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Being a great sales leader involves more than just the ability to sell. You also need to have a strong managing process and enjoy coaching others–something our latest podcast guest excels at. The first step to choosing a path for advancement is understanding what excites you and motivates you throughout the day. If you enjoy coaching other reps and picking apart the sales process more than closing deals, that’s a sign that leadership may be a good fit. Read the full article at: predictablerevenue.com
Good communication is crucial to sales success. Sounds obvious, right? You can’t make a sale unless you’ve demonstrated value to a prospect. You can’t do that unless you’ve understood their problems and devised a strategy to solve them. In turn, you can’t do that until you get your prospect to tell you what’s wrong. And so on, and so forth … So, communication is key. We wrote this guide to unpack why communication in sales is so important and explain 15 helpful skills to cultivate across your sales team. What's the importance of communication in sales? The root of sales success is the ability to gather and provide information in a way that makes your prospect want to do business with you. Your value proposition, your pricing, even your product’s features — none of that matters unless you’re able to get your prospects to talk to you and also listen to what you have to say. That means you have to be incredibly attuned to your buyer and understand what they mean when they tell you — or don't tell you — something. It also means that you can't just reel off a list of benefits or reasons to work together. You've got to understand how your prospects learn, what they care about, what communication style they prefer, and adapt your strategy accordingly. So, before you immerse yourself in buyer personas, case studies, and marketing collateral, work on these skills to ensure that when you’re talking to a prospect, you’re sending the right message. 1. Pay full attention. We’re all busier than ever before, and selling can be an especially pressure-filled career. So it’s understandable that during a client meeting, your mind could wander over to the demo you have to prepare for this afternoon, the prospecting you forgot to do, or the contract you’re waiting on to come in. Just because it’s understandable doesn’t make it acceptable. Showing up to a call isn’t just about physically being on the other end of the line. You have to dedicate 100% of your attention to each call, otherwise you’ll miss details and make your prospect repeat things they’ve already told you. It’ll be obvious when you’re not paying attention, and that’s no way to treat buyers. 2. Practice active listening. Not only do you have to listen, you have to listen actively, otherwise your conversation won’t really go anywhere. “Too often, salespeople are waiting for their turn to talk or thinking about what to say next, instead of truly listening to the prospect,” Databox CEO Peter Caputa says. Caputa uses the following four-step process: - Truly listen to the prospect.
- Feed back the content and feeling of the prospect’s words.
- Confirm you heard the prospect correctly.
- Ask a relevant follow up question to further clarify your understanding of their situation.
3. Read body language and control your own. The same sentence said by someone who’s smiling, looking directly into your eyes, and sitting up straight is received very differently when the speaker is looking away and slouching — even if they meant the same thing both times. That’s because while we can say pretty much anything we want, our body language often reveals our true intentions or meaning. Great communicators know how to read others’ body language so they can anticipate the direction a conversation’s heading, and also make sure their own body language isn’t sending out signals they don’t mean to broadcast. 