The Qualities of an Excellent Salesperson

Being a salesperson should be easy. That is, if you have all the qualities of an excellent salesperson in you. However you do your job, either face-to-face, over the telephone, or through the Internet, it is important that you possess all these qualities. Once you do, sales and commissions will just keep on pouring in and you will need an extra hand fulfilling orders.

Neatness and Appearance

For a salesperson, image is everything. It is true that before you get to sell anything, you always have to sell yourself first. This means you should be highly likeable before you get somebody to like your products. Giving your possible customers a bad impression of you won’t help at all. It would help your competitors though, because it takes you out of the picture.
You won’t always know your customers personally. In fact, you will be meeting a lot of them, if not all of them, only once in your life. Therefore, you will be approaching them and talking to them as a total stranger. In this case, they might be scrutinizing you in an attempt to judge what kind of a person you are. They might do that mostly based on your looks alone.

It is therefore important that you look neat and presentable all the time. Your aura and your physical image tell a lot about who you are and the company you represent. People do not like to deal with somebody they do not feel comfortable with. Unruly hair and dirty teeth could make you lose a sale. Don’t take the risk. Invest in your appearance. This doesn’t mean you have to buy and wear expensive suits all the time. Good grooming will make you stand out even if your clothes are old. Just make sure they are well kept and you should be fine.

Professionalism

Professionalism is how you do things right. For starters, you should not be irritating. Certain habits or conducts annoy some people. If you have a nasty habit like fidgeting with your fingers, cutting somebody’s sentence off, playing with your pen, or talking too fast, you have to do your best to eliminate it. As a rule of thumb, any habit that you think may annoy somebody else has to go – and remove it in any way possible. If you have to undergo therapies to get rid of it, do it. Much of your career depends on it. Keep in mind that the selling career entails a person-to-person contact. Because of that, you have to do everything to create a good impression and comfortable air between you and your customer.

Good Listening Skills

We talked about this before, but more than anything, a customer would like to be heard and understood, sometimes at all costs. To be a good salesperson, you have to develop your ability to listen, even to the words left unsaid. Let your customer talk. After all, they come to you because they want something. Hear them out and show them that you perfectly understood what they are trying to convey. You may just uncover a behavior or attitude that can propel you to make a sale. If you fail to do so the first time, don’t hesitate to ask them again. This will show that you are concerned about what they are saying and you don’t want to miss a detail. Don’t do it many times in a conversation; or else, the customer will assume that you are not paying attention.

Sensitivity

Always put yourself in your customer’s shoes. This is the only way you can feel what it is that concerns them and what they are trying to make you comprehend. Doing so will also ensure that you are on the right ground when it comes to dealing with people. Some salespeople become overeager to collect the commissions they would get out of every sale that they forget to treat their customer with utmost care and attention. Actually, this is the gravest mistake you can make as a salesperson. The moment you regard your customers as one-time deal is the moment you can say goodbye to your career. With that attitude, even your most loyal clients will break out and leave you hanging by a thin line eventually.

Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm is infectious. If you’re excited about your product and the benefit it can give, your customers would soon follow suit. They would see your product in a different way, enough to complete a sale. Good salespeople are jovial and passionate about their craft. You should develop these qualities right at the start of your career.

Knowledge

This doesn’t mean that you necessarily need to have above average comprehension skills to start with. It means being smart with the good ability to grasp data. When a good salesperson sells his product, he knows all its prime qualities by heart. He makes it a point that he has the answer to the most asked- about question concerning the product he is selling at the back of his mind. He does not grope around looking for answers when somebody pops them up. Instead, he comes prepared with a smart answer all the time.

Integrity

Integrity means honesty and doing the right things even when somebody is not looking at you. Many customers want to stay clear of a deceitful salesperson. That is the reason why they size salespeople up before they attempt to buy or even before asking anything about the product. Customers want to know exactly how the product works, without any tall lies and truth bending. They only want to deal with a straight, honest salesperson.

Courtesy

Courtesy is something everybody appreciates. Customers definitely want to be treated like kings. They may bombard you with questions before they decide to buy, or they can try all your products before selecting the one right for them. Customers have varying tastes and styles. As a salesperson, part of your job is to conform to all their eccentricities. You might need to practice patience and be good-natured. Always remember that the most likeable salesperson always gets the job done.

Persuasiveness

All salespeople are required to be persuasive. They should be able to effectively convince their customers about the beauty of the product they are selling within appropriate levels. They should not drop at every block the customer throws at them. Instead, they should look at it as a challenge that they have to overcome. Most highly successful salespeople are even looking forward to all these challenges. They feel triumphant with every sale if they are able to prevail over the customer’s negativities. This is something that adds excitement and stimulation to their job.