Sales Cycle and Sales Abilities

Background

  In every role I've played in the past, no matter it's in school or in business world, there is always one key questions I asked to myself in advance.  As a solution sales, what are the required skill-sets for this role? 

While I was a technical guy or a student, it seems quite straightforward to answer this question. There were always new topics waiting for me to explore, computer languages, software development models, or economics, accounting, etc. However, when it comes to sales, the answer is quite vague. I had talked to several senior sales guys and also googled it for top 10 skills(something like that), but I couldn't find a systematic answer. Most of the answers you got are, for example, relationship building, passion, attitude, listening, or presentation skills. It seems a little bit general and dispersed. But I am looking for the skills for solution sales.

Is an answer there already?

Not really. You have to find it out for yourself. There are so many different types of sales and each of them requires different skill-sets, so the only way is to find it out on your own.After a couple of month being a solution sales, I started to catch some points. The more friends/customers I met, the more key skills I am sure this job requires. How does that help your job? The answer is, if you could catch those points right and fast, you could be the top sales. So here it is. Below is the systematic diagram for this role.

Outcome

For every sales, if you don't know your own strength or weakness, or you lose the direction for improving yourself, you better make one diagram as below and constantly look at it to review yourself, make sure you are on the right track. 

In my case, the first step is to figure out the selling cycle of this role. This is important because each cycle requires different skill-sets. Only when you figure out the selling cycle for yourself, you can start to fill-in the rest.

Solution sales cycle and it's abilities

There are 4 cycles involved. The next step is to fill the skill-sets into different cycles. Some of the skill-sets are across all cycles. but it's normal. You may feel it's not 100% correct, but it's ok. Anything has a start point. A draft start is cool already. Don't copy from others. If you can make one for yourself, that means you truly understand your job.

The next question is, what can you do with this? Here is the point.By making up your weakness, you can grow up fast, you can change fast, you can ensure you are ready to in your job. What more? There is a big difference between spontaneously gaining experience and intentionally improving. It's like the comparison of an entrepreneur and an employee. In the first case you are choosing to be the best, proactively doing what you should do. That's how you improves fast. In the later case, you are listening to others to tell you what do you, setting up directions for you. It doesn't mean wrong, but the improvement and grow-up will be slower. To me, seeing the changes/improvement in me certainly makes me happy, and it's not hard to do it. Think, plan, then execute. The result will be there.  


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