4. Master the nuances of voice tone. Like body language, voice tone — your voice pitch, volume, speed, and even your word choice — affects how the words you’re actually saying are interpreted. And if you’re in inside sales, the only thing you have to make an impression is your voice. Listen to how your prospect speaks, then mirror their speaking patterns when it makes sense. While you probably shouldn’t imitate every slang word or lingo they use, slow down if they speak slowly — or speed things up if they talk rapidly. Match your level of formality and familiarity to your prospect as well. The key is to meet buyers on their turf — and that means speaking in a way they’re comfortable with. 5. Be empathetic. You don’t necessarily have to agree with everything your prospect is saying, but you should always at least try to see things from their point of view. And that means more than just saying, “Hmm, I see where you’re coming from.” The best sales reps are able to connect with their prospects because they actually understand the things their buyers do at work every day and the challenges they face. Not only does being empathetic make you more likable, it also increases your chances of closing a deal. When you can draw on your knowledge of your prospects’ actual day-to-day, you’re better equipped to understand what they care about, which makes it more likely you’ll be able to help them. 6. Understand what’s not being said. Prospects sometimes don’t tell the whole truth. And that’s okay, as long as you know how to spot when it’s happening. Is your prospect just evaluating your company because his boss told him to present three options? Is your prospect sold, but her manager, the economic buyer, isn’t? These are crucial things to know, and you can’t suss them out until you learn to read between the lines. 7. Speak in specifics. Great communicators are not persuasive because they speak in dramatic, sweeping rhetoric. They’re able to convince people because they can point to specific examples or anecdotes that support the point they’re trying to make — and in the case of salespeople, because they can demonstrate exactly how a product or feature will help their buyer. Be as specific as you can. And if you can throw in a catchy sound bite or two, by all means do it. Just don’t rely on quippy phrases to get a deal to the finish line. 8. Be a subject matter expert. Of course, you can’t be specific if you don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. If you sell to a specific industry, you should know that industries’ concerns, behaviors, and buying patterns down pat. If you sell to multiple industries, know your value prop as it relates to each cold and use customer references as backup. Prospects will never trust you if it doesn’t seem like you really understand your (or their) business, so become an expert in your relevant field. 9. Know what you don’t know. But being an expert doesn’t mean you know everything. Unless you’ve shadowed your buyer, you don’t know exactly what they do or every nuance of their business. So don’t act like you do. You should know enough to sketch out the outlines of their situation on your own, but you’ll always have to rely on your prospects to fill in the little details. Be aware of the gaps in your knowledge, then ask your prospect to help fill them in. They’ll appreciate your honesty about what you don’t know, and you’ll avoid losing deals because of false assumptions. 10. Be genuinely curious. The key to sales is asking good questions. And if you’re not actually curious about your prospect’s situation, it’ll be all too easy to slip into your elevator pitch before you’ve established whether any part of it is relevant to your buyer. Great communicators are naturally curious about their conversational counterparts, and that’s especially crucial in sales — ask questions first, then answer them later. 11. Assume good intent. Sometimes, prospects leave out important deals that can change the trajectory of a deal. Sometimes, they make a commitment before they've gotten approval from the necessary stakeholders. Sometimes, they lie on purpose. All of the above situations are frustrating — and some are certainly cause for annoyance. But it's often difficult to distinguish between situations where a buyer misled you on purpose and one where they made a genuine error. Jumping to conclusions about your prospect's intent will color the rest of your interactions in a negative light. Always assume good intent so you're not subconsciously treating your prospects with hostility. 12. Always be honest. Just because you're assuming good intent doesn't mean your prospect will, so always be upfront about the questions you can answer, the questions you can't, and the questions with answers your prospect might not necessarily like. Your prospects won't be forthright about their goals and areas for improvement unless they trust you. That means always being upfront when you don't know something so they believe what you're saying when youdo know the answer.
