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Some sales skills never go out of style. Others increase or decrease in demand as companies respond to changing trends in sales and marketing.

While information gathering, listening and critical thinking will always be in high demand, here are some of the emerging sales skills employers are looking for in 2018:

Relationship Building

In an increasingly tech-saturated world, it’s common to assume that technology will eventually replace nearly every job – or that it can be used to handle essential tasks in nearly any job.

Yet tech will never completely make sales staff obsolete, because sales depend on one deeply human skill: the ability to build strong relationships. As a result, employers in 2018 are seeking salespeople who can build and maintain relationships more than ever.

Storytelling

The best salespeople don’t “close the deal.” They provide value. And one of the best ways to demonstrate the value of an offering for a prospective customer is to build a story. When customers see themselves as the triumphant protagonist in a compelling tale (featuring your product or service), they’re more likely to buy and maintain an ongoing relationship with you and the company.

Data Analysis

True, computers can’t replace salespeople completely. But they do make it easier to evaluate how the “human” skills you bring to the table affect your results. When you know how to track both day-to-day and bottom-line metrics, and how to analyze the results, you gain powerful insight into your own performance and that of your team, making data analysis an essential skill for salespeople in 2018 and beyond.

Presentation-Building

Remember when everyone thought simply having PowerPoint slides was enough to “supercharge” your presentation? Now we know better. With the rise of video and other digital media online, every audience has higher expectations of sharp, informative, interesting presentations. To stand out as a sales professional in 2018, you’ll need to know exactly what it takes to make a sales presentation entertaining and memorable.

At SMR Group Ltd, our recruiters connect sales and marketing professionals to some of the best employers and jobs in the biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Contact us today to learn more about how to advance your sales career.


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