One of the most important elements of effective sales management is finding the right sales reps, with the right skill sets, for your team. People often wonder what critical skills are necessary for making a good inside sales rep. We recently came across a riveting discussion in the Inside Sales Experts group on LinkedIn, soliciting opinions from sales managers and professionals on what they believed the most essential Inside Sales skills are that make successful reps. Here is a list of the top 40 skills that sales professionals believed are the most crucial.
Most Important Skills for Inside Sales Reps
1. Focus – Nuria Fernandez Martin, Tuhin Sengupta, and Lori Richardson
2. Work Ethic – Richard Scudder
3. Charisma – Rachel Chartier
4. Resourcefulness – Dionne Mischler and Tenzin Yeshi-Men
5. Analytical and Critical Thinking – Zorian Rotenberg
6. Competitive – Eric Stamnes
7. Passion – Brian Holman, Hilton Burke, Gionata Frau, Eric Stamnes and Roseline Flore Mbotchak
8. Curiosity – Jeff Galas, Trish Bertuzzi, Shawn Greene and Joshua Gibson
9. Fearlessness – Chris Plueger
10. Confidence – Bill Titcomb, Kamrul Sumon, Wes Schifone and Jeff Stoffa
11. Grit – Sharon Sullivan
12. Persistence – Rafi Jager, Gionata Frau, Amy Carlson, Robert James III, and Chance Bush
13. Belief – Ron Bracewell
14. Knowing Your Ignorance – Gary Milwit
15. Listening – Zorian Rotenberg, Linda Vandenburg, Bill Titcomb, Brian Holman, Remy Mejia, Chance Bush and Tim Nolan
16. Honesty – Linda Vandenburg
17. Coach-ability – Wes Schifone
18. Resilience – Colleen Francis, Brian Maas, and Roseline Flore Mbotchak
19. Tenacity – Jonathan Holly and Joshua Gibson
20. Diligence – Mike McCain and Aaron Flint
21. Mental Agility – Joshua Gibson
22. Compartmentalization Skills – Joshua Gibson
23. Knowledge – Bill Titcomb, Hamid Kazeminejad, and Jeffrey de Wilde
24. Discipline – Aaron Flint, Jeff Alexander, Brian MacDonald and Brian Holman
25. Attitude – Brian MacDonald and Robert James III
26. Integrity – Daniel Stiffler and Mikkel Knudsen
27. Inclination – Alvin Cordeiro
28. Ability to Speak to Pain – Brian Furphy and Roseline Flore Mbotchak
29. Engage – Darryl Elliot
30. Assess – Darryl Elliot
31. Solve – Darryl Elliot
32. Enroll – Darryl Elliot
33. Drive – Todd Richardson and Eric Stamnes
34. Punctuality – Joe Warren
35. Trust – Nichol DiLeo and Jeffrey de Wilde
36. Connect-ability – Michael Blaizgis and Andy Small
37. Concentration – Tuhin Sengupta
38. Communicability – Jeff Breslin
39. Talent – Mike R.
40. Practice – Remy Mejia
This is just a condensed list of some of the many key traits that make a successful inside sales rep. Feel free to leave comments or re-post with your own beliefs as to what makes a top sales rep.