Skills and Qualities of a B2B Sales Manager
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 9:49 am
B2B sales managers only need to have a set of soft skills. These include the ability to communicate effectively, creativity, stress resistance, developed emotional intelligence, and the ability to multitask.
However, to succeed in B2B sales, so-called hard skills are required - "hard" skills that can be demonstrated and objectively assessed. Specialists in this field must have technical knowledge, understand the specifics of the goods or services offered and their application, and be well informed about the business processes of clients.
For example, IT product sales managers are required to understand the technical aspects of software, understand product architecture, and have programming skills. It is also important that they follow market trends and quickly adapt to changes in the industry.
According to the 2020 B2B Marketing Influencer area code philippines mobile Study, 77% of marketers believe that potential customers rely on recommendations from industry experts. To successfully promote products and build long-term trust with customers in the B2B market, it is important to engage sales professionals with deep knowledge of the relevant industry.
In addition, B2B sales managers must have the following skills:
ability to negotiate with both a single client and a group of people;
the ability to objectively assess potential consumer risks and find compromises, offering mutually beneficial solutions;
ability to interact effectively in a team;
patience, as the B2B sales process can be lengthy and last from several weeks to a year or more;
emotional stability even in stressful situations, such as the client's attempts to create conflict.
A B2B sales manager is not only required to negotiate, close deals, and overcome customer objections. He or she also needs to find new potential customers and turn them into actual buyers.
Skills and Qualities of a B2B Sales Manager
Source: shutterstock.com
In B2B, an individual approach to each client is extremely important. A B2B sales manager must select appropriate sales techniques taking into account the specifics of the customer's business and its needs. He must understand in which cases it is appropriate to use a consultative sales technique, and when it is necessary to apply the SPIN technique, which includes situational, problematic, extractive and guiding questions.
Case: VT-metall
Find out how we reduced the cost of attracting an application by 13 times for a metalworking company in Moscow
Find out how
2 Methods to Find a B2B Sales Manager
Due to the above differences in areas, HR experts strongly recommend hiring candidates with experience in the B2B market. However, if a manager has only ever sold industrial equipment, this does not guarantee that he or she will be able to easily handle the sale of paper cups for coffee shops.
Therefore, the decision must be made individually for each situation. The key aspect is that the candidate has an understanding of the clients' business or can quickly figure it out.
For manufacturing companies, there is an alternative - to train a sales force from among their own technical specialists who are well acquainted with the products, their capabilities and areas of application.
However, it is important to take into account an important nuance: it is not enough to simply provide a script with product data and assign the calls. The person must have sales skills and be genuinely interested in this process.
So, there are two main ways to hire B2B sales managers:
invite experienced B2B sales managers with sales experience in your or a related industry;
recruit newcomers and train them independently.
Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's look at them in more detail.
Experienced sellers
If you decide to engage experienced B2B sales managers, you should understand that they may not match the specifics of your sales channels. Particular attention should be paid to their ability to work in the formats that you have chosen to promote your business.
If you were relying on social media and LinkedIn to attract leads, and the candidate is used to working with existing contacts and has not been looking for clients on social media, you will not get the expected results. You will have to spend time and resources on training him. Despite his experience and reputation, he is unlikely to be able to significantly help your company.
Experienced sellers
Source: shutterstock.com
There are other challenges associated with hiring experienced B2B sales managers. Due to the lack of universities and specialized schools that teach the art of sales, even seasoned employees may have mediocre skills.
Often, poorly learned patterns and habits become so deeply ingrained in the salesperson's mind that they resist learning new methods and especially retraining. "We've always done it this way, and everything was fine!"
Therefore, if you decide to attract experienced B2B sales managers, first of all pay attention to their flexibility, intelligence and readiness to learn. After all, there is no guarantee that a person who was successful and even the best salesperson at their previous place of work will be able to achieve the same results in your company.
How do you know if you have a really good candidate in front of you? Ask a potential B2B sales manager to sell you any product or service. For example, let him try something he sold in his previous job.
What to look for in a B2B sales manager candidate:
The ability to establish contact with the client, identify needs and the art of asking open-ended questions.
Ability to handle objections. A B2B sales manager must have the skills to work with them and manage the dialogue.
Flexibility in communication with a potential client.
