Most Important Skills for an Account Executive at Route
Travis, an Account Executive at Route, highlights the importance of strong interpersonal skills and active listening, contrary to the stereotype of a "super crazy outgoing" salesperson. The job also demands excellent organizational skills to manage numerous accounts at varying stages, and the ability to self-motivate is crucial given the independent nature of the role, requiring "cold calling and cold emailing all day long."
Communication, Sales, Organization, Self-Motivation, Relationship Building
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Travis Robinson
Account Executive
Route
Brigham Young University- Idaho
n/a
Engineering - Mechanical
Technology
Sales and Client Management
Honors Student, Pell Grant Recipient
Video Highlights
1. Interpersonal and communication skills are crucial for building relationships with clients and closing deals, but this doesn’t necessarily mean being overly outgoing. Attentive listening is key.
2. Strong organizational skills are essential for managing multiple accounts at various stages of the sales process, requiring setting reminders and diligently following up.
3. Self-motivation is vital in sales, as many days involve self-directed work without direct supervision. The ability to initiate contact (cold calling, emailing) and stay productive independently is critical for success.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
I'd say those skills are probably the most important. Interpersonal skills are key, and obviously sales involves a lot of relationship building.
One thing I've learned in this job is that being able to build relationships or be a good salesperson doesn't necessarily mean you need to be super outgoing or the center of attention. A lot of people think sales reps are like that, the "jock" type.
But there are many great people and sales reps I work with who are quiet. When they talk with someone, they are attentive and good listeners.
Having good organizational skills is also important. You're constantly working with different accounts, and they're all in different stages of the sales process. Someone might say, "Reach out to me in six months." If you don't set a reminder, that could be a lost deal.
Or someone you've had multiple demos with, and it seems to be moving forward, suddenly ghosts you. You need to create follow-up tasks to keep emailing or calling them. So, staying organized with all the different accounts is really important.
Lastly, there's the desire or ability to motivate yourself. A double-edged sword of sales is that most days I come to work with nothing on my calendar. That might seem nice, but I need to make money and commissions.
If I have nothing scheduled, I'm cold calling and cold emailing all day, which can be tiring. So, being able to self-motivate and show up for a productive workday, even when no one is pushing you, is super important.