Whether you hear it’s an “employer’s market” or “job seeker’s market,” looking for a job is tough. After you find one that works for you, the application seems daunting. And then, if you get called for an interview, you get asked a whole bunch of questions that you never thought people would ask. But it’s ok – most of the top interview questions are ones you can prepare for ahead of time. And studies show that a little bit of preparation helps you get “PEI” (positive, interested, and engaged) in the interview, which increases your chances of getting the job. If you’ve got an interview coming up, or you want to apply for a new job, keep reading. We’ve tallied up the top interview questions you should prepare for when applying for a new job. Why are you leaving your previous job? When you’re applying for a job, you’re almost guaranteed doing it to leave a different job. There could be many reasons why you’re leaving, but that’s usually the case. Maybe you hated your old job and want to get out. Or maybe this new job is the perfect next step for you. Maybe it’s just about the money (which is totally fine). If you’re applying for your first job ever, this question may still come up in an interview. What the question REALLY means: When a recruiter asks you this question, they are trying to find any red flags. If you have a job and are already making money, why would you want to leave? There are many legitimate reasons, but also a few that the recruiter might be concerned about. For example, if you were asked to leave your current job for breaking the company’s code of conduct, the recruiter would be concerned about hiring you. They may also be looking to weed out candidates who they don’t think match the company’s core values. For example, if you are leaving your current job because you hate your boss giving you feedback, you may not fit at a company that has a culture of giving feedback. How to prepare for this question: Start by being very honest with yourself – why are you leaving? Whatever it is – money, friends, better work, better hours, better life, anything – be honest with yourself. It could be multiple reasons as well. Write them all down. The more honest you are with yourself in this step, the better. Don’t worry, though. You don’t have to show the real list to the recruiter. Once you know the real reasons why you’re leaving, frame the problem in a productive way. For example, if you want to leave your current job because your boss is a horrible person, that can be framed as you not feeling like your boss could support your career. It’s true – if your boss is horrible then they likely won’t support you – but you don’t have to say that you hated your old boss. This way you can be honest with the recruiter without setting off any red flags. Where does this job fit in your career path? Gone are the days where everyone only worked at one company for their whole career. Studies show that people now have over ten jobs throughout their working life. That means whatever job you’re applying for will likely not be your last job. There are even people working part-time in retirement. Recruiters know these facts, and also know that you’re probably not going to stay with them forever. So they want to know more about your motivations for applying – namely, how it fits in your career path. What the question REALLY means: When a recruiter asks this question, they are testing to see if you will quickly get bored and leave the company. They are trying to figure out if you will stay long enough for the company to get value from hiring you. If you want something the company can’t offer you, then chances are you won’t stay long. On the other hand, if you don’t have any goals then the company won’t have many ways to motivate you to work hard, which the recruiter will likely be concerned about.
Sales managers are some of the most valuable people in any business. Superstar sales managers contribute their unique skills to drive profits and take businesses to new heights. Ready to join the elite? Here’s a closer look at 17 essential sales skills that can help you become an amazing sales manager. 17 Sales Skills You Should Master Let’s jump right into the action, and check out the best skills for sales managers. This list will also show you how to sharpen them. 1. Recruit and train the right salespeople. The right salespeople can make or break a sales department. Master sales managers are able to spot and nurture the right sales talent. So they need to be able to enhance the performance of their department. But there are no easy tasks in sales. It’s a tough job that requires a blend of unique personality traits. So sales managers have to hone their people skills and spot these traits in people. How to find and hire the best salespeople You should try to develop close ties with HR, in order to develop a rigid recruitment funnel and sharpen your recruitment skills. It’s also important to learn to carefully consider your team and identify the profiles you need. To nurture your team, check out our list of the 30 best sales training courses. 2. Analyze the performance of your team. Sales is a field that’s driven by quantifiable statistics. The best sales managers can interpret the numbers to find out how their team is performing. To guide their decision-making, sales managers should look at the right statistics. For example, a sales manager might find that productivity is lower than expected, so he or she can make an effort to try to resolve the issue. How to analyze the performance of your sales team First and foremost, you should take stock of the tools you’re using. Can those tools give you the data you need? In order to find out, you should develop an understanding of a way to assess these numbers and respond appropriately. 3. Create and implement a sales strategy. Since sales managers have expert knowledge about their organizations, the rest of the team looks to them for a great sales strategy. The best sales managers are able to create clear, accurate plans that eliminate chaos and improve results. Sales managers should understand both sides of a sales strategy. On one hand, they should understand the purpose of the sales strategy. On the other hand, they should understand ways to create this strategy. How to improve your sales strategy Lots of resources out there can help you create a fantastic sales strategy. You should explore these resources and learn ways to package and present your strategy. This guide to building a sales strategy is a great place to start.
