|
5 Characteristics of Top Salespeople
Monday, July 9, 2012, 8:11 AM
[General]
Smart salespeople realise that what will de-rail their sale will often have nothing to do with them, their company, their product or their price - but with some other factor. I have lost sales to transfers, inter-departmental rivalry, divorce and long-standing personal vendettas.
Over the years, CEOs and Sales Managers have asked me what characteristics they should look for in identifying potential top-performing salespeople. Recent research has reinforced my views on the top five.
2. Happiness. Like psychologist Shawn Achor showed in his recent book The Happiness Advantage salespeople are not so much happy because they are successful as they are successful because they are happy. Makes sense, really,Cheap Green-Ellis Jersey, that happy people are nicer to be around and, so, you'd expect them to sell more. But, it's more than that. Top salespeople fundamental happiness gives them a 'high bounce factor' - they bounce back better after failure or rejection.
1. Visible Trustworthiness. Trust is top of mind for customers since the Global Financial Crisis exposed many top companies' ethics as seriously deficient. It's not good enough, however,Cheap Laurence Maroney Jersey, just to be trustworthy,Cheap Clinton Portis Jersey, you need to demonstrate it as part of your first impression. Steve W. Martin who teaches sales strategy at USC Marshall School of Business surveyed the personality traits of top performing salespeople and he found that 91% of top salespeople had medium to high scores in modesty and humility. And, remember, this is in America, which - unfairly or not - is credited with creating the egotistical, fast-talking, in-your-face salesperson.
5. Not as Friendly as Most. This is counter-intuitive, because you'd expect the friendliest salesperson would attract and retain the most customers; yet it makes sense when you realise what is every sales manager's constant burden: most salespeople would rather spend time with the clients they like rather than those with most potential. Steve W. Martin's research showed that top salespeople were, on average, less gregarious than the other salespeople. Of course they are friendly; but they don't fall into the trap that many salespeople do of trying to become the client's 'best friend' compromising their influence and leaving themselves to any manipulative clients.
3. Curiosity. Once a salesperson loses that, you know their best is behind them. Curiosity is what creates the contagious enthusiasm which can easily sour into toxic cynicism. Curiosity is what causes us to venture beyond the comfort zone. It is what allows us to see the bewildering array of new technology in products and ways of connecting with our clients as opportunities not threats. Curiosity keeps us young. Once you have lost your sense of wonder, you've lost the ability to 'wow' a customer.
The salesperson who is successful in the long term has rock-solid ethics which guide all their dealings. This gives them a reputation that creates genuine client loyalty and allows them to push the boundaries in a competitive world without ever crossing the line.
4. Strategic Thinking. Top salespeople saw beyond the features - even the benefits - and realised that there were more important factors likely to influence the sale. One of these was the systemic fit. Most people operate in a system that is so powerful that any new addition must fit into it. Now, this seems obvious in a business environment; but it's just as relevant in the persona sphere. Years ago, I used to train salespeople who sold up-market sound equipment. Mostly, this involved selling to a couple as it was a significant investment. When it came to the largest, most expensive part of the system - the speakers - the temptation for the salesperson was to talk (mostly to the male) about the quality of the sound. I advised against this suggesting that the effort should go into checking (generally with the female) that the speakers came in a finish that was compatible with the existing décor. No matter how good the speakers sounded, if they didn't fit into the home 'system' the purchase would never happen.
The author introduces:
24H JERSEYS is a privately owned sports goods company with a history of nearly 4 years.We have the professional factory behind us manufacturing all sports jerseys.Click here Read More
|
Recent Blog Posts |