuasiveness

Good salespeople don’t pressure prospects—they persuade them. Use sales psychology to ensure you’re persuading the customer instead of manipulating them. Ethical selling helps both parties win. You make a sale, and the buyer receives a product or service that solves their pain points.

8. Empathy

Walk a mile in each of your buyer’s shoes to understand their needs. If you can see your company and product from their perspective, you’ll be better able to craft a customized sales pitch for them. Remember: customer service is an important part of sales. Stay sympathetic to your prospects, solve their problems, and treat them like you would want to be treated.

9. Active listening

A critical part of selling is listening more than you speak. Listening helps you gather valuable information, which in turn helps you sell well.

“You will find that when you listen, people will describe in detail what problem they are looking to solve and how you should frame your pitch,” says Vari.

“You will find that when you listen, people will describe in detail what problem they are looking to solve and how you should frame your pitch.”Gergo Vari

Unfortunately, not all reps have this important salesperson skill. In a RAIN Group study, buyers reported that only 26 percent of salespeople are good at listening.

“You’ll be surprised by the number of salespeople who talk at their customers instead of to them,” says Charlie Wright, director of operations at Epos Now.

10. Relationship building

Lloyd-Townshend points out that relationship building sets you apart from your competitors. When you invest in building relationships, your customers will see you as a partner helping them reach their business goals rather than a seller desperate to make a buck. While it takes a lot of effort to form sales relationships, your hard work will pay off in the long run.

11. Conflict management

Conflict is built into the sales industry. Even small conflicts (or objections) by a prospect can throw a seller who isn’t used to dealing with rejection. High-performing salespeople must be ready to calmly accept aggression or resistance and then turn that negative energy around. The perfect prospect is rare, but a great sales rep can transform nearly any prospect into a customer.

12. Social selling

While you shouldn’t rely solely on social media to interact with your prospects, engaging on different platforms significantly improves your selling odds. Smart engagement and social selling can also seriously increase your lead generation and your conversion rate.

By commenting, liking, and sharing customer posts, you’ll build rapport with your target audience. But B2B organizations especially need to be well-versed in the appropriate company conduct across various sites.

Soft salesperson skills

Soft skills can be tricky to hone. Some salespeople naturally have these skills; some need to work to develop them. Here are the most important soft skills you should be working on as a sales rep.

13. Curiosity

Curiosity is tied to active listening. Pavlas explains, “The fastest way to drill down into a prospect’s pain points is with genuine curiosity.” If you’re authentically eager to understand prospects, they can sense it. Curiosity shows leads that you’re interested in solving their problems—not just making a sale. Plus, when you get to know prospects, you can better serve their needs.

While speaking with prospective buyers, express your curiosity by asking important questions like:

• What are the challenges your company or team is facing?

• What are your top priorities right now?

• Are you having problems with [insert pain points]?

14. Honesty

Transparency isn’t always easy, but it’s critical for building trust.

“Being comfortable telling someone you’ll get back to them is difficult in the short-term, but in the long-term, it builds trust and yields far greater results than you gambling on something you’re unable to deliver further down the line,” says Lloyd-Townshend.

No matter how tempting, you should always present all the facts the prospect needs to know. Cherry-picking or withholding certain details will only hurt you in the long run. If your product or service isn’t a good fit for the customer, don’t be afraid to recommend other options that may serve them better.

You should always present all the facts the prospect needs to know.

15. Effective communication

Closing deals is next to impossible without clear communication. Lloyd-Townshend believes a misunderstanding between a prospect and a sales rep is “probably the most difficult stage to come back from.” Take your time when communicating with prospects, and tailor your language carefully.

16. Storytelling ability

Salespeople who are great storytellers can make even the driest pitch relatable and exciting. Why? Because stories are often easy to remember and spark emotional responses. Combining stories with a perfect sales presentation will take any pitch up a notch.

Keep prospective buyers engaged by telling a story that’s relevant to their situation. For instance, if you’re a B2B sales rep, talk about a client company that’s in the same vertical as your prospect and describe how your product or service helped that company succeed. You can also use testimonials and reviews as “stories” that appeal to a prospect to spark curiosity.

17. Public speaking

Speaking in front of a crowd comes naturally to some. For others, the thought of speaking to many people at the same time makes them break into a cold sweat. Whatever your facility with public speaking, it’s an essential skill for salespeople. A dynamic, engaging speaker can make a lackluster product shine. But nervous or awkward presentation skills may destroy a prospect’s interest in your solution.

18. Ambition

No salesperson becomes a success overnight. Even if you’re working with a top company, your road to sales stardom will have a few bumps along the way. Ambition and determination are crucial to any person looking to make sales their lifelong career. A successful rep knows how to resist getting weighed down by rejection, how to work under pressure, and how to self-motivate beyond their quota.

19. Adaptability

The sales industry is constantly changing. From market prices to sales styles to engagement channels, there’s always something new for a salesperson to learn. The best salespeople know that there’s no such thing as a perfect strategy. Every prospect is an individual to be understood, and every quarter brings new challenges with new trends.

Practice makes perfect

You can master these essential sales skills by practicing them consistently. Be intentional about applying each of these tips when guiding a buyer through the sales process. To help you improve your selling skills faster, read sales books, speak to a more experienced salesperson, or attend sales training sessions.

And remember: no great salesperson was perfect at their job from the start. Instead, they honed their skills as they practiced their craft one day at a time.