Read time: 2 mins
What skills are needed for sales jobs? | FAQs
Want to know how to put together an invaluable sales and sales management strategy that has a direct impact on business management? Gareth Cotten, the Head Tutor on the University of Cape Town Sales Management online short course, explains what it takes to make it in sales, in this short video.
Think you have what it takes and want the sales and sales management techniques to match?
Learn to lead, organise, motivate and measure the success of your sales and sales management team, with the UCT Sales Management online short course.
Transcription
The skills that you are going to need for sales jobs are going to be primarily, communication, adaptability and resilience. So with communication it’s not only have good, strong written and verbal communication but you are also going to need to learn some non-verbal communication as well. So you are going to want to upskill in things like body language, to be able to pick up on the ideas and themes that are coming through from the way the other person is speaking, how to listen to the prospects well but also how to project yourself well, so that you can have the most impact in your sales presentation or in your sales interactions so communication skills are core. Over and above that, you are also going to need adaptability skills so that you can think on your feet in sales situations because it’s almost impossible to predict how every sales transaction is going to flow. And then, very importantly, you are going to need resilience as well. Sales is not the easiest job in the world but it can be extremely rewarding so if you can have the resilience to bounce back when you get a no and look towards your next yes, that’s going to take you very far.