Recently, someone asked me whether I consider myself good at sales. My instinctive reaction was to laugh and quickly say no. But after a moment of reflection, I understood why. I don’t identify with the stereotype of the pushy salesperson—the one who relies on pressure tactics or promises “deals you can’t refuse.”
In spite of this, the truth is, I am good at sales. And more importantly, I believe anyone who leads Sales Enablement must resonate with certain aspects of selling to be successful.
So, I stepped back and reflected on what I personally find appealing about sales and how those qualities have shaped the way I build awareness for Noetic and scale our Sales Enablement consulting services.
Below are the core traits of a strong sales professional that I deeply identify with.
After two years building Noetic, I’ve learned that I lean more toward being a sales farmer—focused on nurturing relationships and cultivating long-term opportunities. But I also recognize the importance of sharpening my sales hunter skills to effectively bring Noetic to market.
Building a sales strategy means experimenting with new approaches, identifying what resonates, and continuously adjusting. Most importantly, it requires:
The best strategies aren’t rigid. Rather, they evolve through experience.
I still remember my first business class in college and our professor emphasizing Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. One lesson that stayed with me is the power of taking a genuine interest in others.
Too often, we listen without truly hearing. We move through conversations without taking time to understand the other person’s perspective.
Buyers remember when they feel understood. They remember when their words matter.
And they remember when someone engages with them authentically.
For me, this is at the core of effective selling—and at the core of Sales Enablement. Understanding people, not just products, is what creates trust.
Consistency is king in today’s sales world. Selling is a delicate, ongoing experience, not just a one-time interaction.
Consistency means:
When you consistently show up with clarity and value, you create a memorable experience that buyers appreciate. And ultimately, you position your solution in a way that helps your buyers shine inside their own organizations.
The most effective Sales Enablement professionals are those who understand sales personally. Sales is emotional. It can be exhilarating one moment and discouraging the next. It requires resilience, empathy, and strategy.
Sales Enablement leaders who have walked in the shoes of the seller bring a deeper appreciation for:
When organizations consider investing in Sales Enablement, they should seek someone who not only understands frameworks and processes but also understands the human side of selling—someone who can demonstrate results rooted in firsthand experience.
Sales isn’t about pressure—it’s about connection, clarity, and consistency. And the best Sales Enablement leaders are those who can bridge strategy with empathy, process with authenticity, and enablement with lived experience.
If your organization is evaluating a Sales Enablement investment, choose someone who doesn’t just understand sales from the outside, choose someone who has lived it, learned from it, and can translate those insights into results.
