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.