9 traits of great sales people

Top sales people share 9 traits. Waiting for customers to show up isn’t one of them. Image: City of Boston Archives http://www.flickr.com/photos/cityofbostonarchives/

Have you ever wondered why some sales people seem to effortlessly outperform their peers month-in-month-out?

Well, research conducted on sales people from a group of mid-sized companies in the US has found that top sales people shared the following nine traits.

1. They see themselves as equals with their customers. Their role is to solve the customer’s problem. They show them respect, but never deference.
2. They’re comfortable talking about money. For them, money is an expression of value, not something that’s out of their control.
3. They’re comfortable with silence and use it as a way to allow the customer time to process information and seek clarification. Silence is as much an expression of their confidence as what they say.
4. They challenge the decision maker if they make a material mis-statement of fact. That takes faith and confidence in their product and their research.
5. They’re well prepared. They turn up with a pre-agreed agenda, with the necessary research at hand, and well rehearsed presentation.
6. They don’t rush. They move slowly and deliberately.
7. They ask great questions. These questions are primarily focussed on what something means rather than what it is.
8. The follow up really well.
9. They’re good at all the above, not just their favourite. In other words they work constantly on improving themselves.