There is a common stereotype of a ‘bad’ salesperson and most people have experienced at least one in their life. Salespeople might be too pushy with little consideration for the customer, they may seem dishonest or transparent - even condescending.

But this is far from the reality of most professionals in sales. In many organisations, we find that sales teams are a driving force for revenue growth and success for the whole business.

They are the people who know the customers – who understand their struggles and priorities. Through this intel and a list of other soft skills, they bring a lot to the table. After all, if a business is not making any sales and maintaining customer relationships, then it can’t function.

Considering how vital these skills are – it’s surprising then that only 4 per cent of the FTSE 100 have CEOS with a background in sales, according to the latest research from Pipedrive’s Top 100 CEOs survey.

In spite of this, the survey also reveals that a background in sales prepares individuals for the challenge of running a business from the top. But what are these skills and why do so few salespeople take these to the C-suite?

From Sales Exec to CEO

To understand what skills may make salespeople an attractive option for the CEO role, let us look at the qualities of a good salesperson. Fundamentally, good salespeople understand that their job is to discover what their customer needs and demonstrate the value of a product or service to them.

In other words, these salespeople view themselves as problem-solving partners with the customer and their task is to find the right solution for their needs. This mindset has particular relevance and useful application in the CEO role.

For CEOs, an ability to understand the business from an outside, customer perspective is essential to managing from the top. Likewise, immersion in the sales function of a business builds a comprehensive understanding of the myriad functions of a business.

So what makes these qualities relevant now? Of course, COVID-19 is at the front of the public conscience and it is creating innumerable problems for businesses.

It shut down borders, forced schools and shops to close, and put an incredible strain upon every sector of the global economy.

According to Bloomberg Economics, the economic fallout will total $2.7 trillion in lost output - equivalent to the entire GDP of the U.K. In such a desperate situation, sales experience and strategy are proving crucial in enabling businesses to maintain revenue despite decreased consumer spending.

It takes good salespeople with a deep understanding of customer needs to make a sale in this climate. And this couldn’t be further from the stereotypical pushy salesperson.

Finding a Sales Role Model

To illustrate the value of sales experience, let us look at some famous examples. Perhaps the most famous is business magnate Richard Branson. Famous for his persistence and experimentality as an entrepreneur, Branson’s career had its beginnings with a failed attempt at growing and selling Christmas trees and budgerigars.

Following this, Branson moved into successful ventures with his magazine Student and the globally famous Virgin Records. His records venture was the first step in his business empire which led to the development of Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Trains, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Media and more.

What sets Branson apart as a salesperson is his attitude towards failure. Many of his ventures have not matched the success of Virgin records - such as Virgin Cola, Virgin Cars, or Virgin Publishing.

Of these failures, Branson has said: "I suppose the secret to bouncing back is not only to be unafraid of failures but to use them as motivational and learning tools...there's nothing wrong with making mistakes as long as you don't make the same ones over and over again."

So what can salespeople learn from this and how can they apply it to today’s sales climate? Branson’s approach does not encourage salespeople to take unnecessary risks – and during this economic uncertainty, it would be particularly unwise to.

Instead, it shows how salespeople need to rapidly adapt to their mistakes and take it in their stride. For instance, if your revised sales techniques during the COVID-19 pandemic aren’t seeing results, you shouldn’t be afraid to drop them and try something new.

Experimenting responsibly is a driver for success, especially when there hasn’t been a precedent set yet.

Seemingly, good salespeople have the qualities in them to become a good CEO. But whether or not they decide to use them to rise to the top of their respective companies, they will find that these skills set them apart from the stereotype of the ‘wheeler-dealer’.

While coronavirus has put a new pressure on the sales function to perform well, it also provides an opportunity for salespeople to put their skills to the test and really demonstrate their value to the rest of the business.

Raul Perdigão Silva is head of inside sales at Pipedrive.