Selling skills are the tools salespeople use to connect with customers, create long-term relationships and build value for both the customer and the business. They include written and verbal communication, effective listening, empathy, and more. Nearly everyone can think of a time when a salesperson made their buying decision easy by providing valuable insight and information, asking well-thought-out questions, demonstrating genuine interest in their concerns and needs and connecting product features with those requirements.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share a client’s emotions. It is a crucial skill that allows salespeople to listen for verbal and non-verbal cues, as well as to truly understand a customer’s pain points and fears, even if they are not explicitly expressed. It is also a critical aspect of building trust with the customer, which leads to greater satisfaction and retention.
Salespeople need a deep understanding of the product they are selling, including its specifications and applications, to help them provide accurate and relevant information to their customers (Amor 2019; Churchill et al. 2000; Futrell 2006). They must also stay up-to-date on new products and technology, as well as the regulatory framework that impacts them.
This study contributes to the existing sales literature by empirically verifying a seven-dimensional seller skills framework (Verbeke, Dietz and Verwaal 2011; Churchill et al. 1985). Sales managers can benefit from this research by focusing on improving the reported categories of seller skill level to improve their sales performance. online marketplace