Are you looking for a career as a sales development representative? It’s a great job for the right person, but not everyone has what it takes. It requires special skills that you can’t learn in school.
Sure, anyone can sell something, but that doesn’t mean that anyone can excel in the field. We’re here to talk about a few skills that anyone who wants to be the best sales rep should hone and perfect before they start their job hunt. Read on to learn more.
1. Active Listening
Believe it or not, active listening is by far one of the most important skills that any SDR or BDR (What is a BDR? Click to see) is going to need if they want to be successful.
Sales development representative jobs require great communication skills. Listening is one of the best communication skills that you can have.
When someone is an active listener, they’re able to “read between the lines” or ask for more information if they have to. They can determine whether or not a potential lead is actually going to benefit from the product or service that they’re selling without having to ask too many questions.
Active listeners also don’t come off as “sales-y” as other sales representatives. They make sure that leads know that they’re seeing them as people rather than dollar signs because they’re paying attention to what they’re saying.
2. Social Selling (and Social Media)
Active listening is naturally a part of social selling, but social selling is also an important skill in and of itself. Any good sales representative is able to harness the power of their social connections and conversation skills to make a sale.
Social selling is all about building relationships to foster leads. Great social sellers leverage their social media accounts to build communities. It takes a mastery of social media to be able to do this.
Good sales reps can create consistent brand images for themselves. They can sell a lifestyle instead of just a product. They know how to post helpful and engaging content to attract new leads instead of just posting their sales pitch.
3. Time Management and Organization
A remote sales development representative has to be able to work independently. This means that they must be an absolute expert at organizing and managing their own time.
They’re able to structure their days around finding and approaching new leads, nurturing existing leads, and making sure that they’re keeping up with coaching.
4. Customized Outreach
This is one of the lesser-known skills for sales reps. You won’t be a great salesperson if you aren’t able to customize your efforts to each potential lead. This doesn’t mean that you have to “reinvent the wheel,” so to speak, but you should modify your approach to each individual.
This means that you have to know the person. Remember their name and what drives them. Pay attention to how the product that you’re selling can add value to their life.
Are You Ready to be a Sales Development Representative?
Any good sales development representative needs to be a strong listener, a social media master, a time management superstar, and great at an individualized sales approach. Do you fit the bill? If so, you might have a future in sales!
For more helpful articles about the top trending topics, visit the rest of our site.
