25 Traits of

SUCCESSFUL

Creating exceptional results through people.

SALESPEOPLE

Traits of Successful Salespeople

Produced by Leadership Management Australasia

These 25 Traits of Successful Salespeople have been sourced from over 45 years of LMA teachings, development and research.

INTRODUCTIONWhat separates successful salespeople from everyone else? Is it their people skills? Their determination? Or is it a special combination of a range of skills and attitudes that allows some salespeople to rise above the rest?

Leadership Management Australia (LMA) has been at the forefront of people development for over four decades, in that time we have spotted some key qualities that successful salespeople share. Our clients from both large and small organisations continue to find immense value in the sales development we provide, including the revelation of the traits that make successful salespeople.

The 25 qualities highlighted in this eBook range from professional skills such as persistence and time management, through to the way successful salespeople are with people, from their staff and colleagues through to clients. The qualities elaborated on in this eBook are all layers that go into making the best salespeople the ones at the top of their game. A winning frame of mind, determination to get the very best result and a projection of self-belief to take on any situation are just some of the traits that LMA has determined to be the ones that make the difference between a competent salesperson and a dynamite one.

Throughout this eBook there are numerous other insights from LMA clients, past participants and managers who have invested time and resources in the development of their salespeople and have reaped the benefits from doing so.

We hope that you find value in the insights and information throughout this eBook. If you have any questions or require any further information then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,

Grant SextonFounder & Executive ChairmanLeadership Management Australia / Leadership Management Australasia

www.lma.bizinfo@lma.bizTel (Aust) +61 3 9822 1301 or 1800 333 270Tel (NZ) 0800 333 270

Produced by Leadership Management Australasia

1. They are passionate about what they do

The best salespeople will have a deep belief and solid dedication to what they do and sell.

PASSION

Passion may be the most underrated and underutilised sales tool in one’s arsenal. Hard to teach and even harder to fake, passion is displayed in people who genuinely care and are willing to take the extra time to best serve their customers.

Salespeople who are passionate will have something about them that the less passionate competitors don’t. There will be an undeniable thread of connection between salesperson and customer that goes beyond the product or the service: there will be a relationship built on honesty and understanding.

They understand the importance of sales to all industries Successful salespeople value their profession and understand the importance of the role they play in their industry.

VALUE PROFESSION2.

Attributed to a variety of high ranking business people, this quote underlines the fact that everybody from CEOs through to Receptionists can stay at home until somebody makes a sale.

Selling truly is a profession. All dedicated salespeople understand the reality that all industries and professions revolve around the success and importance of sales.

Great salespeople understand that their daily work is absolutely essential to the continuance of the organisation and the careers of those around them.

It is a vital and demanding position, and the best salespeople remind themselves of this each and every day.

There is an old quote that states ‘Nothing happens until someone sells something.’

Pro�tValue

They are always looking to improve and grow

3.SELF IMPROVEMENT

The most successful salespeople are never satisfied to rest on their laurels for long. They take every opportunity to improve their performance and learn new skills, develop their knowledge and grow their potential.

To keep ahead of the game successful salespeople know that they need to continually invest in their education and training.

The best salespeople will understand that growth doesn’t just come from the very next sale, it is dependent on the sale many months down the track. It is about consistency and commitment to getting things done every day. Growing is a continuous process, not just a one-off event.

IMPROVEMENT

They are goal directedThe nature of sales is that it offers the excitement of facing and winning challenges on a regular basis. It gives the salespeople the opportunity to solve problems, overcome obstacles and develop new skills.

The experience of being in sales demands SMART goal setting in order to aim higher and achieve more.

More than any other profession, salespeople have the opportunity to set a variety of goals for their own performance. By being goal directed, the most successful salespeople are able to see their progression as a journey outlined by clear milestones and accompishments along the way.

GOAL FOCUSED4.Successful salespeople set goals for their daily, weekly and monthly activities. They are constantly thinking of ways to reach more in their profession and in their life.

S.M.A.R.T.

PECIFIC

EASURABLE

TTAINABLE

ELEVANT

ANGIBLE

They are remarkably self-motivated

Motivation is the inner drive that impels or incites an individual forward. For

salespeople, being self-motivated is essential to be successful in the role.