Emotional intelligence is a valuable skill in any career, but even more so in sales. - Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage and monitor your emotions, and influence and understand the emotions of others.
- Someone with high emotional intelligence does not allow their emotions to dictate their decisions or actions; instead, they recognize when it's time to reign in their potentially damaging emotions.
- Developing emotional intelligence skills can have a positive effect on your career, your personal relationships and your overall health.
There are many skills required to be a good salesperson. Confidence, motivation, passion and drive are all important, but perhaps the most important skill of all is emotional intelligence. What is emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence is the capacity to express and control emotions and to read the emotions of others and respond empathetically. The skill is becoming increasingly valued in the workplace as people become better educated about the importance of managing workplace stress and creating an environment that promotes mental health at work. Mental Health America has identified emotional intelligence as one of the key factors in cultivating a mentally healthy workplace. People with a high level of emotional intelligence are often referred to as having a high emotional quotient (EQ). Why emotional intelligence matters in the sales industry Emotional intelligence is a valuable skill to have in any career but even more so in the sales industry. In a job that requires the ability to break down barriers with total strangers, overcome objections, build relationships and make connections, it's easy to see why the ability to control emotions and respond appropriately is important. Overcoming objections Emotional intelligence can be a real asset when handling objections. Each potential customer will have a unique set of needs as well as their own concerns in the early stages of the sales funnel. Empathizing with customers about their concerns and understanding their point of view can make it easier to address their concerns. Sales objections aren't a bad thing. They present opportunities. A question or objection is a crystal clear insight into a pain point you can solve. Smart, positive salespeople can turn objections into sales by preparing a proactive plan to overcome the most common sales objections. Handling rejection Rejection is an inevitable part of working in sales, but that doesn't make it easy. Salespeople with high EQ understand that a "no" isn't a rejection of them personally but of what they do. Emotionally intelligent people are less likely to become stressed or upset by repeated rejections – they are more likely to see it as an opportunity to improve their technique. Building rapport In sales, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to building rapport with potential new leads. It takes an emotionally intelligent person to read the signals the individual is giving and adapt their pitch accordingly. If the lead seems open and chatty, the salesperson can go with a more informal approach – if the customer prefers to be addressed by their title, then a more respectful and formal tone should be used.
Vegetarian salespeople are under the delusion that prospects will call them. Instead of interrupting prospects they wait to be interrupted.
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Sales professionals are approaching the coming year with a sense of guarded optimism because the next months are an opportunity to return to normalcy. As a result, more sales teams are gaining the confidence to finally start making long-term plans again. For most, these plans include developing new selling skills to capitalizing on a global recovery. As the recovery takes shape, selling organizations will need to become: - More agile to track changing customer needs
- More influential to guide the customer’s thinking
- More adept in virtual outreach
These three skills will be critical for success in the environment that awaits in 2021. Customers change direction faster than ever, more factors shape their thinking, and their expectations for streamlined virtual engagement are high.
