Selling Excellence: You need more than just "people skills"

That which separates the good from the great is often a minute detail that one refines and perfects through years of trial and error. However, in the world of professional selling, the gap between sales competency and selling excellence is very large indeed.

While the basic science of selling is not overly complicated, the art of implementing the full complement of skills required to be an exceptional sales professional is far more complex. To develop into one of the "top performers" that companies are willing to pay top dollar for, a sales professional must consider at least two realities:

1. Beyond following a proven sales process, the elite sales professional always possesses a critical balance of social skills, technical expertise and situational knowledge. To be lacking in any one of these areas will ultimately prove disastrous over time and more often than not, will really hurt you when the sales cycle becomes increasingly more complex and lucrative.

2. Like in any profession, the most effective way to perfect your craft is to engage a "coach" who can analyze and correct your approach in real time. Unlike traditional sales training where the student is required to recall and deploy learned skills at a later date, sales coaches work with sales professionals behind the scenes during live sales cycles and look to perfect your approach when it matters most.

The hypercompetitive landscape in which sales professionals now operate demands that you bring more to the table than just "a way with people". If you plan on making a long and successful career out of the sales profession, make sure you invest the time to develop the complete portfolio of skills required to be an elite performer.