Prospecting isn’t easy anymore. To get this point home, just look at these stats:

Research conducted by Catalyst’s CEO, Kevin Chiu, reveals that sales reps are getting only 18% of their pipeline these days (less than the average 40% market standard).

According to Salesforce, 72% of closers expect to miss an annual quota.

Horrible stats, right? Is there any solution? Sure. You need to level up your sales skills.

How to Get Into B2B Sales

Here’s the thing. It’s easier for founders with advanced sales skills to start a new business. It takes a lot of time to develop and master sales skills. To make things worse, B2B sales are even harder. Thus, B2B sales are sure to take even more time to master. Sure thing, not everyone is a natural-born salesperson. However, you have to overcome yourself and develop these skills. They define whether your business succeeds or fails.

But what are B2B sales? B2B stands for business to business. In other words, these sales mean your team sells products or services to another company that needs them. Achieving this task is complex, as it demands a unique skill. You need to know how to

• Find your way through complex organizational hierarchies and various interested parties.
• Showcase your knowledge and be a leading authority in the field.
• Offer custom consultative solutions based on the specific requirements of each client.

Why Focus on Finding the Right Job in B2B Sales?

Before diving into developing your sales skills, it’s crucial to find a job that aligns with your career goals and abilities. B2B sales is a specialized area that requires a particular mindset and skill set. To succeed in this field, it’s important to:

• Align with a Company That Matches Your Values:  You’ll be much more effective if you believe in the products or services you’re selling. Make sure the company’s mission and goals resonate with you.
• Find a Niche: B2B sales cover a broad range of industries. Whether it’s tech, healthcare, or finance, narrowing your focus to a specific industry will allow you to develop expertise and become a trusted advisor to your clients.
• Consider Growth Opportunities: Look for companies with solid career advancement pathways. Starting in a junior sales role could quickly lead to positions such as account executive or sales manager if the organization prioritizes internal development.

Focusing on finding the right job can help you avoid burnout and give you a better chance to thrive and grow in your role.

Top Skills You Need to Succeed in B2B Sales

Research Skills

A great salesperson typically spends a good portion of their day doing research and communicating with clients. The research they invest time and effort in enables them to attract new clients and grow their company’s profitability.

Google and LinkedIn are among the top research tools that salespeople prefer now. However, there are many other great options out there. For example, it’s super important to use email finder tools to make sure your emails get into the inbox and don’t bounce back. They allow you to find valid email addresses in a matter of seconds.

All in all, the more prepared you are when approaching potential clients, the better the impact your pitch will have.

Product Knowledge

Having a deep understanding of your product is a great advantage. Sales representatives nowadays need to link customers’ problems with how their product solves them.Explaining how your solution effectively addresses the issue leads to more successful sales meetings.

Here are a few effective methods for sales representatives to improve their understanding of the products they sell:

• Read customer reviews and discover the specific tasks or needs that were fulfilled.
• Engage in role-playing exercises with solutions consultants and review their recorded sales demo calls for expert advice and strategies.
• Participate in advanced sales demonstration training to effectively present your product in challenging situations.
• Get your sales team trained by professional sales coaches.
• Use your product to know all its features inside out – the most effective way to understand all aspects of your product is to use it personally.

Communication Skills

Effective communication skills result in more clarity, confidence, and persuasiveness in face-to-face conversations, over the phone, or during interactions on social media platforms.

CXL outlines these 8 fundamental principles of great business communication:

• Clarity
• Conciseness
• Completeness
• Correctness
• Coherence
• Timeliness
• Courteousness
• Urgency

Avoid filler-fluff words and jargon for your message to be effective and convincing.

Instead, stick to easy-to-understand language and a casual tone.

Importance of Active Listening

Active listening makes it possible for salespeople to connect with buyers. It also plays a key role in successful sales discovery.

According to a recent LinkedIn report, B2B buyers value active listening skills more than relationship building, as it helps buyers and sellers align their thoughts.