5.MOTIVATED

Great salespeople do not wait for someone else to point them in the right direction of a great prospect – they are already chasing it and

working tirelessly to get it across the line.

Self-motivation comes from a place of internal recognition of one’s own personal power. It is not a mystical force nor a gift imparted onto certain

people and not others. It is the gift that the great salesperson gives to themselves over time in the form of clear goal setting, followed up by

actionable steps and the recognition of successes.

SALES GOAL

They have a very strong work ethic‘Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them and the day will come when you will be able to do the things you want to when you want to do them.’ Zig Zigler

WORK ETHIC

6.

Zig Zigler, one of the most famous salespeople in American history, was renowned for his work ethic and motivational approach to life. Zigler’s philosophy had a strong focus on self-discipline.

Great salespeople possess an innate understanding of Zigler’s philosophy concerning internal discipline. They are tremendously dedicated to their work and are not easily swayed from their tasks or goals.

They are masters at organising, planning and prioritising and have a ‘do it now’ mentality. They work consistently towards their important High Payoff Activities.

Their work ethic comes from within, not from others or from management. They are masters of their own destiny.

PERSISTENCE

If a salesperson’s set of goals includes sales success in any way, then they must learn to be persistent.

They are persistent7.

A successful salesperson will understand that most prospects will require more than one isolated moment of contact to close a

sale. Knowing this, they go into each interaction with a plan to be persistent in order to achieve their goal of a closed sale.

They will concentrate their attention on the priorities they have set for themselves for each interaction with the prospect and will stick

to these in order to achieve their goal.

Achieving sales success takes nothing less than absolute drive, commitment and motivation. Persistence with purpose and

direction leads to the highest rate of success for great salespeople.

They are good communicators

Successful salespeople are aware that in order to secure a sale, they need to be able to communicate to the customer exactly what they can offer.

GOOD COMMUNICATION

8.

They are excellent at asking the right questions and use empathy to communicate most effectively.

The best salespeople also understand that a key part of selling often has nothing to do with talking. Sometimes, it is all about listening. As sales superstar Roy Bartell highlights; ‘Most people think “selling” is the same as “talking”. But the most effective salespeople know that listening is the most important part of their job.’

POSITIVE THINKING9.

The attitude with which a salesperson approaches a situation will greatly affect the end result.

They are positive and think ‘Above the Line’

A successful salesperson will walk into each opportunity seeing the glass as half full. A positive attitude ensures that they are always thinking about

what can be done instead of what cannot be done.

The most successful salespeople are always thinking ‘Above the Line’. They consistently take responsibility for their actions and for their

successes. They know that they have the power to set the scene in a sales situation, namely that they have the power to influence how an

interaction will play out.

ENTHUSIASTIC10.An extremely important trait of successful salespeople is their enthusiasm for what they are selling and for their customers.

They are eager and enthusiastic but not overly pushy

Enthusiasm is alluring and captivates the minds of those around us. Salespeople understand how to convey their enthusiasm to their customers in a way that seems natural and engaging.

The top salespeople understand that with each sale they are performing a role. Part of this role is balancing that fine line between enthusiasm and over-zealousness. Step over that line and the customer will interpret it as phony and overly pushy. Don’t give enough and you will not be taken seriously enough or your attitude will be interpreted as uninterested.

It takes practice to make any performance perfect, the same thing goes for sales. The best salespeople keep practising and learning from each interaction to find the perfect sweet spot between eager and over the top.

TIME MANAGEMENT

11.They use the time they

have effectively‘You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.’ Charles Robert Buxton.

A successful philanthropist and member of British Parliament, Buxton knew what it was to be short of time. Buxton also knew that to make real changes happen, one had to become a master of time management.

In the day-to-day happenings in their job, a salesperson will be consistently challenged by a string of demands from leads, converted sales and resales. To achieve at their highest, successful salespeople need to be able to work at a high level regardless of the demands on their limited time. Great salespeople will work to improve their effective use of time with the same dedication as they give to each of their sales efforts.

CONFIDENCE12.They have a strong self-image and are confidentSales, more so than many other professions, requires an unyielding sense of self-confidence. The very nature of the role revolves around successes and setbacks.

