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Top 21 Essential Sales Skills

21 Data-Backed Sales Skills Every Top Performer Needs

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Written by Erica Schultz
Chief Marketing Officer, RAIN Group

There’s simply not enough time in the day to focus on every essential skill needed to succeed in sales. While sales teams must prioritize skills development, it’s important to identify which skills could have the biggest impact on your sales results.

In our recent global study of 1,004 sellers and sales managers, we identified 21 top skills and behaviors that represent the biggest gaps between Top Performers—those who are more likely to meet their annual sales goal, have higher win rates, and achieve more premium and less discount pricing—and The Rest.

Read on to ensure your sellers and sales managers have the skills they need to join the ranks of Top Performers.



Standout Skills of Top Performing Sellers




Master These Key Sales Skills

Master these skills to gain an edge over the competition and help you hit your goals.

Be honest about your own strengths and weaknesses, prioritize the most impactful skills for you, and plan your development efforts. Time spent improving yourself is never wasted.

Download: The Top-Performing Sales Manager Benchmark Report
Last Updated November 17, 2022

Topics: Sales Research Sales Performance Improvement

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