Colin Roberts: attitude and application.

Colin Roberts of the NOVO Sales Consultancy on the difference between good and great.

So what is it that makes a great salesperson distinct from the many good salespeople?

There is no doubt that, in most organisations, there will be particular salespeople who are responsible for a significant proportion of the sales. The rest of the sales team will often believe that the individuals have the best accounts or the best territory, but it is likely that they will actually have some of the key qualities that really make a great salesperson – qualities that we can all develop.

I’ve identified below the 12 key qualities that I believe will bring out the greatness in a good sales person.

1 Enthusiasm

It is absolutely essential that you are enthusiastic. It’s important for you because if you are enthusiastic about what you are doing you will enjoy what you are doing. It’s important for your team because enthusiasm is infectious and your enthusiasm will inspire the rest of your team. And it’s important for your customers because they need to see that you are really enthusiastic about your company and the product or service you are selling.

2 Self-motivation

it’s so important that you are self-motivated. Whilst I believe it is possible to enhance someone’s motivation and, conversely, de-motivate them to an extent, I don’t believe that you can instil self-motivation where there is none. You are either self-motivated or you are not, and it’s essential that you are.

3 Industry

Great salespeople are industrious people. They are hard-working and productive, they start early and finish late, they don’t take long lunches and they always put in a good day’s work. One of the key differentiators between good and great is more. Great salespeople do more, they are likely to work smarter, but they will also work harder. Some years ago sales trainers were forever telling us to ‘work smarter not harder’. Well, actually there is no substitute for doing both. 

4 Determination

You have to be determined because a lot of the time you will need to make yourself do things you don’t necessarily want to do. It’s your determination that will help you surmount the many obstacles that will get in your way throughout your sales career; things will not always go smoothly and you will need to be able to push yourself on because there won’t always be someone there to do it for you.

5 Self-belief

Great sales people believe in themselves. They know where they are going, they know how to get there and they know what they have to do to get there. Great sales people will have set goals and objectives. Above all else, they believe that they will get to where they want to be.

Having this deep-seated self-belief assists a great salesperson display characteristics to their customers, peers and management, which will help them on their way – characteristics such as self-assurance, conviction and passion.

6 Impact

The ability to make an impression and influence people is essential for a great salesperson. When you walk in to a room you have to make a difference; people should show interest when you enter the room because you project an aura of success. Once you are in the room you must present your arguments with authority, indicating that you know your subject and your recommendations can be trusted. You must at all times maintain credibility and act with integrity.

7 Empathy

These days, more than ever we are selling solutions. We are not overtly selling, we are putting people in a position where they want to buy. A great salesperson will demonstrate empathy to show that they understand the customer’s problems and can deliver an efficient and cost-effective solution. Displaying empathy is one of the best ways of developing rapport with anyone; a little bit of consideration and genuine concern goes a long way.

8 Honesty

Great salespeople are honest. They don’t over-egg the solution; they make realistic claims and don’t slate the competition. They are always genuine and truthful, which conveys sincerity to the customer and augments their personal credibility.

9 Knowledge

A great salesperson has to be knowledgeable, not simply about their company and their product or service, but about the competition and their industry as a whole. They have to be knowledgeable about their customer, the problems their customer faces and any other factors that could influence the sale or their relationship with the customer.

10 Creative

In order to be a great salesperson you need to be able to think on your feet, adapt to different situations and be creative in the way you approach things. In the current economic climate ‘doing what we’ve always done’ won’t work for salespeople or businesses. Thinking outside of the box and delivering genuinely innovative solutions will definitely score points with customers.

11 Conscientious

A great salesperson will be reliable and diligent. They will always respond to a customer’s problems and see them through. A great salesperson will be particular with paperwork, assuring that the necessary is completed accurately and on time.

12 Mentor

Above all else, a great salesperson should always be a mentor to his or her developing colleagues, willing to share their experience and help others to achieve great success also.

All in all, the difference between great and good is really about attitude, application and attention to detail.

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