The difference between a successful salesperson and an average salesperson often comes down to the ability to overcome moments of fear in favour of moments of growth through confrontation of that fear. Veteran salespeople will still be able to recall some of their first moments in the sales arena. Why? Because it is a confronting and often fear inducing moment!

However, they have survived and thrived because they have been able to overcome the natural flight response when faced with an intimidating situation. Ultimately, a successful salesperson will understand that each knock back is a step in a direction leading to the next sale.

13.SELF AWARENESS

They understand their strengths and weaknesses

Successful salespeople are very self-aware. They are aware of their body language, the effect of their words on others and

the effect of different sales pitches on different prospects.

Underlying all of this, they are aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, particularly in a high pressure situation such as sales.

The best salespeople will rely heavily on their strengths whether it be their ability to speak eloquently, interpret a social situation or transform

an unresponsive prospect into a long-time client.

Similarly, the most successful salespeople will be acutely aware of where they need to improve. An understanding of both of these

personality attributes in a salesperson will reveal what skills they can bring that is unique to the role.

STRENGTHS

INTUITION14.They are intuitiveA successful salesperson will often give the impression that they have an almost sixth sense that allows them to determine opportunity and potential where others do not.

In reality, a great salesperson has honed their ability to know what opportunities to pounce on, and how. The accuracy of the salesperson’s intuition allowed them to make a snap decision and follow it through. Where did this sense of intuition come from?

While a portion of people will have an innate ability to determine a great opportunity, often these snap judgements will come down to experience. Great salespeople have allowed themselves time to build up experience and learn to train themselves to listen to that inner voice that will tell them to go for it when the opportunity presents itself.

15.INITIATIVE

They act with initiativeWhile intuition is important, a great salesperson will also

understand that impulsive thinking needs to be backed up by initiative.

As far as sales goes, taking initiative means being proactive as opposed to reactive. Instead of waiting for someone else to make decisions and create opportunities for them, great salespeople are in the business of

making things happen for themselves.

This type of initiative can come in many forms including planning, goal setting and following up on opportunities. But no matter what the

proactive action is, it really it comes down to self-discipline.

Great salespeople will be decisive, self-directed and will take responsibility. Adopt these proactive thinking mindsets and act with the

upmost professionalism demanded of the best salespeople.

16. ADAPTIVE

Successful salespeople are highly socially aware. They are able to navigate complex situations for the benefit of themselves and their client.

They are adaptive

Today’s modern customer can be very demanding and more risk adverse than customers from a few years ago. With decisions being made on an individual performance basis, different customers will be looking for varying demonstrations of what makes the product or service the right fit for them or their organisation.

The best salespeople will understand this complex buying process, and that no two people will think exactly the same when it comes to a sales situation.

They are able to apply this heightened self-awareness to satisfy a great many types of situations, customers and prospects.

DETAILS/BIG PICTURE

17.They see the details along with the bigger picture

‘Think small to grow big. Keep your eye on the bigger picture, but don’t slip on attention to detail.’

Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder

A successful salesperson is particular about the details (numbers, appointments, follow-ups).

They will know exactly when their next meeting is, exactly what they have to achieve in it and details about the client that

can push their pitch over the line.

At the same time, a great salesperson understands how their actions have the ability to positively or negatively

affect the entire organisation.

They will be aware of the big changes happening in their organisation and will be thinking ahead about how to help these

along with their own actions and initiatives.

COMMITTED18.They commit and over deliverThere’s an old sales mantra that says ‘under commit and over deliver’. While it is a useful tactic for some sales situations, a more effective and client-focused mantra would be ‘over commit and over deliver’.

In a more technically savvy market, the need to reach for extraordinary service and delivery on promises is stronger than ever before.

In a crowded marketplace with a seemingly endless stream of options and competitors, the best salespeople know that in order to get ahead, they’ll have to sell their service at an above and beyond level.

Great salespeople will know their product or service inside out. By having such a close understanding of what can be done, the salesperson can push the limits of what their prospect is expecting, thereby turning them into an expectant client with high, but achievable, expectations.

ACCOUNTABLE

19.They are accountable for themselves

Great salespeople take on personal responsibility and do not blame others for their mistakes.

