Emphasise emotional intelligence and relationship building

In today’s sales environment, emotional intelligence (EQ) is as important as traditional sales skills. The modern buyer seeks genuine connections and personalised interactions, making EQ indispensable. It’s vital that current sales leaders understand the importance of EQ and relationship building, as training those entering the sales force in these skills can bring a wealth of business benefits.

Although the pandemic revolutionised the way in which we interact, there is still value in face-to-face meetings. Research found that the close rate for in-person meetings is 40% and that sales executives estimate that 28% of their current business would be lost without in-person meetings. Sales training should therefore focus on developing empathy, active listening, and relationship-building to equip salespeople with the skills to build long-term, fruitful business relationships.

Encourage sustainable selling

Sustainable selling is not about what you sell, it’s how you sell. Sustainable selling incorporates ethical practices such as honesty, transparency and integrity with the aim of providing real value to buyers and forging long-lasting relationships. Buyers expect this with research finding that 94% of consumers are more likely to be loyal to a brand that’s completely transparent.

Training programmes must emphasise the importance and benefits of ethical and sustainable sales practices. This can teach sales professionals how to understand and deploy ethical sales techniques, whilst teaching them to understand and maintain long-term customer relationships over short-term sales through techniques for follow-ups, customer support, and ongoing customer engagement.

Integrate technology and data-driven decision making

Technology continues to innovate at a record pace and businesses are now presented with a vast number of solutions and software to optimise efficiency. Modern sales leaders must be proficient in using technology and they must possess the knowledge to analyse data to drive their decision-making.

Adopting and implementing sales technology such as CRM systems, AI-driven analytics and automation tools is only half of the puzzle. According to a study by McKinsey, companies that leverage customer behaviour insights outperform their competitors by 85% in sales growth. Sales leaders, present and future, must be equipped and trained to use these tools to enable informed decisions, streamline processes and tailor approaches to meet specific client needs.