Blog

What Makes an Excellent Salesperson

What Makes an Excellent Salesperson

A sales benchmarking research revealed that a salesperson’s caliber in a B2B environment is the most crucial factor in a prospect’s purchasing decision. Aside from this, 80% of the revenues come from 20% of the sales force in most organizations. This means two things: hiring effective salespeople is a random event as effective as tossing a coin, and organizations should invest time and effort in selecting the best salesperson. These factors will drive more revenue.

Sales is more than just calling random numbers on the phone. It's not comparable to forcing uninterested people to buy either. It’s also not something you do to cajole a person. Instead, it's a collaborative process involving the salesperson and the prospective customer. If the former can persuade the latter to act positively, that’s a win for the business. Excellent skills in sales can generate more income for the company. It can also deliver a superior customer experience.

While some argue that sales is an innate talent, others believe it’s a skill one can nurture. Regardless of your belief, this fact remains — if you want to outsell your competitors, you need the best salespeople. If you want to be hired in sales, you need to shape up. So what makes an individual an excellent salesperson?

Here’s a list of the essential qualities pointed out by different sales experts.

They can empathize

This may sound obvious. But the reason for the high turnover rate among U.S. insurance agents is their failure to sell successfully. An article published in the Harvard Business Review gave insight into this matter. The study highlighted that a high number of those in the selling profession could not sell. They added that if businesses want to maximize sales efficiency and stop wasting workforce and money, they must understand what selling is. Only then can one market profitably.

At the core of one’s ability to sell is the ability to empathize. Empathy is putting oneself in the situation of another. In sales, this means understanding the customer’s needs and motivations. It also means persuading them to buy your product. When you’re empathetic, it doesn’t follow that you also have to sympathize. You can understand a person’s circumstances without agreeing with them.

An excellent salesperson can sell well. They do this through their irreplaceable ability to gather customer feedback through empathy. You can’t just aim at your target without ensuring that they’ll respond as predicted. With empathy, you get to understand your prospect, gain their trust, and close the deal.

A great salesperson senses what their customers are feeling. Because of this, they can change the pace and retrace their steps. They can also make creative modifications to meet the buyer’s needs and seal the transaction.

They have a strong ego drive

Apart from empathy, a great salesperson should have the burning desire to conquer. They need to have that specific ego drive that makes them need and want to close the sale. This drive is more personal than the money they can gain from the transaction. This kind of motivation fuels their desire to deliver. For them, the closed deal is their conquest. It provides a compelling means of boosting their ego.

With every conquest, their self-image dramatically improves. But this image diminishes with their failure to close the deal. Someone with a strong desire for conquest considers failure as their trigger. It moves them to exert tremendous efforts. It doesn’t weaken or shatter their spirit. Instead, it pushes them to do more.

Empathy and the intense drive allow the salesman to effectively home in on their target. These also help them sell out. The drive pushes them to make a sale. Empathy enables them to connect with the people who can help them reach their goals.

They’re confident

Confidence is a sales currency. An excellent salesperson like Closify have should come off as informative, in complete control, and confident. They need to be firm and poised when facing their customers. They remain this way despite their insecurity. In the end, it all boils down to how you hold yourself before your prospects.

Presenting yourself as someone confident is helpful. It can add security and trust to your sales pitch. Apart from your body language and tone, your word choices also impact your message. HubSpot tagged a few words as confident statements: absolutely, certainly, and definitely. Use them more often instead of the weak “maybe.”

When you’re confident, people will not only trust you. They will also follow you. Selling them a product, idea, or service would be a breeze.

Bottom Line

If you’re a business owner looking for excellent salespeople, keep these traits in mind as you interview and hire. It will help you improve your workforce and business bottom line. This will also help you save resources spent on employee acquisition.

But, if you’re someone looking for a career in sales, make these traits your own. With these characteristics, you can add value to your future clients as you climb higher on the corporate ladder.

Blog Categories

nordvpn

Recent Posts

flippa
Search Site
© 2012-2023 Mike Gingerich Global, LLC    Contact   -   Privacy
magnifier linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram