The Truth About Becoming a Great B2B Salesperson

“You’ve got the gift of the gab… you’d make a great salesperson.”

I’ve heard that phrase countless times over the years. It always makes me smile because, after more than 40 years in B2B sales, I can tell you a definitive truth:

The gift of the gab is not what makes a great salesperson.

When I was in my early twenties, I was a trained electrical engineer. I had completed a five-year City & Guilds apprenticeship—a highly respected qualification at the time. The problem was simple: I just didn’t enjoy it.

I wanted more. More opportunity, more responsibility, more money, the nice car, the holidays, my own business, and a better lifestyle. Looking back, I achieved those things.

But the definition of “more” certainly changes as you get older.

A single conversation changed the direction of my career.

I was chatting with a sales representative from our local electrical wholesaler.

After listening to me vent about wanting something different, he said: “You’ve got the gift of the gab. You’d make a great salesperson.” He mentioned they were hiring, so I took the leap.

The catch? It meant taking a substantial pay cut.

My answer was confident, if a little naive: “I’ll make it up in commission. No problem.”

That was how my sales career started. Looking back now, I realise just how much I had to learn. I genuinely thought sales was just about confidence, talking, and convincing people.

I was wrong.

Business After 60 Series – In previous articles we’ve looked at developing a business idea, creating a vision, and building solid foundations. But every successful business eventually comes down to one thing—winning customers.

Over the next few weeks, we’re moving into one of the most important business skills of all: Professional B2B selling.

Over decades of working in B2B sales, managing sales teams, running businesses, and mentoring professionals, I have learned that successful selling is built on something entirely different.

It is about deeply understanding people, understanding businesses, and asking the right questions.

Over the next few weeks, we’re moving into one of the most important business skills of all: professional B2B selling.

Successful B2B sales isn’t about clever lines or cheap sales tricks.

It’s about the complete, professional process:

• Finding the right prospects
• Making the right first contact
• Understanding who influences a decision
• Building genuine trust
• Asking better questions
• Presenting solutions
• Handling objections
• Closing professionally

Throughout this series, you’ll see me return to four simple words that have guided me my entire sales career.

They sound obvious, but after 40 years in the field, I believe they are the most important habits a salesperson can develop.

Before you can expect a customer to trust you, you have to know your own business inside out.

So, our first conversation starts with self-reflection.

Have you properly understood your own company, your products, and the specific problems you solve for customers?

Look, Read, Watch, Listen

The Four Habits of Every Successful B2B Salesperson

LOOK – at your customers, markets, competitors and opportunities.

READ – everything you can about your products, your industry and your customers.

WATCH – experienced salespeople, demonstrations, customer behaviour and market trends.

LISTEN – more than you speak. Your customers will usually tell you exactly how to sell to them.

Great salespeople don’t just turn up and talk—they prepare.

Next week we’ll look at something that transformed my own sales career: why the first sales call actually begins long before you ever pick up the telephone or walk through the customer’s door.

Frequently Asked Questions About B2B Sales

Do you need to be an extrovert to succeed in B2B sales?

Absolutely not. While confidence helps, great B2B sales are built on active listening, problem-solving, and empathy.

Quiet, analytical individuals who understand their clients’ business problems often outperform the loudest talkers in the room.

Is it risky to change careers into sales later in life?

Every career move carries an element of risk, but sales rewards transferrable skills.

If you have deep industry knowledge (like engineering, logistics, or retail), you already understand the customer’s problems.

Learning the sales process is often easier than learning an industry from scratch.

What is the most important skill for a new salesperson to learn?

The ability to ask high-quality, open-ended questions and genuinely listen to the client’s answers.

Instead of pitching features, great salespeople uncover the customer’s real problems before offering a solution.

You can’t offer the right solution until you fully understand the problem.

Join the Conversation

What is the biggest myth or piece of bad advice you were ever given when starting out in business or sales? Let me know in the comments below!

Coming Up in the Business After 60 Conversation Series

Week 1 – The Truth About Becoming a Great B2B Salesperson (this week’s article)

Week 2 – Preparation Before the First Meeting

Week 3 – Research That Wins Business & Finding the Decision Maker

Week 4 – Asking Better Questions & Building Trust

Week 5 – Presenting Value, Handling Objections & Closing Professionally

Week 6 – After the Sale: Building Customers for Life