11 Sales Skills to Help You Cross the Finish Line
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A global study identified 11 crucial skills and behaviors that differentiate top sales performers from others, emphasizing the importance of educating buyers and maintaining focus on personal agendas. Top performers excel at relationship-building, cross-selling, and up-selling, with greater success in leveraging insights to motivate clients and drive productivity. The document also highlights strategies for effective sales presentations and the crucial balance of inquiry and advocacy in conversations to maximize sales effectiveness.
11 Sales Skills to Help You Cross the Finish Line
- 1. TO HELP YOU CROSS THE
- 2. Just like in running, the skills you can improve in sales are many. So how do you know what will make the biggest difference to your results? Our recent global study of 1,004 sellers and sales managers uncovered 11 skills and behaviors that represent the largest skill gaps between Top Performers and The Rest. Double down on the skills on the following slides to outpace your competition and cross the finish line first. Top Performer Definition Seller Sales Manager Met Sales Goals Challenging Sales Goals Win Rate > 50% Premium Pricing 75%+ of team © RAIN Group
- 3. This goes hand-in-hand with the #1 factor separating sales winners from second-place finishers: educates buyers with new ideas and perspectives. Being seen as an authority, sharing thought leadership, and developing a trusted-advisor relationship are great ways to differentiate yourself and inspire buyers to come to you. Consultative Selling Top Performers are 1.9x more likely to excel at inspiring buyers to reach out for ideas and advice. 24% 44% Top Performers The Rest #1 Difference: Inspire buyers to reach out for ideas and advice. © RAIN Group Learn How: Download the How to Change the Buyer Conversation with Insight Toolkit >>
- 4. Learn How: Read 4 Levels of TIME - How to Get More Done Every Day >> Focus on your agenda and don't get derailed by others. How do you feel about putting your goals, ambitions, and dreams on the backburner? Not great? Good, we agree. Top Performers focus on their own agenda and don’t get derailed by other people’s agendas. Top Performers are more likely to focus on their own agenda. 73% Meetings you could be briefed on later or by email Repeated status updates Taking over a project you don’t own Talking to unqualified prospects Say no to: © RAIN Group
- 5. This is the #1 skill of sales managers according to Top-Performing Sellers, and the greatest difference between Top-Performing Sales Managers and other sales managers. It’s also critical that sales managers themselves are highly productive in order to drive their own success and inspire their teams to be highly motivated for productivity and performance. of Top Performers strongly agree managers motivate sellers for high productivity and performance. SalesCoaching Managers excel at motivating sellers for high productivity and performance. 50% © RAIN Group Learn How: Read 3-Step Framework for Leading Effective Sales Coaching Conversations >>
- 6. Extremely productive people (The XP) are 5.3x more likely to have productive habits overall. But changing habits when needed can be tough. To help, use the framework, “When I, Then I. Will I?” For example, "When I log on in the morning, then I will send 5 prospecting emails." You call attention to the trigger and then direct your attention to the productive habit. By asking, “Will I?” you hold yourself accountable. 1.7x Top Performers are more likely to change their habits when needed to improve results. Learn How: Download Unlocking the Productivity Code >> Productive © RAIN Group Change your habits when needed to improve results.
