Professional selling has always been tough – and it’s not getting any easier. Research from Brevet and other sources paints a clear picture:
Sales organizations are struggling to keep pace with a rapidly changing market. But we continue to see hiring practices centered on the best ideas of yesterday.
The gap between modern selling skills and outdated recruiting tactics grows every day. To be successful, sales leaders must take a fundamentally new lens on hiring.
Here are 5 traits sales leaders should look for when recruiting their elite sales force who can be successful in today’s complex selling environment:
Modern sales reps need to fully grasp the unique selling situations they face. This requires strong, natural abilities in two areas – intellectual curiosity and emotional intelligence.
Sellers must be able to uncover and synthesize multiple aspects of the opportunity:
An elite sales force can uncover these details and create compelling sales messages that appeal to key players.
There is no “one size fits all” approach to modern selling. Sellers who apply the same tactics to every opportunity are doomed to fail.
Today's high performing reps quickly identify the situation they’re facing and execute the right “play.” They use their observations to choose the most effective sales strategy for that particular situation.
This ability can be hard to identify when hiring, but it is a critical skill. Our research shows that reps that excel in this area are almost universally the highest performers.
The U.S. military is the most impressive fighting force on Earth. It’s success centers on a very organized structure that emphasizes a clear chain of command. However, operational leaders are often given creative freedom to complete their mission within certain bounds.
Similarly, highly effective sellers are comfortable with this concept of “structured independence.” They embrace a standard process, but feel empowered to deploy unique tactics in response to unique scenarios.
At the end of the day, outstanding results speak for themselves.
To keep with our military example, an elite sales force are both generals and lieutenants. They must be equally effective at driving high-level strategy and tactical execution.
This requires reps to use questions and active listening to understand the situation “on the ground.” They must also understand the impact of that information on the broader deal strategy. Sure, a manager can coach them through this, but elite sales force do this intuitively.
Finally, high performing sales professionals engage in two important practices:
Today’s elite sales force actively seek out and embrace ways to improve their selling approach.
When it comes to professional selling, there is one universal truth…
What got you here, won’t always get you there.
Market pressures are changing the skillset required to be successful in sales. High-performing sellers of the future will be highly observant, strategic thinkers. They will be able to adapt to new selling situations without missing a beat. And, most, importantly, they will consistently execute “best in class” tactics in the right situations.
Our relationships with clients and original research help us optimize our Modern Selling Development programs.
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