Successful Sales People

What to look for in good performers:

• Ability to identify and react accurately to the behaviour and emotions of customers
• Identify other people’s feelings/frustrations objectively without necessarily agreeing with them
• Ability to establish rapport easily and put people “at ease” in their presence
• Good listening skills
• Curiosity—the candidate asks questions that require more than a yes or no answer

Poor performers:

• Experience difficulty in establishing rapport with a wide variety of people
• Experience difficulty in adapting their personality style to others with different or non-complimentary styles
• Have difficulty recognizing and responding to subtle verbal, non-verbal and behavioural cues

What to look for in good performers:

• Are goal-orientated and have the ability to articulate their goals clearly and assign timelines
• Do not depend upon the sales manager for direction or guidance
• Possess the self-discipline and conscientiousness to service customers and develop the business from that customer on successive sales calls
• Clear, direct answers to interview questions

Poor performers:

• Need to have performance objectives/standards defined for them and need occasional reminders of what those objectives are
• Need structure and external assistance from a manager to keep them from being distracted and "on track” with their objectives
• Are anxious about things being performed according to the rules or established procedures
• Tend to get distracted  and involved in behaviours and relationships that do little towards meeting long-term objectives

What to look for in good performers:

• Possess an appropriate sense of urgency, as exemplified in the need to see the sale progress and to bring situations to a resolution
• Anticipate consequences and evaluate alternatives before acting
• Tend to not have excuses for a situation and take action when situations require action
• Maintain a positive outlook towards situations and people—tends to admire, and not to criticize a lot
• Can accept valid criticisms and suggestions for performance improvement

Poor performers:

• Tend to blame people, circumstances and other external factors for why something did not succeed or why something was not completed
• Are comfortable with the status quo and perform only what is required of them
• Fail to go above and beyond what is required to meet customer expectations

What to look for in good performers:

• Initiative and the ability to focus on opportunities and solutions
• Focus on what can be done as opposed to what cannot be accomplished
• Refusal to allow rejection on one sales call to affect their ability to perform on the next
• Persistence in forcing an important issue even in the face of possible rejection

Poor performers:

• Experience “paralysis” when faced with setbacks, problems or obstacles
• May suffer from inconsistent performance, or have a sales track record filled with peaks and valleys

What to look for in good performers:

• Enjoy competitiveness and constantly look for ways to measure themselves against their peers
• Possess leadership qualities and is not afraid to exert pressure to influence others
• Enjoy sales as a profession for it provides personal gratification and ego enhancement
• Determined to win and willing to take risks

Poor performers:

• Rely on manipulation instead of trust and rapport for results
• Possess  a “win-at-all costs” attitude often at other people’s expense
• Find minimal personal gratification in making a sale