Chart of the Week: The Sales Skills Employers Are Looking For

By November 7, 2015 Sales No Comments
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About 30% of job profiles for sales positions included “develops sales leads” as a top competency prior to the year 2000. Fast-forward a dozen or so years later and only 8% of profiles state the same. On the flip side, today’s sales jobs increasingly require that candidates prioritize tasks through thoughtful analysis, embrace strategic vision, and learn the business. Importantly, it’s not that today’s salespeople aren’t expected to develop leads or deal with multiple tasks. Rather, as Frank V. Cespedes and Daniel Weinfurter explain, “yesterday’s sales strengths have become today’s minimum skill requirements.” For hiring managers, this means constantly reviewing changes to the market in order to advertise for positions and hire competitively.

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