Here’s a trivia question for you: Do you know what is the most important sales skill that you need to have?

If you Google this question, the traditional sales force will tell you the most important sales skills you need to have are:

• Being able to close with confidence
• Ask questions
• Listen

If you asked me that question a few years ago, I would have said that confidence was the number one sales skill. How often do you see an unconfident person win?

Well, hardly. But the thing is, that unconfident person doesn’t exactly go out to learn to become more confident.

Confidence is a feeling. Confidence isn’t learned, it’s gained — from taking risks, failing, trying different things, learning about yourself, persisting and winning. Confidence a result.

Okay…then what about just knowing how to sell? Could that be the most important sales skill to have?

Being successful in sales because you know how to sell is really, really broad. That’s like saying, a couple is happily married because they know how to be married.

Okay…then what about listening skills? Traditional media certainly tells us that listening is the most important skill to have, not only in sales but in a relationship too.

But you know, plenty of people know how to listen but they might not do anything with the information or know what to do with it.

The most important skill that you need to have is empathy: the ability to relate to people.

If you can’t relate to people, you can’t sell. You won’t sell. You won’t be able to create a brand that touches people’s hearts, nor write copy or ads that spark a customer to try your stuff or fall in love, nor be able to guide a buyer on a sales call through to purchase.

Sales is not just a transaction to make money.

Sales, actually, is a very complex communication system.

Some of us are Empaths, meaning that we have the intuitive ability to feel other people’s feelings as if they were our own. But not all Empaths use their empathy skills. There is what I call unproductive empathy, meaning they will feel people’s feelings but not do anything with the information, rendering it unproductive or for no use.

Then there are other Empaths who can feel other people’s feelings, but they are too dialed into their own needs and can’t relate to others.

Whether you’re a born Empath or not, using empathy in sales is a learned skill. Just because you’re born with a gift doesn’t mean you know how to use it! And if you’re born without it, it doesn’t mean you’re any less special. That’s the thing about skills — anyone can learn it.

What other important skills do you rely on when you market yourself or connect to others? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Hi, I’m Ana Coeur

I teach entrepreneurs how to create their business straight from their soul. I offer a complete Intuitive Business Suite to help you create, design, write and sell all from your intuition. Here’s the services you can take advantage of to empower your business: Intuitive Web & Brand Design, Intuitive Copywriting and Intuitive Selling. If there’s anything I can help you with, I would love to hear about it! You may email me at anaintuitivepicture.com

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