Read the full article at: www.richardson.com
How many times has this happened to you? You firmly decide what you’re going to do — whether it’s going on a diet, calling that referral, or refraining from drinking that third glass of wine. But then you end up doing exactly the opposite. Binge watching “Orange Is the New Black,” eating Oreos, tracking long-lost friends on Facebook, or toasting for the third time, because after all, it is hump day! Well, you’re not alone. Yes, issues of procrastination and willpower come into play, but stunning new research reveals a deeper reason why this knowing and doing gap takes place. Tackle your tendencies. Neuroscientists have discovered a part of the brain they call the default mode network. This network becomes hyperactive when we’re in what’s known as a resting state. (This is actually a good thing after work, during a break, or on weekends, because this downtime refreshes the brain.) Like other animals, humans fall into default modes when performing difficult or even life-preserving tasks. Think of these default modes as the path of least resistance — doing whatever takes the least amount of work or mental energy. I first heard the term default mode in my Anusara yoga class. My instructor told the students that everyone has certain tendencies. We default to these tendencies when we aren’t hyperfocused. Why? Because they’re easier. Our bodies naturally default to the easiest positions. We slouch our shoulders, or hang our head, or forget to breathe properly. When we’re not really paying attention, we tend to slide into default mode. Over time, in the workplace, these tendencies can lead to dramatic underperformance. We all have default tendencies to overcome. These are the repetitive or destructive — and usually unconscious — behaviors that can keep you from making a sale. Sometimes, when you’re tired or distracted, they’re more pronounced, but default mode takes over for several other reasons. I use the acronym HELL to sum them up: Have you fallen into sales HELL? H = Habits E = Ego L = Lack of knowledge L = Laziness Habits: Many sales veterans are guilty of this. You’ve been doing something wrong for so long, you can’t see how it wreaks havoc on your performance. The good news is that bad habits can be changed — if we’re aware of them. If we’re disciplined about replacing old behaviors with new ones, we can change what we do and, ultimately, who we become. Ego: According to research conducted by David Mayer and Herbert M. Greenberg, good salespeople have a need to conquer. This particular type of ego drive gives us the ability to claim greatness, to say, “I’m going to be number one, get promoted to CEO one day, and buy an island.” Bad ego, on the other hand, causes us to play the blame game and abdicate responsibility for a lost sale. Lack of knowledge: This might be the most common reason newer salespeople default to their negative tendencies: They simply don’t know any better. Perhaps they haven’t learned the steps of their sales process, or haven’t mastered their product knowledge, or don’t have enough experience overcoming and isolating common objections. Is a lack of product or market knowledge the fault of the manager or the salesperson? If you’re not getting enough information from your manager, take responsibility. Ask questions. Seek out information from other sources. Refuse to become complacent. Laziness: When I speak of laziness, I don’t mean we’d rather be lying on a deck chair drinking a margarita (although we might) or watching reruns of “Leave It to Beaver” and “My Three Sons.” I’m referring to the lazy moments when we aren’t purposefully engaged. We just go through the motions: We skip steps of our sales presentation, we fail to prepare, or worse, we shortcut our discovery and engage in premature demonstration syndrome. If you’ve ever found yourself in sales HELL, congratulations. You’re human. Falling into default mode behaviors is a natural part of being alive, and it’s probably impossible to ever completely eliminate these tendencies. So how do we climb out of sales HELL? So how do we climb out of sales HELL? 1. Solicit feedback: Whether you’re a skier, author, or parent, research shows that positive, immediate, and constructive feedback will help you understand what you’re doing well and what you’re doing poorly so you can practice, repeat, and master your best behavior. Otherwise, you’re just grooving bad habits deeper into your brain until you can do a terrible job without even having to think about it. 2. Take responsibility: No matter where you sit in an organization, blaming others is always a bad idea. Not simply because it alienates people or because it’s lazy or because it robs you of respect. There’s a deeper reason — one that won’t just cause short-term problems but will destroy your chance at long-term growth. You can start to take more responsibility immediately by changing your self-talk and the questions you ask yourself. Consider the following alternatives to some old standby excuses: - “They didn’t have the budget.” Instead, think about where you could have improved. For example, “I didn’t show them the value. Did I find a problem? Was it big enough?”
- “They’re indecisive.” Maybe, but what could you have done differently? “I didn’t make a connection with all of the stakeholders. What else could I have done to build trust?”
- “Someone gave them a better deal.” Instead of blaming your competitors, keep your focus on you. “I didn’t differentiate our offering. How could I have asked better questions? What are the powerful statements I could have used to better differentiate my offer?”
