Author - Clifton Warren CMC 

These are challenging times. Despite this, many companies are continuing to expand their sales and increase market share at the expense of their competitors. They still face the challenge of longer sales cycles and price.  High performing companies are winning because their sales force uses the right skills to execute a strategy of establishing and strengthening relationships, rather than simply focusing on sales. The five essential traits that your sales force requires to thrive in this economy are:

1. Forensic Thinking Skills

Customers are constantly searching for ideas that address their business problems. Well developed forensic thinking skills are the foundation for conducting customer focused research that identifies priority issues and high value ideas. Good research has never been more readily available using specialty online search engines and databases.

Tips for improving forensic thinking skills:

• Become familiar with your customers website, read the annual reports and analysis presentations.
• Locate analysts who are specialists in your target market and read their reports.
• Become familiar with the variety of business databases at your local library; many of these are available free on your home or office computer.  

2. Strong Ego

The nature of selling means that a person will fail to sell more than they will succeed, therefore a healthy ego drive is essential. The mindset of a salesperson with a strong ego drive is that they want and need the sale in a personal way, not merely for the money. The customer is there to help fulfill this personal need.

Tips for building a strong ego:

• Learn to think for yourself
• Try new things, hobbies, sports
• Try and fail, and use the situation to learn from your mistake  

3. High Empathy Skills

You cannot build a strong relationship without empathy (ie the ability to feel as others do). Strong empathy skills enable you to get feedback from your client so that you are able to adjust and take whatever corrective action is necessary. Winging it or following a 'canned' sales presentation is seldom a successful strategy.

Tips for developing high empathy skills:

•  Practice listening without interrupting
• Practice active listening, using paraphrasing to clarify your understanding
• Develop a list of 3 – 5 open ended proactive questions to ask on your next customer visit  

4. Business ConversancyTo establish strong relationships, you need become someone of interest and worth talking to.   This has nothing to do with the feature and benefits of your product or services. You should be able to speak on a wide variety of topics beyond your industry and expertise, and really understand how this relates to your customers world.

Tips to improve business conversancy:

• Read the local and national newspapers daily
• Become familiar with the journals and trade associations that pertain to your clients industry
• Read widely outside your industry and profession  

5. Ability to Articulate Value

Decision makers will let you into their world, when they perceive you have something of value to offer. The key is to turn intangible ideas into the tangible benefits your customer desires. Of course, if you are on the wrong track, with your well-honed empathy skills, you can easily adjust your value proposition.

Tips to improve value articulation:

• Think in terms of outputs – how does your service improve your customer situation.
• Ask you best clients why they use your service.
• Keep abreast of trends and ideas in your customer's world and search for ways to link this to your outputs.  

Summary
These traits are the raw ingredients of successful sales professionals. If you are searching for new sales talent, identify individuals with these traits. Product knowledge and sales processes are easily acquired on the job. Use this list as a guide to review your existing talent, identify any shortcomings and create a plan to address any deficiencies. Companies that continuously establish strong relationships will be the winners over the long haul. 

Clifton Warren is a Melbourne based Certified Management Consultant with extensive business experience and a track record in helping companies in sourcing, managing and developing sales and marketing talent in the areas of Search and Selection, Strategy formulation, Mentoring & Coaching and Keynote speaking, workshops and training seminars.

Clifton can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it