“What is the most important skill in business”… it’s a good question right.
Now, the answer is very simple and I’m going to explain what the answer is and why its so obvious in this post.
SALES, SALES, SALES!
Sales of course.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a small business owner, freelancer, the CEO of a major organization or you have any job in between. Sales is the most important skill for everyone.
So why is sales the most important business skill?
Well without selling, nothing happens.
If you’re in marketing, you need to sell your ideas to your team so that they’ll let you put them out into the world. If you’re a business leader you have to sell your colleagues on following your vision and taking action.
Of course if you work in sales, then you’re generating revenue. Revenue is the lifeblood of any business. People might argue otherwise, but the only reason a business exists is to generate revenue and so that’s why salespeople are so important.
So what else does developing highly effective sales skills give you?
#1 ASKING POWERFUL QUESTIONS
Salespeople learn how to ask powerful questions
Powerful questioning skills allows you to build better relationships, debate things that you are passionate about and uncover the real problems that people both in and out of work might have.
#2 INCREDIBLE CONFIDENCE
Salespeople developed incredible confidence.
This incredible confidence then translates into an ability to take risks, stand up for themselves and higher levels of happiness.
#3 RAPID GROWTH
Salespeople are always growing.
As salespeople are on the front line of business, where their environment and marketplace is constantly changing, they are forced to grow and adapt to these changes or they’ll fail.
Salespeople can take this ability to grow anywhere in the business world to after working in sales.
#4 HIGH ACCOUNTABILITY
Salespeople are accountable.
Sales is one of the only jobs where if you don’t perform to a set, high standard, management don’t feel bad about letting you go.
Salespeople have to be accountable to a firm number that’s agreed upon at the beginning of the year and failing to hit it can have dire consequences.
#5 WORK WITH ANYONE
Salespeople have the ability to work with the wide range of people.
Were as in most jobs you can choose the team you work with, salespeople don’t have that luxury.
Salespeople don’t get to decide who their customers are and so they have to become great at building relationships with a wide range of people from different cultures, backgrounds and circumstances.
#6 SEAMLESS NEGOTIATIONS
Salespeople have great negotiation skills.
The higher up the corporate ladder you go the more importance negotiation skills become.
Working in sales help you develop the ability to evaluate the value on either side of the buying equation, identify key stakeholders, deal with objections and conflicting opinions and then come to an agreement.
#7 ROCK-SOLID PERSEVERANCE
Salespeople will persevere have rock-solid levels of perseverance.
Finally, there might be no more importance business skill than the ability to persevere through rejection, and initial lack of buy-in from other people and hearing the word “no” as often as you hear the words “yes”.
Salespeople will persevere like no other and get the job done at all costs.
When salespeople become educated and effective sellers, they have almost all of the skills needed to succeed every other role. That is why selling is the most important skill in all of business.
