MEMBERSHIP UNLOCKS OVER 2,000 TOOLS, RESOURCES & MORE!Not a member? Sample unlocked content here. Show Topics Covered: <a href='/resources/search/?query=Sales Management'>Sales Management</a> | <a href='/resources/search/?query=Recruitment/selection'>Recruitment/selection</a> | <a href='/resources/search/?query=Popular'>Popular</a> So why is it so difficult for sales managers to recruit and retain highly productive, professional salespeople if sales is such an attractive proposition? Whenever sales managers get together at company meetings, improving sales force effectiveness and high turnover rates amongst the sales force are invariably the topics for discussion. While examining their sales forces and reading articles in Sales and Marketing Management magazine, they seem to ‘accept’ that 80% of all sales are made by only 20% of the sales force. The high turnover amongst less productive salespeople is accepted as a necessary burden for managing the sales force. This is not so. Research has shown that 55 per cent of people engaged in selling are in the wrong profession. Another 20-25% have the essential attributes to sell, but they should be selling something other than what they are currently selling. This last group have the potential to be highly successful in some cases, but they are only marginal performers in their present sales positions.* So, what does it take to be a successful salesperson? Some experts believe that a person’s attitudes, personality, and work methods (together classified as their “approach to work”) are virtually the entire basis for professional success. Common sense dictates that a person’s approach to work plays an important role in their performance on the job. By the very nature of the work itself, successful salespeople possess a unique set of personality attributes that enable them to succeed. Mediocre sales performance cannot be disguised as a salesperson’s success or failure is revealed immediately by the bottom line results. It takes a special kind of individual to succeed in sales. There are five key qualities that are essential for success: EmpathyEmpathy is the ability to identify with customers, to feel what they are feeling and make customers feel respected. Empathy is NOT sympathy, which involves a feeling of loyalty with another individual. It is more than understanding their concerns from an objective standpoint. A salesperson showing empathy can gain trust and establish rapport with customers by being on their side and not appearing judgmental. Empathy allows the salesperson to read the customers, show concern, and clearly demonstrate his or her interest in providing a proper solution. What to look for in good performers:
Poor performers:
FocusA person with focus is internally driven to accomplish goals and can stay attentive to one topic. Focused individuals are more demanding of themselves than other people and they are self-motivated. They are able to organize themselves and recognize what needs to be done in order to achieve their goals. In a salesperson, focus produces best results when it is balanced with empathy. You then see a person who listens and identifies with the customer while keeping focused on set goals, and who is able to translate these goals into solutions for the customer. What to look for in good performers:
Poor performers:
ResponsibilityA person with a strong sense of responsibility does not place blame on other people when placed in a difficult situation. This type of person, referred to as an “agent”, gets things done and when obstacles arise, accepts any errors or omissions that have occurred. He or she does not get defensive nor do they try to blame the situation on circumstances or on other people by making statements such as, “It’s not my fault boss that consumer confidence has declined due to terrorism and the war in Afganistan.” Sales managers should strive to hire agent-type representatives. What to look for in good performers:
Poor performers:
OptimismA salesperson with a healthy amount of optimism can be described as someone who is slow to learn helplessness. This person has persistence—a trait that is critical in the sales world because of the frequency of rejections salespeople experience. In the face of failure, some people throw their hands up in the air and resign themselves to the disappointment because they feel helpless to change the situation. Others, however, see themselves as being more resilient and that a customer’s refusal is NOT a rejection of themselves personally, but of the opportunity being offered. Salespeople who possess a large amount of optimism like themselves and when they encounter failure, although disappointed, it does not destroy their positive view of themselves. They consider themselves still in the running and able to turn the situation around. They believe that they can make things better by using a different approach, or by trying again. What to look for in good performers:
Poor performers:
Ego-driveEgo-drive is similar to optimism in that both traits require persistence. But ego-drive is persistence for the purpose of succeeding and above all winning. It’s all about competitiveness. When a person hangs in there with fists clenched and a teeth gritting appetite to succeed at his or her goal, you see a powerful ego-drive. This person is self-motivated and a self-starter with clear ideas of what he or she wants to achieve. What to look for in good performers:
Poor performers:
*Herb Greenberg, Harold Weinstein and Patrick Sweeney. How to Hire & Develop Your Next Top Performer: the five qualities that make salespeople great. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001, pp. 9. Click here to read part two, "How to Determine How Many Salespeople you Need for Your Sales Team" What are the success factors of sales?The 7 Success Factors to Sales Success. Get serious! ... . Identify your limiting skill to sales success. ... . Get around the right people. ... . Take excellent care of your physical health. ... . Visualize yourself as one of the top people in your field. ... . Practice a positive attitude and positive self-talk continually.. What is the most important factor in sales?Strong desire, the most important element in sales, will provide the incentive to make the changes even when it is difficult or uncomfortable." Commitment is having a plan to achieve that goal. "Commitment is a measure of whether you will do whatever it takes to achieve success in sales.
Which one is related to the success factor for professional salespeople?The success factors for a professional salespeople are: Receiving formal sales training. Know the sales peocess. Becoming an effective communicator.
What makes a salesperson unique?They are knowledgeable, down to every detail, on the products they sell. They are experts on product uses, mechanics, systems, and operations. Because of their knowledge, elite salespeople don't have to sell themselves, they simply have to present the information the customer needs to understand.
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