A while back we were chatting with best-selling author Jill Konrath about her latest book, Agile Selling. The conversation eventually got around to the topic of sales rep confidence. Her response was resolute and affirming: confidence is critical to success in sales.

Like award-winning actors, sales reps with great presence exude confidence. This requires preparation, deep industry knowledge and the communication skills to connect your organization’s product or solution with a relevant client issue.

And let’s face it, we’d all rather work with sales people that we trust and that can help solve our problems.

The most confident, experienced reps also possess a good understanding of their customers’ business. This ensures credibility. Leaving the generic sales pitch behind, they share insights and solutions that resonate with clients, prospects, and even gatekeepers.

Confidence is just one of those things in business that has the power to change everything. Opportunities open up, you’re in control and things move forward. Although it’s impossible to give this quality to somebody, there are compelling reasons to develop skills that build confidence.

This was the mission of one fast-growth tech company we work with. Their clients are C-suite market leaders around the globe, and their products are at the same time flexible and complex. The company's seasoned account professionals have an average 20+ years experience selling enterprise solutions to the C-suite. That’s the good news.

The challenge is that the needs of their clients are constantly changing, including buying criteria, business processes, financial metrics, and even technology requirements. So what worked for the sales exec before might not work for them now. Walking into a situation with a senior executive they aren’t prepared to handle could be their first – and last – meeting with that account.

To make navigating these market and buyer changes more efficient and effective, the company established an innovative sales competency framework designed to help their account managers and sales engineers think, act, and speak like the CXOs they target. A four-stage sales certification process ensures that every rep has command of company information, listening and selling skills, and the ability to address current C-suite concerns.

Whether a veteran account manager or a rookie, we all need to be mindful of how we communicate, especially with those who are critical to the success of our business.

Confidence and attitude can help reps establish an emotional connection with buyers, to draw them in and take them on a journey. More than just delivering information, though, great reps need a presence that sets them apart. Getting there requires continuous study, reinforcement and coaching to be ready for that big moment in the spotlight.

Contact us today to learn how today's market leaders use Qstream to build confidence in their sales teams.