2 Key Skills That Will Make You The Best Salesperson

By Ruoro Kairu 

There is no such thing as a born salesman. Successful salespeople make it look easy to sell, but in the real sense, they have put time and effort into learning how to become better salespeople.

Janet, a close friend of mine went for an interview in January. She had just cleared her diploma and was looking for a sales job.

The interview was going great until she was given one request. The interviewer asked her to sell him a pen.

‘Sell me this pen’ is a popular question for many sales positions.

Janet got nervous and kept quiet for a few minutes. When the interviewer repeated the instruction, she said she did not know how to. As she walked out of the interview room, she knew she had not gotten the job.

Are you in a similar situation? Are you a recent graduate finding it hard to link what you were taught in school with what is in the job market?

You’re not alone. There are countless salespeople who are struggling at selling. Some of them graduated top of the class.

The reason why you’re finding it hard to become the best salesperson fresh out of school is what you’re taught is mostly theory. However, the practical bit –which is what you really need, is rarely taught or practiced in schools.

In a bid to help Janet, I spoke to Chris. Chris is a salesperson for a real estate company. He has been working in the company for three years now. In these three years, he has been selected best salesman two years running.

Chris, however, admits when he started, he was just like Janet. He found a great disconnect between what he had learned, and what he was facing.

How did Chris overcome the challenges to become a successful salesperson? Here are two of the greatest lessons he has learned along his sales journey.

Read on to see skills you can use to become the best salesperson.