The New High-Performance Salesperson: Essential Skills for Success in B2B Sales (According to Gartner)
Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2025 10:49 am
Being a high-performance salesperson can be a real marathon, but the process and the results are rewarding.
Key takeaways from this article
Being a high-performance salesperson involves developing essential skills : mindset, tactical flexibility and partnership with AI are skills that allow salespeople to better understand customers, adapt their strategies in real time and integrate technology to increase efficiency.
The high-performing salesperson is more than a doer, they are a strategist . In the B2B landscape, salespeople must deal with increasing complexity and technology overload, requiring them to be able to navigate an ever-changing sales environment.
Developing these skills yields significant sales results : salespeople with tactical flexibility are 3.4 times more likely to hit their targets, and those who master mindset and partnership with AI are more likely to exceed their sales targets .
Take advantage and take a free trial of Agendor to occupant resident lists find out how the platform can help you achieve high performance in your sales process.
Thinking about the new salesperson figure that has emerged in recent years, Gartner has created a series of content to help companies optimize their sales performance. In this article, we bring insights from two of the consultancy's materials: the e-book The New High-Performing Seller and the webinar on the same topic.
From there, we’ll explore the challenges salespeople face today, detail the essential skills to achieve high performance, and offer practical strategies to develop these skills. Check it out!
The challenges of the modern salesperson
Why is being a high-performance salesperson more challenging than ever? In the B2B scenario, salespeople face a more complex sales environment.
With the proliferation of technologies and the increasing complexity of purchasing processes, salespeople are faced with an overload of information and skills .
According to Gartner:
72% of salespeople feel overwhelmed by the number of skills required to perform their jobs effectively.
Additionally, 50% of salespeople report being overwhelmed by the amount of technology required to do their job.
Skill and technology overload can lead to burnout and decreased performance . Modern salespeople need to master traditional sales techniques as well as digital and data analytics skills.
The evolving role of the high-performance salesperson therefore requires that he or she be more than just an executor; he or she must be a strategist , capable of navigating a constantly changing sales environment.
The 3 essential skills of the new high-performance salesperson
High-performance salespeople must have multiple skills, but there are three that are especially important for the new B2B salesperson. Let’s take a look at them.
1. Mentalization: understanding the client
Mindsetting involves the ability to understand the buyer’s needs, emotions, and behaviors. This requires:
Active listening;
Empathy;
Ability to put yourself in the customer's shoes.
In day-to-day B2B sales , this means deeply understanding customer motivations and adapting your sales approach to meet those needs.
Key takeaways from this article
Being a high-performance salesperson involves developing essential skills : mindset, tactical flexibility and partnership with AI are skills that allow salespeople to better understand customers, adapt their strategies in real time and integrate technology to increase efficiency.
The high-performing salesperson is more than a doer, they are a strategist . In the B2B landscape, salespeople must deal with increasing complexity and technology overload, requiring them to be able to navigate an ever-changing sales environment.
Developing these skills yields significant sales results : salespeople with tactical flexibility are 3.4 times more likely to hit their targets, and those who master mindset and partnership with AI are more likely to exceed their sales targets .
Take advantage and take a free trial of Agendor to occupant resident lists find out how the platform can help you achieve high performance in your sales process.
Thinking about the new salesperson figure that has emerged in recent years, Gartner has created a series of content to help companies optimize their sales performance. In this article, we bring insights from two of the consultancy's materials: the e-book The New High-Performing Seller and the webinar on the same topic.
From there, we’ll explore the challenges salespeople face today, detail the essential skills to achieve high performance, and offer practical strategies to develop these skills. Check it out!
The challenges of the modern salesperson
Why is being a high-performance salesperson more challenging than ever? In the B2B scenario, salespeople face a more complex sales environment.
With the proliferation of technologies and the increasing complexity of purchasing processes, salespeople are faced with an overload of information and skills .
According to Gartner:
72% of salespeople feel overwhelmed by the number of skills required to perform their jobs effectively.
Additionally, 50% of salespeople report being overwhelmed by the amount of technology required to do their job.
Skill and technology overload can lead to burnout and decreased performance . Modern salespeople need to master traditional sales techniques as well as digital and data analytics skills.
The evolving role of the high-performance salesperson therefore requires that he or she be more than just an executor; he or she must be a strategist , capable of navigating a constantly changing sales environment.
The 3 essential skills of the new high-performance salesperson
High-performance salespeople must have multiple skills, but there are three that are especially important for the new B2B salesperson. Let’s take a look at them.
1. Mentalization: understanding the client
Mindsetting involves the ability to understand the buyer’s needs, emotions, and behaviors. This requires:
Active listening;
Empathy;
Ability to put yourself in the customer's shoes.
In day-to-day B2B sales , this means deeply understanding customer motivations and adapting your sales approach to meet those needs.