Do You Have These 4 Characteristics Of A Great Salesperson?
There comes a time in every consultant’s life when for some unknown reason they feel the need to document their thoughts on the defining characteristics of successful sales people. Well, now it’s my time.
Of course, this is a very risky proposition. Inevitably, we all see the world through our own biases and prejudices. No individual’s personal view on the characteristics of great salespeople (or great anything) can ever really compare with a more rigorous, scientific study. But often, it’s the insights from the experience of individuals that informs and triggers the studies and eventually leads to firmer, more evidence-based conclusions.
I’ve been lucky enough to work with hundreds of salespeople from over 20 different countries – so at least my own personal, biased thoughts are based on a reasonably large and diverse sample.
So here is my list of the top 4 characteristics of great salespeople.
1. Passion. It’s almost impossible to successfully sell a product or service you don’t really believe in and that you’re not really passionate about.
Sometimes people joke that “if you can fake sincerity, you’ve got it made”. But my experience has been that customers can easily spot this. It’s impossible to fake real passion. You either need to find passion for your products and services, or find other products and services to sell.
2. Likeability. If your customer don’t like you, the conversation very rarely gets any further. It’s the starting point for trust and relationship building.
Of course, it is possible to tryst someone without liking them. But it’s rare.
3. Resilience. Pretty much the only thing that can be guaranteed in sales is that you will face rejection. And often. Successful sellers just can’t afford to need everyone to love them. They need a think skin.
4. Willingness and Energy to Learn. A salesperson who starts out with limited skills, but a real passion for learning and self improvement will soon overtake the skills of one who rests on their laurels. Especially with the huge changes in technology and the different ways of interacting with customers today.
So that’s my little shortlist. Passion, likeability, resilience and continuous learning. If you’ve got a good measure of each of these, you’ll be a great success in sales.
Ian Brodie helps professional service firms to get better at selling their services. To get a free copy of Ian’s ebook on how to get more referrals, sign up to his newsletter on how to get more clients.
