The two most vital abilities that a sales hire ought to demonstrate are tenacity and confidence. However, they aren’t the only skills that a sales professional should have. When a company hires a salesperson, they should look at the bigger picture and appreciate the other inherent skills that hire might bring to the company.
With years in the field, it’s inconceivable that the hire wouldn’t have picked up skills, traits or certifications elsewhere that may benefit the company in the short or long term. Fifteen business leaders from Forbes Agency Council take a look at the most underappreciated abilities your sales hire may have that you’re not taking advantage of.
Members name some valuable traits in sales hires that should be more appreciated.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Listening, Active Thinking
The best salespeople I have ever worked with tend to listen more than they talk. Coupled with that, they are naturally active thinkers. So they have the ability to ask inquisitive and authentic questions purely based on what’s being said in the moment, not based on what they have prepared/need to find out ahead of time. This is something you can assess in an interview really easily and is often overlooked! – Hannah Patel, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry Communications
2. Empathy
Empathy is an essential trait. The ability to understand and relate to others is an important, yet underappreciated trait. At the end of the day, clients are people like everyone else. Having an ability to understand their problems, aspirations and anxieties is key to establishing long-term client relationships. – Gjoko Muratovski, The Myron E. Ullman, Jr. School of Design
3. Proactive Energy
Proactive energy is key — when their chemistry and connection come through clearly, even in a virtual environment, you know you have the right candidate. For Ansira, we know we can teach someone how to sell our solutions, but we can’t teach being personable and instinct. By including presentations in the hiring process, you’ll get a glimpse into their level of engagement akin to a first client introduction. – Jay Dettling, Ansira
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4. Honesty And Authenticity
We look for honesty and authenticity. Sales departments tend to agree with clients, whether they are doing the right thing or not, just to get the sale. Our approach is different. We ask the tough questions to open up the important conversations and hopefully, with the right client fit, there will be an open and honest exchange. It’s not about challenging the client, it’s about invigorating the thinking and opportunity. – Pat Fiore, FIORE
5. Good Attitude
Hiring for attitude and training for skill is imperative for hiring managers to adopt (to an extent). Although skills are essential to performing the job, you may want to consider compromising some skill to hire the person who has a better attitude. You will find that new hires with good attitudes are team players and will more than likely become ambassadors of the company, fostering growth. – Michael Broughton, Capital Brand
6. Emotional Intelligence
One such trait is emotional intelligence (EQ). Salespeople with high EQ can better manage their emotions, take initiative, follow through and manage change — all critical sales components. They’re humble, yet confident; they’re relationship builders, good communicators and natural leaders. Though many traits are advantageous, I believe high emotional intelligence is one of the best sales traits. – Matthew Lopes, The DVI Group
7. Likability
When it comes to hiring for sales, I look for three things. First, an ability to listen to and learn from the successful actions of others. Second, someone who can understand those successful actions and duplicate them within their own selling tactics to improve results. And third, someone who cares and truly wants to help customers. When it comes down to it, people buy from sales reps they like. – Joy Gendusa, PostcardMania
8. Speaking In Layman Terms
A very underappreciated skill that’s important, especially for digital agency sales teams, is being able to speak to the client in layman’s terms. When pitching to the clients, it is crucial to take a step back from being technical, and instead focus on making it relatable and easier to comprehend. – Zohaib Hassan Patoli, SnapWeb Services
9. Value Alignment
We hire on values first, experience and skills second. Time and time again, we’ve seen that people with the right alignment on shared values make the best team members — even in sales. They could be the world’s greatest salesperson, but if they don’t share your values, then neither will the clients they bring. – David Ward, Meticulosity
10. Coachability And Passion
Coachability and passion/buy-in are critical traits. Outgoing, charismatic sellers and introverted, process-oriented sellers can both be successful. The “how” matters less than the “who” and “why.” Are they comfortable adapting their processes and continuing to improve? Are they willing to sacrifice to help push the company vision and mission forward? These qualities separate average sellers from the top of the pack. – Melissa Chang, PureB2B
11. Balancing Short- And Long-Term Activities
Far too often, sales departments are focused on the minutiae of their day-to-day pitches and proposals (rightly so, in some cases). But this can result in them falling out of touch with past clients or previous prospects. Sales professionals should remember that while they may not sell to Joe Smith at Company XYZ, one day Joe will likely change companies. – James Burn, BrandActive
12. Marketing Automation, Copywriting Skills
When considering a sales hire, I highly recommend assessing their marketing automation (MA) and copywriting capabilities. Business development not only requires persuasive speaking skills, but inevitably solid email communication with prospects, as well. If a candidate has the ability to write good copy, coupled with MA sequencing, it will increase your agency’s odds that you’re hiring a producer. – Dennis Kirwan, Dymic Digital
13. Critical Thinking And Kindness
A couple of essential traits are critical thinking and kindness. When these traits go hand-in-hand, a salesperson is at their strongest. When a salesperson can triage their targets and show that they understand both sides of the table, they can make better connections. – Christine Wetzler, Pietryla PR
14. Humility
Humility is one of the attributes we look for the most in potential sales hires. Arrogance may have worked for salespeople in years back, but people are tired of that type of salesperson. They want someone who is humble because a humble person is more prone to listening, and people want to be listened to more than anything. – Greg Trimble, Lemonade Stand
15. Social Intelligence
Confidence and tenacity will get you in the room, persistence will keep your top of mind, but the ability to sense your potential customer’s priorities is key. A strong salesperson sees the process as genuine relationship-building. With social intelligence, the formation of this relationship comes naturally. Having an understanding of your customer will lead to wins. – Marc Becker, The Tangent Agency
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
