Sales Blog with Sales Tips

If this is your first time visiting, you can receive this blog by RSS Feed or email .

Summary: It’s ironic that two of the most, if not the most, important sales skills you will need in a sales career are normally ignored in a salesperson’s development.

Companies spend lots of money on standardized sales training for their salesforce. This training almost always assumes that salespeople have basic abilities in the two fundamental areas noted below. It has been my experience that assuming all salespeople have this fundamental knowledge can be a big mistake. This is especially true since virtually all other sales skills are launched from these two skills. Deficiencies in these two areas normally go unspoken, because basic competency is assumed, thus making it difficult for the salesperson to adequately address competency gaps.

#1, Basic Grammatical Skills. I wish educators put greater emphasis on the importance of grammar in high school and college. If a salesperson’s spoken and written grammatical abilities are poor, they will not find a receptive customer audience. Whether you like it or not, people make quick decisions about your intelligence, knowledge and background based on your verbal and writing skills. Not only do most prospects and customers find poor skills in this area bothersome but it hinders the salesperson’s ability to communicate information effectively, and that’s an essential in sales. If you feel that your verbal and writing skills may need some work, then enroll in remedial courses immediately because your sales success and career are being negatively impacted. This will be an investment in yourself with a large return.

#2, Presentation Skills. Again, I wish educators would make a bigger point of this skill when future salespeople are in high school or college. The basic ability to stand in front of a group (small or large) and communicate ideas is an essential ability in sales. Whether you’re talking with one person or 50, you’re making a presentation. If you feel your presentation skills are not where they need to be, then connect with a Toastmasters chapter and develop those skills. This is an investment of your time that will pay substantial dividends.

Grammatical skills and presentation skills are the foundation for all sales skills. If these skills aren’t adequately developed they will permanently and adversely impact a salesperson’s effectiveness, earnings and career opportunities.

To receive this sales tips blog by email <click here> to receive by RSS <click here>. © 2008 Scott R. Sheaffer