According to our 2020-2021 State of Sales report , salespeople who develop their interpersonal skills are 11 percentage points more likely to always or almost always meet their sales goals than people who don’t develop them. The majority of respondents (88%) also noted that they work on their interpersonal skills regularly, which helps them be more successful.
A quick internet search on statistics related to customer satisfaction and conversion rate is enough to understand that improving a person's capabilities and skills has tangible benefits that will be reflected in the results.
In this article, we'll cover the most important individual, technical, and interpersonal skills salespeople should have, as well as some tips for developing them.
7 interpersonal sales skills that will help you close more deals
Interpersonal skills, also known as soft, common or core skills, refer to those overseas chinese in canada data skills to develop that are relevant to all sales professionals, such as communication and empathy.
While all interpersonal skills are valuable, some are particularly useful for sales reps looking to meet their goals and generate revenue.
These are the seven interpersonal skills that will help you build strong relationships and close more deals.
1. Empathy
An empathetic sales rep prioritizes the emotions and goals of their leads and prospects before their own.
When you show that you care about your customer's needs , you build trust. Which is really helpful when you consider that 79% of consumers make a purchasing decision if the business has shown interest in their needs.
In addition to building trust, empathy helps sales reps dig deeper into their leads’ problems, so they can find the root cause and offer the best solution. This, in turn, makes it much easier to offer relevant recommendations, whether about a product or a service, contributing to a personalized shopping experience and higher customer satisfaction.
Active listening also allows you to navigate the conversation and overcome objections and rejections your potential customers may have.
To develop empathy:
Focus on how you pay attention. If you find yourself distracted or not actively listening, try to engage more.
Spark curiosity. Asking questions and listening carefully to the answers is a quick way to build stronger relationships.
