When it comes to hiring salespeople, many companies focus on traditional hard skills and standard qualifications, such as knowledge of specific software, cold-calling experience, project management abilities or certain certifications, to find the best fit for a role. However, making conventional sales skills the top hiring criteria can lead to overlooking outside-the-box candidates who possess certain traits that may help convert prospects.
Despite the importance of hard sales skills, many soft skills can play an equally critical role in determining a salesperson’s close rate. Below, 20 Forbes Agency Council members reflect on the often-unsung qualities they value most in their peers in the sales department.
1. The Ability To Engender Trust
The No. 1 quality in a salesperson is the ability to engender trust. It sounds obvious, but rarely is this talked about. The best sales calls don’t sound like sales calls at all, but strategic advising sessions. Building a relationship and earning a client’s trust throughout this process is the key factor to success in sales, and in business in general. – Justin Belmont, Prose
2. Active Listening Ability
While salespeople are often associated with being great talkers and persuasive communicators, the ability to actively listen and truly understand the needs and concerns of potential clients is crucial. – Blake Woolwine, How 2 Media
3. Empathy
While empathy may not always be the first trait that comes to mind when thinking about sales, it is incredibly important in building strong customer relationships and driving successful sales outcomes. Empathy allows sales professionals to understand and connect with their customers on a deeper level. – Sashien Godakandae, MBA, Zap Media
4. Knowing When To Stop Selling
One underappreciated trait is the ability to understand when someone just isn’t interested in what you have to offer. While a vital trait of salespeople is being relentless in proactively approaching prospects, a great seller knows when it’s time to move on and does not continually waste vital time on prospects they’re not going to be able to move down the sales funnel. – James Hacking, Socially Powerful
5. Deep Understanding Of The Company’s Services
A deep understanding of our services is a critical quality that has significantly enhanced our sales department’s effectiveness. It not only aids in the selling process, but has also fostered better collaboration with our marketing, advertising and Web teams, as everyone has a clear, shared understanding of what we are offering and why it matters to our valued clients. – Robby White, The Nine
Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
6. Clear Communication On Deliverables
One underappreciated trait I value in sales hires is clear communication on deliverables. This involves the ability to clearly articulate expectations, timelines and specific details of what is being promised to clients. This trait ensures alignment between sales and other departments, avoids misunderstandings and promotes customer satisfaction. – Taha Elghanai, PUR3 Branding
7. A Self-Deprecating Confidence
A self-deprecating confidence sounds like a contradiction, but a prospect doesn’t buy from someone who lacks confidence. At the same time, they don’t trust a “we are the greatest” attitude. We need to find a way to say how fortunate we are to have achieved what we have as a boutique agency competing with multinationals. It’s a reflection of the tireless culture we have created. – Dean Trevelino, Trevelino/Keller
8. A ‘Spidey Sense’
We love employees who have a “spidey sense.” This is an ability to see ahead into what the client or prospect may want. Using nonverbal clues and cultural references and asking tough questions all lead these dynamic team players to understand what a client wants. – Christine Faulhaber, Faulhaber Communications
9. Organizational Skills
Organizational skills are key to any role. For the sales team, accurately recording contact information, conversation notes and opportunity potential and tracking progress are key to success. Often, the sales team moves fast and keeps this in their heads, which can mean missed details or even dates. Taking the time to accurately record details will save time and increase effectiveness. – Mark Skroch, BCV Social
10. Research Skills
Not all clients are the right fit and/or actually need your services, so it’s very important for the one trying to sell your services to be targeting the ideal prospect. Plus, a salesperson with excellent research skills can close a deal faster because they are able to pinpoint the problem and provide a solution. – Marilyn Cowley, PREM – PR & Social
11. Customer Advocacy
While salespeople should be advocates for their products or services, what is more important—and possibly less appreciated—is the need to advocate for their customers first. When sales hires prioritize the challenges their customers face and the value customers seek, not what their firm can provide, they are putting their customers first. This ultimately translates into more customers. – Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc.
12. A Spirit Of Collaboration With Marketing And PR
I love working with salespeople who understand how marketing and public relations can help them and are able to clearly articulate what they need. They know it’s not a zero-sum game; they don’t compete with marketing, but aim to make both sides look good. The very best are often quite demanding, but they collaborate in planning the marketing activities and feeding back on the impact of the campaign. – Mike Maynard, Napier Partnership Limited
13. An Understanding Of The Value Of Marketing
A great quality in a sales peer is someone who understands the value of marketing and how to use the materials or programs generated as a business development tool. We are all working toward the same goal. Marketing programs are often meant to create, reinforce or drive home interest. Effective salespeople know how to leverage the timing and the tactic to their advantage. – Carm Lyman, Lyman Agency
14. The Ability To Genuinely Connect With Clients
All of my company’s salespeople have different backgrounds and personalities, but they share one common trait: the ability to genuinely connect with potential clients. In many ways, selling is easy. Making a human connection with potential customers, taking time to genuinely listen and upholding the brand’s voice and values while selling is much harder—and much more important. – Evan Nison, NisonCo
15. Relationship Management Skills
Sales is about having a passion for people and caring about their needs. So many sales teams fixate on quick money or “pencil sharpening” practices and forget how crucial building a rapport with a client is. Those who can build authentic and collaborative relationships while being intuitive about their situational analysis are the ones you want for the long haul. – Monica Alvarez-Mitchell, Pulse Creative, LLC
16. The Ability To Understand The Human Condition
One quality I look for in anyone, but especially in a salesperson, is their ability to understand the human condition.The conversations a salesperson has with prospects need to be transformational, not transactional. Having a wide variety of experiences and interests allows a salesperson to apply empathy to any situation while providing the best advice. – Roger Hurni, Off Madison Ave
17. A Positive Attitude
Most sales roles come with much rejection and “ghosting” from prospects. It takes a resilient individual with a positive attitude to weather the storm and understand there is light at the end of the tunnel. This positivity will also resonate with other team members and create a positive culture where teammates support one another. – Geoff Crain, Kingstar Media
18. Perseverance And Creativity
For a salesperson, rejection is an inevitable part of the game. In sales, perseverance means not giving up in the face of rejection. Despite opposition or discouragement, they keep pushing themselves to crack a deal through different and innovative avenues. These two qualities are the foundation of a successful sales career—in PR and beyond. – Lars Voedisch, PRecious Communications
19. A Willingness To Learn
A skill that I look for in new sales hires is a willingness to learn. This skill is indicative of curiosity about the client and their business and the ability to listen and problem solve. Additionally, the desire to learn often implies they will be open to feedback and coaching on their job performance throughout their career. – Korena Keys, KeyMedia Solutions
20. Natural Storytelling Ability
Natural storytellers are hidden gems in the sales department. A salesperson who can spin engaging narratives, paint vivid pictures and stir emotions holds the key to fresh interactions with customers. Storytellers breathe life into their products or services, making unforgettable impressions and often irresistible pitches. Likewise, they’re valuable and engaging team members and creative contributors. – Marc Hardgrove, The HOTH
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