Does your sales training emphasize the top four skills in the list below? More than 1,500 sales managers and reps were asked to rank 14 basic skills in order of importance to their long-term success. "The top four tie in to activities that are done before you meet a prospect face-to-face," notes Chris Heide, who conducted the poll for the Darnell Corp. "Ten years ago selling was more technique oriented." Managing time, while a broad category, is key to setting priorities before calling prospects.
% of respondents who
ranked skill in top four
Precall planning 54%
Approach and involvement 48
Qualifying prospect's needs 47
Managing time 45
Overcoming objections 42
Closing 36
Prospecting/cold calling 30
Making presentations 26
Handling problems 20
Negotiating 19
Postcall follow-up 16
Using the telephone 15
Managing paperwork 7
Demonstrating 4
* * *Source: Survey of 1,233 Sales managers and 437 sales reps at companies with sales of $5 million to $35 million, the Dartnell Corp., Chicago 1992.