Do you want to boost your sales numbers? What are the qualities of a good salesperson?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no perfect formula that guarantees you\u2019ll make a sale<\/a> every time, but there are qualities that can push you toward success. Effective salespeople cultivate these core characteristics that improve their chances of closing a sale<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out the seven qualities of a good salesperson and how to exhibit them on the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n The first quality of a good salesperson is confidence. Secrets of Closing the Sale<\/em><\/a> by Zig Ziglar says that, if you want to sell well, start from a rock-solid belief that your product will improve the customer\u2019s life<\/strong>. You\u2019ll transfer this strong belief to your lead during a pitch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then develop a strong sense of your value as a salesperson, recommends Ziglar. Be convinced that you have something to offer customers and that you\u2019re there to help them. This lets you approach each pitch with confidence and bounce back from negative interactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You should also believe that the lead can afford the product or service, states Ziglar. Your confidence in their ability to purchase carries over to the lead, who will then also <\/em>believe they can afford the product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ziglar writes that you must enter a selling situation with the expectation that it will go well<\/strong>. When you have faith in your chances and abilities and approach the lead with a positive attitude, you greatly increase the chance of a sale. Avoid allowing negative, defensive, or combative thoughts or behaviors to seep into your sale. This will ruin your chances of selling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ziglar adds that you can gain confidence in your abilities by becoming a better public speaker and an expert on your product. You also gain confidence by simply practicing selling. This confidence, in turn, will let you approach the next sale positively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The common thread in Phil M. Jones\u2019s Exactly What to Say<\/em><\/a> advice for landing a sale is to say key phrases that target a subconscious tendency in the listener. Jones emphasizes that being persuasive triggers a reflexive<\/em> response<\/strong>, without the listener actively analyzing and thinking about what you\u2019ve said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using this tactic gets people to agree with you faster and avoids time they might otherwise spend being indecisive and critical. For example, when you tell someone, \u201cJust imagine how happy you\u2019ll be when you add this item to your collection,\u201d the person automatically<\/em> envisions this scenario and feels the emotion associated with it rather than focusing on a logical assessment of the purchase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Research suggests that the subconscious brain is responsible for 95% of our decision-making when it comes to purchases<\/a>, validating Jones\u2019s emphasis on subconscious persuasion. Rather than using specific phrases to trigger subconscious responses, other business books emphasize presentation qualities that appeal to prospective customers\u2019 subconscious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, in The Psychology of Selling<\/em><\/a>, Brian Tracy recommends presentation strategies for subconscious persuasion<\/a> such as keeping your office organized, conveying enthusiasm, asking expert questions, displaying open body language<\/a>, and controlling the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, Jordan Belfort\u2019s Way of the Wolf<\/em><\/a> recommends appealing to subconscious biases<\/a> by using your tone to connect emotionally (for example, an intense, lowered voice stimulates a sense of urgency in the customer), dressing professionally, making eye contact, and adjusting your physical stance depending on the circumstances. For example, when selling to a person of the opposite sex, stand directly opposite the customer, and, when selling to a person of the same sex, stand or sit at an angle to the customer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, record yourself making pitches and listen back to fine-tune your delivery, writes Zig Ziglar in Secrets of Closing the Sale<\/em><\/a>. Your inflection has huge persuasive power, so it\u2019s important to learn how to use your voice to convey your sales pitch and your sincerity about helping the lead. Also, listen for negative words in your pitch and eliminate them from your selling vocabulary. These include terms that imply unhappiness or pain and frame the sale as a financial transaction (avoid words like \u201cdeal,\u201d \u201csale,\u201d and \u201cclose,\u201d for example). Also, use the most elegant or formal version of any word (for instance, use \u201cwardrobe\u201d instead of \u201ccloset\u201d). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another quality of a good salesperson is to develop empathy for your customer<\/strong>, according to Secrets of Closing the Sale<\/em><\/a>. Empathy is understanding how someone else feels (even if you don\u2019t currently share that feeling) and then taking steps to help the person deal with that feeling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Empathy is effective in sales because leads are motivated to buy when they feel understood and cared for, claims Ziglar. Empathy also helps you create a better pitch <\/em>because, by putting yourself in your customer\u2019s shoes, you can gear your presentation to their specific needs, thereby increasing your chances of success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To be empathetic, you need to develop impeccable communication skills<\/strong>, insists Ziglar. Pay close attention not only to what the lead says but also to what their body language indicates. A lead\u2019s body language often shows how they really feel. They might tell you they\u2019re not interested in your product but unconsciously touch it or move closer to it, which indicates interest. When you fully understand what the lead feels, you can respond empathetically to those feelings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Life has a way of testing us in myriad ways, making perseverance a key success strategy. It\u2019s also key to becoming a great salesperson, says Og Mandino in The Greatest Salesman in the World<\/em><\/a>. Each attempt at selling is like an axe striking at a mighty tree. The first, second, and hundredth strike may do little or nothing, but, if you keep swinging the axe, the tree will eventually fall. You\u2019ll close the sale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When a customer says \u201cno\u201d to buying your product, don\u2019t see it as a failure. Reframe all failures as challenges.