Great tips for more efficient active listening:

• Don’t Interrupt: Just shut up and listen! Avoid the temptation to interrupt your potential customers. Let them complete their thoughts, take a break, and reply.
• Be Present: Focus solely on potential clients during your meetings. Eliminate interruptions such as your phone or laptop.
• Don’t Make Fast Conclusions: Forget about judgments and assumptions. Instead, ask as many open-ended questions as possible.
• Use Mirroring: Echoing the potential customer’s words is a very effective strategy. This shows active listening and assists in clearing up any confusion.

Presentation Skills

Giving good presentations is another important aspect of working in sales. However, most people are nervous about this, and for some, it makes them super uncomfortable.

The great news is this is a skill you can gain with repetition. There is no need to remember all the words on your notes or slides. It’s not the thing you need to focus on. That is not the issue. Sure, go ahead and include key data in the slides to support your claims. But nobody cares if you recite it by heart or not.

The most important thing is that your presentation is not boring. It’s easy to fall into this trap if you’re excessively focusing on facts and figures. Stories are much more effective in capturing people’s attention. Keep this in mind.

Start with the issues. Concentrate on the current problems of your potential clients. This is known as managing the pain. Then, proceed to explain how you can offer assistance.

Your prospects will want some social proof, so share examples of other companies in their industry that have successfully implemented your solution. It will also activate FOMO, which can be good for sales.

Strategic Prospecting

Here are 5 proven tips for better strategic prospecting:

• Be Super Focused on Your ICP: Search for prospects who are highly likely to buy. Consider industry, demographics, company size, and pain points.
• Get Warm Introductions: Make use of your connections with coworkers, team members, and acquaintances to get referrals and introductions to potential leads.
• Use Social Media: LinkedIn is an amazing B2B prospecting tool. Certain potential clients are highly engaged on social media platforms yet remain unresponsive to email communication.
• Cold Calling & Cold Emailing: Stick to a relevant, concise, short, targeted message. Create your template and keep mastering your sales skills. Respect your prospect’s time. Introduce yourself clearly and shortly. Pitch your offer clearly.
• Get Referrals: Stimulate your happy customers to connect you with other businesses they know. Such referrals are converting like crazy.

Time Management

No matter how the sales industry evolves, one thing remains the same: time equals money. However, the resources available for time management have evolved, and that is awesome. Why? There are so many choices out there, from calendar syncing to advanced task-organizing tools.

Do not hesitate to implement them in your sales. Discover which options will assist you in maximizing your time use. Automating boring, time-consuming tasks has never been simpler, so you should make the most of it.

How to Get Started Work in B2B Sales

If you’re new to B2B sales, here are some steps to guide you:

1. Learn the Basics of Sales: Familiarize yourself with sales fundamentals like prospecting, lead qualification, and closing. Many online courses or certifications can help you build a solid foundation.
2. Network: Use platforms like LinkedIn to connect with sales professionals and mentors. Networking can open doors to job opportunities and provide invaluable insights.
3. Apply for Entry-Level Positions: Look for roles such as Sales Development Representative (SDR) or Business Development Representative (BDR), which are great entry points into the B2B sales world. These positions offer hands-on experience in prospecting and lead generation.
4. Seek Mentorship: Having a mentor in the B2B sales industry can accelerate your learning curve and provide guidance on navigating challenges.
5. Develop Resilience: B2B sales can be challenging, with many rejections and long sales cycles. Building resilience will help you stay motivated and focused on long-term success.

Concentrating on finding the right job and developing the skills mentioned above will put you in a solid position to succeed in the competitive B2B sales landscape.

Final Thoughts

And here you have it. Top 7 skills that you need to kill in B2B sales. Let’s quickly recap them here. Research skills. Product knowledge. Communication skills. Active listening. Presentation skills. Strategic prospecting. Time management. Pick a few and start with mastering them. Then add a couple more. Step by step, you’ll be able to master them all.