3. Identify your most common default behaviors. So, be brutally honest with yourself. What are your default mode behaviors? Write them down. Here’s a short list to get your brain going: - Hearing a customer problem and immediately trying to solve it rather than uncovering why it’s a problem
- Giving the customer way too much information
- Selling features that aren’t important to the customer
- Talking too much during the discovery or closing process
- Not involving all of the decision makers
- Making your offer sound too good to be true
- Exaggerating product benefits … just this once
- Telling the customer how your product works instead of sharing with them how they’ll feel when they use, own, or engage with your product
- Not preparing ahead of time and just sort of winging it
- Telling the customer that their existing choices, partners, or way of doing something are all wrong, just so your solution sounds superior
- Telling the same tired sales stories
- Looking for what’s wrong with your customers instead of focusing on what’s right
- Asking questions on autopilot instead of generating genuine curiosity
All salespeople are driven to succeed. We want the best for our children, security, significance, and the keys to a bungalow on a faraway island. But remember, earning a slice of heaven starts with climbing out of sales HELL.
As your company grows, you will inevitably need to add sales people to your team. You'll create the job ad, get tons of applications, screen lots of resumes, and start interviewing. But now, the big question is, "what are you looking for in a sales candidate?" There are a multitude of attributes that may be leading indicators to success in sales. Sales leaders will have differing opinions on what those may be but there is one simple rule that you should always follow when hiring. Hire for skills that you can't teach or coach. The theory behind this is pretty simple. If you hire for innate traits that can't be easily taught, then you can round out the skills of the "ideal candidate profile" with trained attributes like industry experience, CRM experience, etc. If you don't plan on making a commitment to train and grow your new hires, then look for trainable skills that a candidate already has. Too often recruiters look for these trainable skills as more valuable than innate skills. Here are 6 sales skills that you can't coach or train. Curiosity - If a candidate is not naturally curious, it is nearly impossible to teach. This is actually fairly easy to identify in an interview. A curious candidate will ask lots of questions. They will ask follow up questions. They will make assumptions and ask if they were correct. Integrity - This is the idea that a person does what they say they will do. I think it's obvious why it's is important in sales but it can be difficult to uncover in an interview. For me, this can be more of a gut feeling. Does it feel like the candidate is being genuine and honest? or does it feel like they are putting on a show to try to get a job? You can also get some insights into integrity from the candidates behavior before and after the interview. Do they show up on time, do they cancel last minute, do they follow up, etc. Humility - This probably isn't a characteristic you typically think about when you think "sales person" but here is why its extremely important. If a sales person tells you they always crush their quota, they never miss a deadline, they always close the deal, etc. then they are not being truthful. If they can't be truthful about these things then they won't be truthful to your customers. Being able to deal with success and failure with humility is key. Humility is also a key indicator of whether or not someone is coachable, and that is one of the most important things to long term success in sales. Emotional Awareness - Being able to read a room in a sales situation is huge. It's even more important for inside sales reps because you don't get the benefit of picking up on visual queues. It's really difficult to teach emotional awareness. Obviously, there are actual assessments for EQ that you can use but if you don't have access to one, you can get some info from an interview. Do they make eye contact? Does the conversation flow nicely? Do they curse, and how did you feel about it?
