As “doer-sellers,” professional services partners are responsible for not just delivering services but also the entire business-development process. As “rainmakers,” they must build awareness of their expertise in the market to generate demand, identify and close new client business, deliver the work to the client, and then renew and expand the relationship over time.

But there is a growing problem with this long-standing practice: Clients are much less loyal to firms and partners than they once were. Competition for business among professional services firms is intensifying, which has cast in sharp relief the troubling gap in the ability of high performers and core performers to bring in work.

Generative AI is like a magic trick. Applied to the right use cases, used with the right intent and the right guardrails, it yields amazing results. AI can shorten the playing field and accelerate all types of work. Rarely can generative AI score the touchdown…complete a somewhat difficult function.

In the evolving world of B2B sales, success is often a game of inches, with wins against competitors by the smallest of margins. Customers are overloaded with choices and information and decisions are stalling out at alarming rates, with more than half of deals being lost to no decision. Today's sales professionals must possess a repertoire of fundamental skills to stand out against competitors and win more often. With that in mind, here are 5 base-level skills every salesperson should master.