<\/strong> Reject the concept of failure\u2014anything you might call a failure can just as easily be labeled an obstacle or a learning experience. Remove words like \u201cquit,\u201d \u201ccannot,\u201d and \u201chopeless\u201d from your vocabulary. A great salesperson is never daunted by \u201cno\u201d because \u201cno\u201d is just a stepping stone to \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simultaneously, remember that perseverance requires patience. Success rarely comes at the start of a project; it usually comes after overcoming various obstacles along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even after a full day of hearing \u201cno\u201d from potential buyers, a great salesperson doesn\u2019t allow herself to give up. When you\u2019re weary at the end of the day and want to go home, challenge yourself to make one more sales call. Every single call is one step on the journey to making a sale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rob Fitzpatrick\u2019s \u201cMom Test\u201d is a set of rules that ensures you receive honest feedback from customers: specifically, feedback that signals whether your idea will meet their needs and therefore be successful. The test\u2019s name originates from the idea that mothers in particular are most likely to lie to you to spare your feelings. However, if you ask the right questions<\/a>, you can get honest, valuable feedback from whomever you ask\u2014even your mom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Fitzpatrick explains in his book The Mom Test<\/em><\/a>, applying feedback is an important quality of a good salesperson because customer feedback can make or break your new business venture<\/strong>. Deep one-on-one conversations with potential customers can give you all the information you need to craft a successful business<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, if you fail to collect or accurately interpret honest customer feedback, you could spend months or even years pouring money into a product with irredeemable flaws\u2014or that customers never wanted in the first place. Furthermore, failing to use the Mom Test in your discussions with customers will yield information that\u2019s worse than useless\u2014most feedback actively pushes you toward failure by convincing you that bad ideas are good.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fitzpatrick\u2019s Mom Test consists of three rules:<\/p>\n\n\n\n An essential part of building and maintaining relationships with customers is listening. In fact, The Sales Bible<\/em><\/a> by Jeffrey Gitomer says that listening is probably the most important part of selling. <\/strong>Not only does it help you deal with customers\u2019 complaints, but listening also helps you understand customers\u2019 reasons for buying (or not buying) and what kind of customers they are. This understanding then enables you to make a better sales pitch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, many salespeople undervalue the importance of listening<\/a>. Gitomer says that\u2019s because they prejudge the other person, think they already know what the other person is going to say, or have other thoughts that distract them from the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To become a better listener, Gitomer gives the following tips: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The last quality of a good salesperson we\u2019ll discuss is trustworthiness. Grant Cardone\u2019s book Sell or Be Sold<\/em><\/a> explains why trust is so important for the sales process and how to make the customer trust you. A lack of trust is a major reason customers don\u2019t buy things. Customers either don\u2019t trust the salesperson (you) or themselves: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, to sell anything, you need to demonstrate that you\u2019re credible.<\/strong> This will make the customer trust you as a person, and, if she\u2019s insecure, trust that you will help guide her to the right decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To create trust:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Great salespeople go above and beyond when appealing to customers<\/a>. Selling a product isn\u2019t simply just about ticking off a checklist of to-do items and making money. It\u2019s about building trust<\/a> and relationships with customers, and the best way to do so is to embrace these qualities of a good salesperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are some other qualities of a good salesperson that we missed? Let us know in the comments below!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Do you want to boost your sales numbers? What are the qualities of a good salesperson? There\u2019s no perfect formula that guarantees you\u2019ll make a sale every time, but there are qualities that can push you toward success. Effective salespeople cultivate these core characteristics that improve their chances of closing a sale. Check out the seven qualities of a good salesperson and how to exhibit them on the job.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":80230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[103,30],"tags":[452],"class_list":["post-115945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sales","category-work","tag-guides","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\n1. Confident<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Persuasive <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Empathetic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Persistent<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Applies Feedback<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Actively Listens<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. Trustworthy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wrapping Up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n