3 Underrated Sales Skills Reps Need and How to Develop Them

Is a lack of soft skills holding your team back?

What is a sales rep’s most important trait? Is it the ability to hold court and charm the people around them with their natural charisma? Or, is it pure hustle and determination, a relentless drive to go above and beyond?

While qualities like these can be great assets, they’re not everything. To take your sales team to the next level, it’s crucial to go beyond the surface and dig deep into soft skills—an often overlooked yet crucial category for sales success. In this blog post, we’ll identify the most commonly ignored soft skills your sales team needs and offer tips on how to develop them through targeted sales training.

What are soft skills?

Every sales rep needs a set of practical skills to perform their daily duties, whether it’s product knowledge, presentation skills, or proficiency with workplace tools. But it’s the soft skills—interpersonal traits like adaptability, empathy, and teamwork—that turn a good sales rep into a great one. They may be difficult to quantify, but make no mistake, they have a huge impact on your bottom line.

3 skills your sales team needs for success

Skill 1: Active listening

One misstep sales reps often make is overwhelming potential customers with a verbal onslaught. It’s easy to get sidetracked with powering through a scripted pitch, anticipating and addressing objections before they arise, and trying to close the deal. The reality is that if you’re doing most of the talking, you’re likely missing the most important information. Your communication skills aren’t where they need to be.

Example

Meet Sandra, a sales rep on a call with a potential customer:

Customer: “Since going fully remote, we’ve been having some issues with keeping our team aligned…”

Sandra: [interrupting] “You’re in luck! Our communication tool features real-time chat and calendar sync. Let me show you a demo…”

What went wrong: 

Sandra didn’t wait for them to finish explaining their issue. Instead, she made an assumption and rushed to push a solution.

What to do instead:

Rather than cutting the customer off, Sandra can listen carefully, then ask for clarification to ensure she understands the problem.

Sandra: “When you say ‘having issues staying aligned,’ do you mean with scheduling, meeting times, project updates, or something else?”

With this strategy, the conversation naturally moves toward the customer’s actual pain point, offering Sandra a clearer picture of the challenge and better insight into the right solution.

Tips for active listening

• Let them finish. It may sound simple, but interrupting potential customers before they have a chance to explain their issue is both rude and unproductive.
• Ask follow-up questions. Make sure you understand by asking them to clarify or expand on what they said.
• Paraphrase their points. When you repeat their message back to them, it not only demonstrates that you’re paying attention, but it also gives them another chance to clarify.
• Listen beyond words. Don’t just listen to what they say. Pay attention to how they say it through tone and body language. This provides further clues to what’s really important.

Active listening makes people feel heard. And when people feel heard, you’re more likely to earn their trust.

Skill 2: Emotional intelligence

Good sales reps know how to read people. Through practice and openness, they develop a knack for recognizing a prospect’s needs and pain points and adjusting their strategy accordingly. But reps with high emotional intelligence also understand that managing their own emotions and modulating their reactions is just as important.

Example

Eduardo is about to hop on a follow-up call with a potential customer, and he’s feeling optimistic. But right away, the client is clearly having second thoughts and expresses reservations about moving forward.

Customer: “I’m just not sure now’s the right time for us. Our team is in flux, and we have to rethink our priorities.”

Eduardo: “But the other day, you were ready to pull the trigger. Now’s not the time to get cold feet. Let’s get this done so you don’t miss out on this opportunity.”

What went wrong:

Eduardo comes across as pushy and uncaring. As a result, the prospect ends the conversation quickly.

What to do instead:

This is a unique opportunity to forge a deeper connection with the client. When handled with real empathy, Eduardo can keep the conversation going and build trust in the process.

Eduardo: “It sounds like you all have a lot on your plates over there. May I ask, are there any specific concerns I might be able to ease your mind about? Or would it be better to circle back next week once things have settled down?”

Eduardo’s shift demonstrates emotional intelligence. Instead of reacting defensively, he shows empathy and professionalism and increases the likelihood of extending the relationship.

Ways to show emotional intelligence

• Recognize emotional cues. Learn how to spot frustration, reluctance, disinterest, excitement, or enthusiasm through verbal and non-verbal cues.
• Don’t get rattled. Rejection, skepticism, dismissiveness—these are all responses a sales professional might face at some point. Take them in stride and keep your composure.
• Adapt to different emotions. Practice tailoring tone, timing, or talking points according to what clients are thinking and feeling in the moment.
• Prioritize the relationship. Building rapport and deep understanding is more likely to lead to repeat business than focusing on the desired outcome.

Skill 3: Problem-solving

For sales reps, the question isn’t just whether you have a great product. It’s whether your product offers the solution to the specific problem the customer needs to solve.

Example

Rizwan is a sales rep for a new project management tool, and he’s done his homework. He can recite all its features and functionalities by heart, and he has his talking points nailed down. On a recent call, he asked a prospect about their current PM tool.

Customer: “To be honest, the system we use now is kinda clunky.”

Rizwan: “Well, I think we’ve got just what you’re looking for…”

Rizwan proceeds to detail all the ways the tool can streamline workflows, schedule notifications, and track progress, but fails to mention what the customer was actually concerned about, which was better cross-team collaboration.

What went wrong:

Rizwan didn’t take the time to understand the real pain point, potentially squandering an opportunity to position his product as the right solution.

What to do instead:

Rather than reciting all the features of his PM tool, Rizwan can pause and express genuine curiosity, opening the door for the prospect to specify their problem.

Rizwan: “Clunky tools are no fun for anybody! Can you maybe walk me through a recent example of how your current tool doesn’t operate as smoothly as you’d like? Maybe I can help with the solution.”

This strategy helps Rizwan connect the dots. Now, he can explain how his tool specifically addresses the prospect’s cross-functional challenges.

How to strengthen problem-solving skills

• Ask probing questions. Dig past the surface-level issues to find the root cause.
• Clarify the pain point. Make sure you clearly understand the problem they’re looking to solve by paraphrasing it back to them.
• Anticipate obstacles. Brainstorm all the possible problems or setbacks they might face and be prepared to offer solutions.
• Simplify the solution. When you’re dealing with highly technical or complicated problems, be ready to break them down into clear, digestible steps that help customers see the path forward.

Remember that you’re not just selling products. You’re selling your product as the best possible solution to a real-world issue. That’s what builds credibility, trust, and long-term value.

Sharpen the skills that set you apart

For your sales team, success means more than just hitting monthly targets or memorizing a great pitch. To truly master the sales process—and stand out in a crowded market—it’s the less flashy, but arguably more impactful skills that build trust, connection, and long-term relationships. These soft skills just might be the difference-maker for lasting organizational success.

By listening actively, leaning into emotional intelligence, and emphasizing problem-solving, you unlock the underrated skills that prove your value goes far beyond a single transaction.

Ready to expand your sales team’s repertoire? Download our e-book, How to Transform Sales Rep Performance with Online Training.