Many effective salespeople suffer from hiring the wrong candidate for a job time and time again, and often this has to do with their own two-dimensional, preconceived notions about what a strong salesperson looks like. They see an extremely confident employee with impeccable charm and the ability to sway or convince quickly. In practice, however, clients don’t always respond well to the persona of a sales shark; they find them deceitful and intimidating. Once a client closes themselves off, it becomes difficult to engage further which is why the presence of the below personality traits is more helpful for hiring managers to look for.

Effective Salespeople Are Empathetic Listeners :

In sales, the client must always come first, and the role of the salesperson is to see how they (or a product, or service) can meet a client’s needs; it can’t be about making the sale at any cost. In order to determine how to help a client, salespeople must be active listeners, sensitive, and understanding; only then can they put themselves in their clients’ shoes and find an optimal solution for them.

Effective Salespeople are Assertive Problem Solvers :

While empathy is key, being empathetic alone will not help employees meet their targets. They must make the offer or the ask at some point; the problem-solve for the client, yes, but it should always be in relation to making the sale. Someone who is too passive will lose opportunities, while someone who is too aggressive risks turning their clients off. The key is to be clear, apply some force without pushing, and always following up.

Effective Salespeople are Self Motivated :

A person’s motivational style will tell you a lot about their future success in sales, however, it’s challenging to see whether someone is truly self-motivated until they begin working for you. It’s easy for many people to play up in an interview the sales personality a hiring committee wants to see. One way to combat a hiring mistake is to incorporate a sales personality test into the hiring process. Sales assessment testing can be extremely valuable as they help recruiters and hiring managers to identify motivational style as well as soft skills that simple interviewing can’t always identify. These tests are available through providers like SalesTestOnline and measure qualities like motivation, emotional maturity, sense of urgency and more.

Effective Salespeople Have A Well Developed Sense Of Self-Esteem :

Salespeople must be able to anticipate a “No.” while striving for a “Yes!” with every call; they must also be self-aware enough to realize a client’s potential rejection is not necessarily a personal one, and be able to go into the next call without becoming upset. Good salespeople know their roles and understand that there are many reasons for a client’s refusal; it doesn’t mean their strategy is failing. In fact, in many cases, they call back later to see circumstances have changed and the chances of making that sale have improved.

Strong salespeople must be able to work dynamically in each given situation as they’ll be dealing with all types of clients, while also juggling their ultimate goal – to make an ask and hit their target. The most important facet here however is that they’re also strong people, with a likeable character, ability to motivate themselves, confidence that isn’t boastful and a desire to make the lives of their customers better.

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