I was on a radio talk show recently and the interviewer asked me, “What do you view as the number one sales skill employers are looking for in a professional sales person?”

This is a common question that comes up quite often in our sales training and conversations with business owners. The answer is not organizational skills, charisma, the ability to persuade, presentation skills, tenacity, aggressiveness, affability, analytical ability, etc.

 

The most sought after skill is the ability to listen effectively. Followed by the skill to ask great questions, and establishing and maintaining positive working relationships. 

 

People learn how to listen. It is not an inherent characteristic at birth. Although it is critical to advancing meaningful conversations in social much less business situations, there are very few training experiences that focus exclusively on this vital sales skill.

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