Stephanie McGuinn — April 10, 2018 — April 10, 2018
mohamed_hassan / Pixabay
Hiring managers would be wise to remember that it takes a special combination of skills and personal attributes to make it in the sales world. It goes beyond what a candidate lists on his or her resume. For example, likeability and charisma are common personality traits among high sales achievers. Managers can teach most sales skills, but it’s impossible to teach someone to have a charismatic personality. They either have it or they don’t. If a salesperson doesn’t have a commanding yet likable personality, it doesn’t inspire trust in prospects.
Here are seven other personal traits managers should consider when it comes time to hire or promote a salesperson:
- Oriented towards achievement: Sales is an excellent career for people who have the inward motivation to achieve. They drive themselves to exceed their quotas and then set their sights on even bigger goals. This type of personality gets excited by challenges rather than feeling intimidated by them.
- Early risers: Salesforce recently conducted a survey with 280 salespeople and discovered that more than three-quarters of them are ready to start their day by 7:00 a.m. They know they must hustle if they want to connect with prospects in different time zones. They also use these early hours to get caught up on email and make some calls before officially starting their day at the office.
- Resiliency: People who take rejection personally won’t go far with a career in sales. In this field, rejection is more common than closing a deal. The most successful salespeople know how to bounce back from rejection, learn from it, and go out and get the next deal. They also look for patterns in their lost deals and are open to coaching so they can improve.
- Strong communication skills: Salespeople must be able to communicate well in person, on the phone, and by email. That means using words that match the customer’s industry experience and explaining features and solutions in appropriate language.
- Empathy and listening skills: Salespeople should listen more than they talk. They should also show genuine concern for their customer’s position and relate to them well. Salespeople with this trait are more concerned with gaining a customer for life than making a one-time sale.
- Confidence: A sales professional needs to project confidence with himself or herself as well as the product or service. If that’s lacking, the customer may think the salesperson is trying to hide something. Some sales managers even say that they prefer someone who is a touch on the arrogant side.
- The discipline to follow up: A salesperson who doesn’t make a habit of following up with prospects and customers who may have initially said no lose a lot of deals. A consistent method of follow-up shows a sense of discipline that carries over to other aspects of the job as well.
The above are several traits that can predict who will succeed in his or her sales role. While it’s not always possible to detect them in an interview, they will show up quickly in someone who’s meant for the job. The key for managers is learning how to spot the perfect combination of skills and personal attributes as early as possible. Fortunately, this is something that gets easier with experience and there are also tools available to help hiring managers identify traits that align with the job they’re aiming to fill.
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