#20 - 11 Traits of a Superstar Salesperson

Welcome to our series, OMG: One Metric for Growth, where we dive deep into real-life examples of how one metric helped an organization to grow their business. Today's Metric for Growth is: “11 Traits of a Superstar Salesperson” 📈

You can easily differentiate between average, good, or great salespeople by observing whether they have a sense of pride in selling the products and the confidence with which they approach unexpected challenges.  

You must have noticed how some salespeople are win over clients and achieve targets while others struggles. What are the traits that differentiate them from the others?

In any profession, you need to possess certain qualities that make you efficient in your work. And so here we are highlighting the traits that a salesperson should have which will make them efficient and successful in their work.

Here are 11 Traits of Superstar Salesperson: ‍

1. Taking up Initiatives:  

80% of sales require 13 follow-up calls after the meeting. 44% of sales reps give up after one follow-up!  A salesperson must take the initiative to make calls and follow up. They cannot wait for a response and then let go of it when there is no response.  

Getting leads, asking for references, convincing prospects for a demo of the product, and following up after the first meeting are all where initiation is required. Also, they should not wait to be told what to do, be an enterprising people and constantly strive to keep doing what is necessary to sell the product.

2. Perseverance:  

Salespeople face a lot of rejections. In such circumstances, an efficient salesperson does not get discouraged.  

Because once they lose confidence, basic selling activities become enormously complicated. The best ones stay calm and figure out ways to get back in the game.  

3. Put in the Extra Effort:  

Hard work is as essential as having soft skills in sales. There are times when they cannot look at time. That extra mile will help them to build a relationship with their customers.  

That might mean taking up a call at 9.00 P.M; when a client is free or reaching the office at 7 A.M to do some extra prep for an upcoming deal. The efforts must start with preparation and should not stop after a few follow-ups.

4. Empathy – Understand Customers:  

The most successful sales reps have spent a lot of time with clients to understand their requirements and needs. They need to be good listeners and understand the pain point of the client.  

Empathy is a necessary trait to possess to become a successful salesperson. It is essential to understand the difficulty a prospect might be facing and present them with an ideal solution.  In the end, people do not care what you know until you show them that you genuinely care.

5. Asking the Right Questions:  

The salesperson first needs to understand the prospect’s requirements. They should not straight away show the product.  

What problem prospect is currently facing, what are their top priorities, and how much are they willing to accommodate new product in their system need to be known first. And for this, they need to ask questions. Asking the right questions is the right way to get started.  

It gives you an insight into a prospect’s business and allows them to present their product in a way that fits into the client’s requirements.
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6. Goal Oriented:  

Goals are necessary to keep moving forward. Having monthly plans keeps in check and efficiency.    

If they work without goals, they will not have anything to look up to and tend to take things liberal. In fact, a Harvard University study found that setting specific goals increases motivation.

Monitor goals and achievements periodically and celebrate little wins.

7. Learner:  

Sales is a constantly evolving practice in which one can survive only if there is continuous learning.  

Latest sales trends, technologies, and techniques always emerge, and one needs to stay abreast of these developments. Learning can be through multiple sources such as formal courses, YouTube videos, or from other team members.  

Many times, learning from salespeople in other industries also helps to improve the perspective.

8. Insightful:  

It is essential to know that no prospects are the same. Businesses are operating under their circumstances and facing their challenges. And so, while interacting with prospects, they don’t stick to the rigid script. Instead of that, they understand the prospect’s business and customize their pitch accordingly.

This will help the customer to understand how our solution will solve their problems.

9. Process Oriented:  

There is a process to every system and abiding by the process makes a salesperson more efficient.

There are a set of rules that need to be followed before approaching a prospect like Prospecting, Preparation, Approach, Presentation, handling objections, Closing, and Follow up.  

A well-prepared salesperson is a confident personality too. Also, when one follows a process, they do not miss any point, which brings confidence in approach.

10. Ownership:  

When a salesperson thinks like an owner, efficiency is bound to increase. To feel and think like an owner means to take ownership of a situation. This becomes more evident in a case of crisis.  

To take charge of a situation and focus on solving a problem is something every salesperson aspires to be rather than having the mentality that I am just an employee.

Blaming does not help anyone. Facing and solving the problem is the quality of a great salesperson. It also develops leadership skills for a salesperson. Such person can lead to the growth of an organization and themselves too!

11. Enthusiasm:  

Last but not least, the attribute is Enthusiasm. Like viruses, Enthusiasm also spreads.  

Everyone loves an enthusiastic person. The person should look so fresh in the last call of the day that the other person thinks it is his first call of the day. An enthusiastic salesperson not only closes more sales but also spreads the same energy inside and outside the organization!

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