Author of "LinkedIn for Personal Branding" l Keynote Speaker l TEDx | LinkedIn Rebranding | B2B Social Selling l My Mantra: "Be a Friend First" | Helping Companies, Events, Universities, Leaders, ERG's, and Employees
Today I am thinking about all the things that B2B sellers need to learn or develop. Here is my list so far. 1. Industry and product ⚙️ knowledge 2. Prospecting 3. Building relationships 4. Researching 👩💻 and Active listening 👂 5. Effective communication and Follow-up 6. Negotiation, contracts, and closing 7. Time ⏰ management and effective workflows. 8. Adaptability and continuous learning 9. CRM and sales tools 🧰 proficiency - including LinkedIn 10. Networking 🖇 What else can you add to this list? Can you elaborate or tell me what you think is MOST important for successful sellers? #b2b #sales #socialselling -------------------------------------------------------------- Wishing you all well from my dining room in New Hampshire. Please follow ⬇️ my new hashtag #SalesBySandra Sandra Long Post Road Consulting: LinkedIn and Social Selling Training or contact me via messaging
I really appreciate your creating this super-helpful list, Sandra, and the comments so far have added great value. For me, as LinkedIn tutor who typically works with my B2B small business clients for about 2 to 3 sessions, I continuously rely on my ability to get to know people pretty quickly. By developing and honing this ability (which is referred to as the strength of "Winning Others Over" by Gallup in their Clifton Strengths assessment), I can provide my clients more informed guidance for updating their LinkedIn profile and using LinkedIn.
Great list and love your cozy dining room in New Hampshire. Would add THANK YOU note/letter/gift to the list to showcase appreciation for the project or program. ☀️
Love this great list, Sandra Long! What would I add? Visual thinking and visual communication skills to help others better “see” what we’re saying…and what we’re selling! 👁️🗨️
I cannot not say 'Story' - not just telling stories, but catching our own stories and seeking our buyer's stories.
Great list Sandra and in my experience a 'Work in progress' for most salespeople. (and for all of us) I would also add emotional intelligence to your list. Especially in a hybrid virtual and live world, being able to connect and align, especially in a complex, B2B large deal world is fundamental.
Great list Sandra Long. I would add "business acumen," for buyers want to solve real business problems and/or achieve real business goals. If sellers don't understand how business works, how their customers make money, they will never be trusted advisors.
Wonderful list Sandra Long. I would add, understanding buyer personas and their needs: Successful B2B sellers need to be able to identify the needs, pain points, and preferences of their potential customers.☺
Great list Sandra Long! I would add that a sales person needs a strong sense of accountability....to their customers, to their employer, and to themselves!
Author & Speaker @ Buyer First | Founder @ Unbound Growth
1yMust be a theme today! While all these are essential tactics and skills, the one thing I would add to the top of the list is the ability to manage yourself. Everything changes so quickly, the best way to adapt is when we embrace and feed a growth mindset, manage our emotions and develop supportive beliefs. This is not talked about or practiced enough in sales! Sales is essentially communication and an exchange of value, without the self mastery we will not do the things we know we should when we need to.