Recently, I was speaking with a group of students at Columbia University. One brilliant student asked a simple question: “What are the most important skills for anyone to learn to have a great career in 2020 and onward?” I struggled for a short while and then summarized them as selling, building and financing. Let's take a look at each of these skills and break down the best ways to bolster them in the coming months -- and years. Selling Whether you are new to the job market, in the middle of your career or working as a CEO, you must learn to sell. You are always selling to your boss, your customers, your peers and even your team. If you want any growth in any career, you have no choice but to learn to sell. This can be digital marketing or 100 other subsectors of digital marketing. Lots of technology folks tend to believe that there is no need to learn sales skills. There's this myth that conjures the illusion of a geeky Silicon Valley coder conquering the world with just their coding skills. The truth is, even they will have to sell to customers to investors. Any professional can start learning sales skills easily. Unknowingly, we are always selling. It can be our ideas, our demands or just our day-to-day negotiations with family members, friends or colleagues. Start by becoming aware that your everyday transactions are also sales processes. From there, the best thing to learn is the AIDA model. The acronym stands for attention, interest, desire, and action. With this simple approach, you can learn the fundamentals of selling and boost your career opportunities. This is especially useful for those who want to negotiate their salaries. Asking for higher compensation is also a sales skill. Building The careers of the future will be fraught with a tsunami of automation. If you are not excellent at building something, either a product or service, your career options will be very limited. So, learn to code or to design a product, or learn engineering to make something. The more you know about the product or service of your company, the better. There are some instances where it's argued one may need to be a generalist instead of a specialist. But in reality, every field needs an expert. As we progress deeper into the perfect storm of outsourcing, automation and the gig economy, the need for super specialists will become apparent. All professionals must have some knowledge of what their company is building. Many times, people who have worked in companies for a number of years will not even be aware of their own companies’ products. Professionals need to learn and get their hands dirty. If your employer is a financial services company, you may want to learn about how derivatives work or how bonds are written. If you work for a software company, you should learn the basics of the latest technologies your company is adapting. The easiest way to get on this bandwagon is to recruit reverse mentors. This is very important for midlevel and senior professionals, who can recruit college students or newly employed professionals as reverse mentors. These younger people can bring you up to speed in the latest and greatest. Remember, knowledge can come from anywhere. The younger the reverse mentor, the more you tend to learn.
How do you rank above your competition if you have the same education, willingness, and resources provided to you as every other sales representative applicant? - The personality traits of top salespeople may have a significant impact on their success.
- Personality traits among salespeople, such as being trustworthy, friendly, and modest, may be the complete opposite of the traditional way others often view salespeople, which is pushy and arrogant.
- The Myers-Briggs Personality test may be able to predict which salespeople have the personality traits necessary for becoming top salespeople.
How do you rank above your competition if you have the same education, willingness and resources provided to you as other applicants? The answer is simple: your personality. There are specific characteristics and personal traits that sales directors consider when hiring their next sales representative. Although many entry-level sales employees learn most of their techniques from their authorities, the most successful ones are those with the natural skill to sell a product, idea or even lifestyle. Steve W. Martin, a professor at the University of Southern California, did an in-depth study of over 1,000 salespeople and their most successful personality traits. He came up with seven identifying characteristics that separated the elite sales professionals from their average or subpar team members. Achievers who are extremely competitive, modest and able to take rejection are more likely to be successful in the sales industry. In the world of highly competitive online marketing agencies, a person with these sales traits fuels the excitement behind past, present, and future projects. The top traits of a sales representative Trust and transparency The No. 1 one trait buyers are looking for in sales representatives is the ability to trust that their offers are true to their meaning, not exaggerated or hopeful insights. The more honest a salesperson is with their buyer about options and opportunities, the more likely a potential buyer will turn into a recurring client and a great referral. Friendliness Relationship-building is a required trait, too, but if a salesperson values the relationship more than the business efforts, it can become difficult to speak frankly with their client. In order to keep a business mentality, top salespeople refrain from making close relationships. Achievement orientation Success comes from carefully choosing the most promising person to accept your pitch and making the product or service relative to the company as a whole, instead of focusing on the actual function. High emotional intelligence Top salespeople are able to predict what the buyer may ultimately want and influence their thought process to fit the needs of both the customer and the company. Knowing the way certain kinds of people behave or respond to situations allows a salesperson to direct the outcome. Resilient and optimistic Possibly a more obvious trait is the ability to keep your head up after rejection. Top salespeople are extremely competitive and do not let losses affect their next sales approach.
From now until the end of the year it is a challenge to get prospects to make buying decisions. Savvy sales pros, though, are engaging businesses that are sitting on piles of cash and demonstrating how smart buying decisions now can add value to the business while reducing their overall tax burden.
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