It takes a certain set of skills to be successful in sales. It’s helpful to have some inherent qualities, but most skills can be worked on and built up over time. If you’re working in technology sales, the skill set that you need is a just a little different. As well as the sales know-how, you also have to be able to navigate the technological side of your job. Take a look at these key qualities that you should have to be successful in technology sales.

1. In-depth Product Knowledge

If there’s one thing that every salesperson needs, it’s to know their products. You can’t sell something if you’re not familiar with it and how it can benefit your customer. When you’re selling tech products, it’s even more important that you know your stuff. You should be willing and able to learn about the technical side of the products that you’re selling. As well as the products themselves, you need decent all-around technical knowledge, and it’s important to stay up to date too.

2. Business Smarts

When you’re selling to business people, you need to have the capacity to think like a business person. Those who make the decisions in a business and who can choose to buy or not buy the products that you’re selling are thinking about how your products can benefit the business. They’re considering their budget and they’re looking for the ways that your product will provide a return on their investment. They need to be able to justify their spending to higher-ups, and you need to help them do that.

3. Offering a Consultative Services

To successfully sell technology products, you can’t simply offer a choice and let the customer decide on their own. They want to know how you can address their needs and find solutions to their pain points. Which of the products that you have to offer is best suited to them, and how can they be customised to deliver what your customer is looking for? You should be able to listen to your customer and respond to what they want.

4. Focus on Building Relationships

Any salesperson needs to have strong relationship building skills. It’s important not just to make a first sale, but also to keep customers coming back and to maintain relationships with customers who have bought an ongoing service. When you are working on a first sale, it can take months before a purchase occurs, so having the patience and skills to build relationships with customers and clients is vital.

5. Able to Work in a Team

Teamwork is essential for almost any job, but it’s especially necessary in the role of technology sales professional. You should be able to work with everyone from marketing teams to technical experts to deliver a full customer experience. Collaborating with other departments and colleagues is an essential part of the role.

If you’re looking for a job in technology sales, focus on developing these key skills and looking for employers who will help you to nurture them.