The skills that Sales Sherpas™ need to guide their customers through their buying journey are much different from what drove success in the past. The future of the sales profession seems to be changing daily. New technology and rapidly changing customer needs are combining to reshape the foundations of the success as we move into the heart of the 21st century. So it begs the question: How can you stay relevant and excel as a sales professional? What skills will keep you on the path to success? Luckily, LinkedIn puts out an Emerging Jobs Report every year which has some insights we can use. The first LinkedIn Emerging Jobs … [Read more...]
3 Unexpected Abilities that Will Separate the Top Sales Performers
Salespeople tend to be an infinitely practical lot. Over two decades of coaching and training has made me realize that usually sales professional want to know the fastest ways to be successful, and what they should do to learn those skills. "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it!" is a common refrain. If you're always looking for ways to improve your game, there's no reason to change the habit. What does have to change is what you are learning. In the past, salespeople would look for the "magic bullet". They wanted to learn that one sales close, objection-handling statement, or discovery question that would create instant results. … [Read more...]
Soft Skills Have Hard Effects
Why do bands break up? A lot of them cite "creative differences", but they are rarely arguing about whether they should play a song in A sharp or E minor. What it usually means is that the musicians in the band can't get along. If I was starting a band today, I wouldn't necessarily look for the best musicians. Instead I would look for people that can communicate well, that are emotionally stable, and have their act together. I would want to find people that I could get along with. It doesn't matter if everyone in the band is a great musician if they have such monumental egos that they can't stand each other (just ask The … [Read more...]
Good Networkers Always Have Jobs
People that are good at building and maintaining a strong professional network are rarely unemployed for long; and it’s not just because they know a lot of people who can hire them. It’s because the competencies that are necessary for successful networking are highly sought after in the job market. When you are actively networking, you are both a) continually honing these skills and more importantly, b) proving that you have them! Intangible Business Skills Here are a few of the areas involved in successful networking that have an impact throughout your career: Interpersonal Communication Skills Networking is communicating. If you … [Read more...]