Whether a salesperson is working against a company set selection of performance criteria, or they are working towards their own definition of sales

success, they will be accountable for reaching these milestones.

They will be results driven and will accept nothing less than their best for each day, week and month. They will be aware of what is in their sales pipeline and they will be willing to share what their main wins have been with their

colleagues.

They will always be moving on to the next set of activities, while still being aware of their responsibilities related to their previous wins. A great

salesperson will understand that the sale doesn’t end when the deal is closed – it is about a relationship built on honesty and accountability for actions,

promises made and kept.

SELF-RELIANT

20.They are self-reliant‘Rely on your own strength of body and soul. Take for your star self-reliance, faith, honesty, and industry.

Don’t take too much advice — keep at the helm and steer your own ship, and remember that the great art of commanding is to take a fair share of the work.’ Noah Porter, President of Yale University.

Successful salespeople pride themselves on being self-reliant.

The ability to say ‘I achieved this by utilising my own time and skills’ is a great driving force for the most driven sales people.

It is the entrepreneurial spirit that exists in the top salespeople that pushes them to be their best.

They aren’t the type of people to sit around and wait for leads to come in. They know that their next sales lead is going to come from them alone, so it is up to them to make it happen.

NETWORKING 21.They know how to leverage

their networks‘The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.’

Keith Ferrazzi, CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight

While most salespeople will have a network of clients both past and present for them to call on, the top salespeople will be able to convert

these contacts into real business.

Not because of the quality or size of the network, but because of what qualities these relationships are built on.

The most successful salespeople know that sometimes you can never be certain of where your next big win is coming from. With this

understanding, they approach each interaction with the knowledge that a lead, prospect or sale could come from it.

Great salespeople know that nothing can be taken for granted, and no big sale comes without a lot of work. Tied up in this work is the

understanding that being able to leverage your network means having a network built on trust and reciprocity.

PLANNING22.They plan ahead The best salespeople take the time to get to know a prospect before launching into a very broad, word for word speech.

An effective salesperson starts with great research, even before the first call or approach is made. They will conduct much of the research themselves around who the key decision makers are, what the organisation’s recent activities have been and (if possible) what their internal initiatives for the future are.

While good salespeople will naturally like to be busy, the top salespeople will have thought a bit about their actions before jumping in. Planning can make the difference between a mediocre use of time, leading to mediocre results and an excellent use of time, leading to outstanding results.

ASSOCIATIONS

23.They surround themselves with the right people

‘When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.’

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks

By surrounding themselves with high achievers, the best salespeople are being consistently encouraged by their peers to do more and be better.

This desire to do better doesn’t always necessarily come from a place of competitiveness.

However, a great salesperson knows that to get the best out of themselves, they have to be spending time with people who are equally as concerned

with doing all they can and achieving the most out of every day.

In this situation too, good salespeople understand that the ‘right’ people to have around them don’t have to be similar to themselves, or directly reflect

their own position.

Often a little bit of difference in perspective is exactly what the best salespeople are looking for.

AMBITION24.They are ambitious‘The person who gets farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.’ Dale Carnegie

The best salespeople have an underlying drive that often cannot be taught. It comes from a place of ambition and a desire to achieve for one’s own personal reason.

Famous self-starter Dale Carnegie was a huge advocate for many elements of self-improvement. A towering figure in the public speaking and self-improvement game, Carnegie was constantly pushing himself and the product to new and more daring territory.

OPPORTUNITY 25.They create their own opportunities

‘The balloons only have one life, and the only way of finding out whether they work is to attempt to fly around the world.’

Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder

Successful salespeople are able to generate positive opportunities no matter what the market looks like or what other people may say. Often the big difference between a half decent salesperson and an excellent

salesperson will come down to the ability to look at a situation or a seemingly stagnant market and be able to see it from a new angle.

By being able to identify an opportunity others haven’t seen, the

salesperson is already two steps ahead of their nearest competitor. They are willing to take the leap toward their own opportunity and use all their other skills to ensure the leap of faith is a successful and profitable one.

For further information, please call

Australia 03 9822 1301

New Zealand 0800 333 270

info@lma.biz

www.lma.biz