- 7. Learn How: Download Competencies of Strategic Account Managers >> It costs more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. One of the biggest opportunities for top-line growth is in finding and capitalizing on cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. But there are some big hurdles for teams to overcome. Most sellers: Account Growth Don’t bring their internal teams together to explore ways to add value Don’t trust other areas of the organization or are territorial about their accounts Don’t see the additional opportunities Don’t know enough about the other offerings in their organization Don’t have the facilitation skills to fully explore value they can offer clients Find and capitalize on maximum cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. Top Performers are 65% more likely to excel at cross-selling and up-selling, but there’s work to be done for all sellers. Top Performers The Rest 37% 22% © RAIN Group
- 8. Learn How: Read 13 Tips to Master Your Next Proposal Presentation >> of buyers say sellers lack presentation skills. Leading persuasive proposal presentations is a final step to winning the sale. While the presentation itself is important, your preparation ahead of time is essential to ensuring you hit the mark. Find out who your competitors are and when their presentations are happening Sales Presentations 80% Know who will be involved on your team and the buyer’s Do your research on the buyer team that’ll be present Involve everyone on your team and the buyer’s Lead highly effective proposal and finalist presentations. © RAIN Group
- 9. Learn How: Read 15 Ways to Get Referrals >> Get referrals from buyers and other relationships. Many sellers are uncomfortable asking for referrals from buyers or other relationships. Here are some ideas to help get your referral engine started: Update your LinkedIn profile and stay engaged with your contacts. Give referrals to contacts in your network. Provide valuable content your referral sources can share with their networks. Ask for a referral! more likely to excel at getting referrals from buyers and other relationships. T o p P erformers are 1.6x © RAIN Group
- 10. Learn How: Read 20 Virtual Sales Relationship-Building Tips >> Building strong, long-term relationships with buyers leads to repeat business, account growth, increased referrals, and greater revenue and margin. But in a hybrid world, it can be difficult to build rapport in traditional ways. Start by: 57% of Top Performers excel at building strong, long-term relationships with buyers. Build strong, long-term relationships with buyers that buyers consider essential. 57% Reserving time at the beginning of calls for rapport-building Joining the call a few minutes early Going beyond sharing names/roles Coming armed with rapport-building questions 35% Top Performers The Rest © RAIN Group
- 11. You need to make a strong ROI case for buyers so they can justify purchase decisions. Uncover what matters to them during your conversations and you’ll be able to demonstrate how you’ll make an impact in that area. This can include: Time to market Profitability Waste Cost savings of sellers strongly agree they understand how their solution meets the business needs and ROI of buyers. Quality improvements Brand recognition or preference Employee productivity Learn How: Read Understanding and Building Sales Impact Models >> Impact Case Make and communicate strong ROI and financial cases for buyers. 39% © RAIN Group
- 12. Salespeople are often told: ‘‘The sellers who succeed the most always ask great questions.’’ This is true to a point, but some sellers take the advice too literally. If you always ask questions, you won’t share a point of view or an opinion, won’t tell stories, and won’t help set the agenda for success. The key is to balance advocacy and inquiry. Top Performers are 62% more likely to lead conversations with the right balance of asking questions and talking. Lead conversations with the right balance of asking questions and talking. Learn How: Read How to Lead Masterful Sales Conversations >> 62% © RAIN Group
- 13. Learn How: Read 7 Time Management Tips to Boost Your Productivity >> Maximize time spent on activities that drive the best results. According to our research, the most productive people are more satisfied with their jobs, more likely to be top performers, and are happier. Maximizing time spent on activities that drive the best results is key. This means planning and being deliberate in how you spend your TIME. of Top Performers maximize time spent on activities that drive the best results. 40% The XP are 4.2x to minimize low-impact activities. more likely Treasured: Time you hold dear. Investment: Time that generates outsized returns. Mandatory: Time you feel you must spend. Empty: Time you waste. © RAIN Group
- 14. Get your team across the finish line first by improving in these 11 areas. Design a Sales Training Curriculum to Improve Sales Skills © RAIN Group Not sure where to start? RAIN Group can help. With over 70 portable, modular blocks, we work with you to quickly design the custom sales training programs your team needs to master skills across the sales process. Contact us to learn more. >> Sources: 1. The Top-Performing Sales Manager Benchmark Report, RAIN Group. 2. The Top-Performing Sales Organization Benchmark Report, RAIN Group. 3. The Extreme Productivity Benchmark Report, RAIN Group. 4. Virtual Selling Skills & Challenges, RAIN Group. 5. Top Performance in Sales Negotiation Benchmark Report, RAIN Group.
- 15. SALESTRAINING PRACTICE OFTHEYEAR THOUGHT LEADERSHIP IN COMPLEX SALES raingroup.com | [email protected] | 1-508-405-0438 RAIN Group Unleashes Sales Potential We help organizations: Enhance sales capability with award-winning sales training Design and execute strategic account management initiatives Increase effectiveness of sales management and coaching Best IP: We study buying and selling relentlessly through the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research. Our research and field work allows us to create industry-leading intellectual property to help our clients achieve the greatest success. Best Education System: We use the best education approaches, methods, and technologies to make training work, stick, and transfer to the job. Best Results: We make it our mission to drive value and achieve the highest client satisfaction through excellence in quality and producing transformational results for our clients. Inc. 5000 Honoree 2021