Skill development for sales people involves a litany of intangible traits not all that common to non-selling careers.  As sales is a people centric field, the focus of skill development is primary based on interpersonal talents. Honing those skills can be successfully accomplished within nearly any role of the sales process and is a key element to advancing promising selling careers.

Become a Better Listener

Most successful sales professionals are natural talkers.  The gift of gab is a prerequisite in most selling careers but just as important is the ability to listen effectively.  Honing your listening skills can be accomplished in just about any environment.  Start by making a focused effort in the office when among colleagues and supervisors.  Practice information gathering techniques that will benefit you in the field and then take those practices to your customers.  Listening effectively when dealing with customers will help you develop better relationships and more easily meet your quotas.  

Time Management

Managing daily activities and maximizing production is common flaw in many selling careers.  Improvement in this area begins with setting specific goals within the work day with completion points being used as the key metric.  Don’t give in to the “ready, fire, aim” temptation that haunts many sales people.  Set daily goals, check them off your list and move on to the next.  A daily planner is a good start, be it old-school paper or as part of your contact management system.  

Communication

This one may seem simple as many successful selling careers begin with extroverts that know how to talk, but good communication takes place in many different areas, beginning with writing.  A key transferable skill, good written communication skills can be honed within the confines of a busy work day.  Focusing on clear and concise e-mails or other written correspondence can go a long way to improving your sales potential.  If you have shortcomings in your writing try reading letters from others that excel in it, absorb their techniques and even borrow basic outlines for use as templates.  But never plagiarize, even your customers will notice non-original content.   

Relationship Building

Building great relationships is a vital component in all selling careers and yet it is often ignored as an area of development.  To advance your relationship skills you should begin within your own company.  Good relationships with colleagues can go a long way to enhancing selling careers.  Developing trust and confidence within your relationships will land you referrals and valuable insight that will aid your bottom line.  When it comes to customers, the same applies.  Work to maintain a professional tone while introducing personalization and a friendly demeanor.  A customer can be a friend and those who trust and value the relationship will become paramount to advancing promising selling careers.