Sales is more than just basic product knowledge. Sales is about people—on both sides of the counter. A good sales associate not only understands the product they are selling: they have a very particular set of skills. Liam Neeson is great but has he ever run the cash register on a Black Friday while the new stock was arriving with Head Office due to visit?

Salespeople need to wear many hats during their workday while demonstrating perfect customer service to every last shopper. The great news is that according to Pipedrive’s State of Sales 2020-2021 report, at least 88% of sales associates regularly work on improving their soft skills. Hiring managers have a diverse and skilled talent pool they can now tap into.

You can spot and recruit these dream employees by requiring 11 must-have skills for a sales associate job during your hiring process. After reading this guide, store owners and salespeople will have a better understanding of the most vital sales associate skills and how to improve on them.

According to our State of Sales Report 2020-2021, 88% of sales professionals actively work on improving their soft skills. Furthermore, those working on their soft skills are 11% more likely to achieve their regular sales targets. So, why are so many salespeople allocating time to developing soft skills? And, why is their effort paying off?

In this article we’ll define what soft skills are, why they’re important to your sales team and how you can take measures to sharpen them. We’ll also help you spot soft skills during the hiring process and explore why you shouldn’t underestimate the power of saying no.

❓Vous écoutez des podcasts sur la vente et le marketing ? Vous avez des épisodes à nous recommander ? Faites-le nous savoir dans les commentaires ou ajoutez-les à notre playlist collaborative sur Spotify ! 🎉

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🎧 Notre recommandation : "Briser la glace ! La méthode 7P" de la série VENDRE de Michael Aguilar, un épisode à retrouver dans notre playlist.

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🎧 Our recommendation: “Clearer Thinking: Tools for creating positive habits, making better decisions, and understanding your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and self” from “You Are Not So Smart”... which you can find in our playlist.  

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