The best sales reps and entrepreneurs have the same winning combination of skills. Many salespeople and business owners think that this is a talent they just don’t have. In reality, being good at marketing a brand is a skill set that anyone can learn and hone. Here are six key skills and tactics that can boost your marketing. 

1. Develop Empathy

Empathy is the ultimate “soft skill” in business. Gone are the days of hard selling and pushy sales tactics. Being empathetic means making the customer’s emotions a priority. Instead of focusing on closing the deal, put yourself in their shoes and think about how you’d react to the things you’re saying and how you’re saying them. Taking classes in active listening techniques and negotiations training can be extremely helpful here. Closing a sale is about making a deal, and making a deal means learning the fine art of compromise and diplomacy. 

2. Become a Storyteller 

Nobody wants to hear about an offering. They want to know what that offering is capable of accomplishing. This is where communicating a larger company vision becomes absolutely critical. What is the mission of the company? How did the idea for the product you’re selling come about? A great and unique narrative is how one brand makes an impact in a market that’s bound to be crowded with similar offerings. Don’t just communicate that narrative; represent it in your attitude and enthusiasm.  

3. Learn To Write For Marketing

Writing for sales and marketing is different from academic and creative writing. Many very intelligent people forget this and create smart content that still fails to engage customers. Keep written communications brief and to the point. When you’re writing a marketing email or communicating an offer, use formatting tools like bullet points to itemize important facts and make them easier to mentally digest. Remember that your writing should be a call to action and should focus on helping customers make their journey from brand awareness to becoming loyal customers. 

4. Create Personalized Solutions

People buy products because they either have a problem that needs to be solved or a personal desire that they need to fulfill. Every person has different needs and matching needs with solutions is how every product is sold. Learn the customer’s story and integrate your offerings into it. Trust is critical here. Research shows that consumers don’t trust what brands say about themselves, so don’t talk like a salesperson. Talk like a friend. 

5. Leverage Technology

Sales and marketing is indeed a very personal line of work. That doesn’t mean that technology can’t play a major role in making the process more effective. Simple tools like customer relationship management (CRM) software or project management programs can automate the menial tasks, leaving marketing teams free to be their creative best. Advancements in algorithm sophistication are also making marketing research easier and less expensive. Look at your infrastructure needs and shop around for digital solutions. 

6. Know Your Products

While it’s true that the technical details of a product come second to what it can accomplish, salespeople still need to have a sound knowledge of the offerings they’re selling. Recent research by tech company First Insight revealed that customers seek high product quality over cheap prices by a 53% to 38% margin. Customers will ask what makes your product so special, and you need to be able to give objective answers. It’s not enough to know that you’re selling a great product. You need to know why it’s great.

Conclusion

Every salesperson is different, and the same is true of customers. Every conversation is bound to be different, but there’s definitely a right (and wrong) approach. Becoming a better communicator is by far the best way to sell better.