Every salesperson who has anything more than a modicum of success has the same traits as others who’ve done the same. No doubt you’ve seen hundreds of these lists before. Whole books have been written about them. Yet these five traits are so fundamental to good sales that without them, the salesperson is sure to be a failure.
Trait #1 – Persistence
This is the number one and most obvious trait of anyone who finds success, no matter their profession. Mastery of anything, including sales, requires persistence. A concert pianist, great writer, gold medalist athlete, CEO, or successful salesperson are all persistent people. Failure and rejection are things they build upon rather than dwell upon.
Trait #2 – Goal-minded
Successful people, including salespeople, are very goal-oriented. They set goals, make itineraries, track to-do lists, and otherwise set goals for the immediate, short- and long-term. They are specific about their goals, motivated to get them, make them challenging but achievable, and set time frames for doing so. They visualize the goal and getting there and then do it.
Trait #3 – Good listeners
Good salespeople are not always great speakers or public presenters, but they are always great listeners. A good salesperson will listen to the client or prospect, will approach the contact conversationally rather than as a bullhorn, and understands their client’s business more intimately than their client may know it themselves. They ask questions and get answers, summarize those answers to lead to more questions, and so forth.
Trait #4 – Hard workers
This trait, again, is endemic to all successful people. Hard work is how things get done and done well. Most people do not see the hard work that goes into something, only the result, but successful people know that for every hour in the limelight, a year was spent toiling to get the light shining on them.
Trait #5 – Value seekers
Finally, great salespeople are value-seekers. They look for the value in all things, especially their own products or services, and convey that value to others. Price is not a measure of value. Sometimes the compact car with the lowest price is not as good as the big sedan with the more comfortable ride and beefier engine. Value is often in the eyes of the beholder, but good salespeople always know value when they see it.
Anyone with these five traits can hone and perfect them to become good, better, and great. Without these five traits, however, no one will be a successful salesperson.