The most important criterion for evaluation after this demonstration is your personal impressions. Put yourself in the client's shoes: if you yourself would buy from this person what he offers, feel free to invite him for a trial period.
However, to succeed in B2B sales, so-called hard skills are required - "hard" skills that can be demonstrated and objectively assessed. Specialists in this field must have technical knowledge, understand the specifics of the goods or services offered and their application, and be well informed about the business processes of clients.
For example, IT product sales managers are required to understand the technical aspects of software, understand product architecture, and have programming skills. It is also important that they follow market trends and quickly adapt to changes in the industry.
According to the 2020 B2B Marketing Influencer area code philippines mobile Study, 77% of marketers believe that potential customers rely on recommendations from industry experts. To successfully promote products and build long-term trust with customers in the B2B market, it is important to engage sales professionals with deep knowledge of the relevant industry.
In addition, B2B sales managers must have the following skills:
ability to negotiate with both a single client and a group of people;
the ability to objectively assess potential consumer risks and find compromises, offering mutually beneficial solutions;
ability to interact effectively in a team;
patience, as the B2B sales process can be lengthy and last from several weeks to a year or more;
emotional stability even in stressful situations, such as the client's attempts to create conflict.
A B2B sales manager is not only required to negotiate, close deals, and overcome customer objections. He or she also needs to find new potential customers and turn them into actual buyers.
Skills and Qualities of a B2B Sales Manager
Source: shutterstock.com
In B2B, an individual approach to each client is extremely important. A B2B sales manager must select appropriate sales techniques taking into account the specifics of the customer's business and its needs. He must understand in which cases it is appropriate to use a consultative sales technique, and when it is necessary to apply the SPIN technique, which includes situational, problematic, extractive and guiding questions.
Case: VT-metall
Find out how we reduced the cost of attracting an application by 13 times for a metalworking company in Moscow
Find out how
2 Methods to Find a B2B Sales Manager
Due to the above differences in areas, HR experts strongly recommend hiring candidates with experience in the B2B market. However, if a manager has only ever sold industrial equipment, this does not guarantee that he or she will be able to easily handle the sale of paper cups for coffee shops.
Therefore, the decision must be made individually for each situation. The key aspect is that the candidate has an understanding of the clients' business or can quickly figure it out.
For manufacturing companies, there is an alternative - to train a sales force from among their own technical specialists who are well acquainted with the products, their capabilities and areas of application.
However, it is important to take into account an important nuance: it is not enough to simply provide a script with product data and assign the calls. The person must have sales skills and be genuinely interested in this process.
So, there are two main ways to hire B2B sales managers:
invite experienced B2B sales managers with sales experience in your or a related industry;
recruit newcomers and train them independently.
Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's look at them in more detail.
Experienced sellers
If you decide to engage experienced B2B sales managers, you should understand that they may not match the specifics of your sales channels. Particular attention should be paid to their ability to work in the formats that you have chosen to promote your business.
If you were relying on social media and LinkedIn to attract leads, and the candidate is used to working with existing contacts and has not been looking for clients on social media, you will not get the expected results. You will have to spend time and resources on training him. Despite his experience and reputation, he is unlikely to be able to significantly help your company.
Experienced sellers
Source: shutterstock.com
There are other challenges associated with hiring experienced B2B sales managers. Due to the lack of universities and specialized schools that teach the art of sales, even seasoned employees may have mediocre skills.
Often, poorly learned patterns and habits become so deeply ingrained in the salesperson's mind that they resist learning new methods and especially retraining. "We've always done it this way, and everything was fine!"
Therefore, if you decide to attract experienced B2B sales managers, first of all pay attention to their flexibility, intelligence and readiness to learn. After all, there is no guarantee that a person who was successful and even the best salesperson at their previous place of work will be able to achieve the same results in your company.
How do you know if you have a really good candidate in front of you? Ask a potential B2B sales manager to sell you any product or service. For example, let him try something he sold in his previous job.
What to look for in a B2B sales manager candidate:
The ability to establish contact with the client, identify needs and the art of asking open-ended questions.
Ability to handle objections. A B2B sales manager must have the skills to work with them and manage the dialogue.
Flexibility in communication with a potential client.
The most important criterion for evaluation after this demonstration is your personal impressions. Put yourself in the client's shoes: if you yourself would buy from this person what he offers, feel free to invite him for a trial period.