Chapter 18: Characteristics of the Professional Salesperson
Key Points
Salesperson's Role: The salesperson is the most critical part of the sales process.
Use of Logic and Emotion: Effective sales presentations combine logic and emotion. Logic makes people think, but emotion makes them act.
Logic: Appeals to the eye; people believe what they see.
Emotion: Appeals to the ear; people are moved into action by what they hear.
Combination: Using both leads to a sale today and happy customers in the future.
Extroverts vs. Introverts
Extroverts: Make good first impressions, easy to like, and establish rapport quickly. However, they often depend on personality to close sales.
Introverts: More likely to be thorough, precise, organized, and better listeners. They are better at uncovering the prospect's needs.
Ideal Salesperson: A blend of extrovert and introvert characteristics.
High Performers vs. Moderate Performers
High Performers: Practice fundamental sales, management skills, and good human relations. They maintain service relationships and build trust.
Trust Relationships: Key to high performance; ability to sell is not the sole factor.
Total Well-Balanced People: High performers are knowledgeable, caring, and creative in problem-solving.
Characteristics of High Performers
Team Players: Serve as a liaison between customers and support teams.
Integrity and Knowledge: Valued by customers; they offer hints and knowledgeable responses.
Internal Relationships: Building internal relationships is crucial for success.
Communication: Clear and sensitive communication builds customer confidence.
Value Addition: Salespeople add value with each customer visit.
Professional Salesperson Attributes
Character and Reputation: Crucial for long-term success.
Owning Mistakes: Take responsibility, compensate, and fix the root cause.
Service-Oriented: Aim to help prospects make informed decisions, inspire the right decisions.
Thick-Skinned: Not easily offended, understand prospect's reactions.
Versatility: Work from a plan, include verbatim phrases in presentations.
Humor and Continuous Learning: Take professions seriously, not themselves; always learning.
Selling in Life: Apply sales principles in all aspects of life.
Motivation and Human Behavior: Study motivation and behavior to influence decisions.
Optimism: Create a positive atmosphere to enhance sales chances.
Adaptability: Emulate successful techniques and abandon ineffective ones.
Career-Oriented: Focus on building a career, not just making individual sales.
Demonstrations: Increased believability through product demonstration.
Customer Involvement: Involve customers in using products/services.
Conviction, Concern, Confidence, Courage: Essential qualities for success.
Professional Appearance: Dress and act professionally.
Principles: Uphold integrity and honesty.
Hard Work and Continuous Improvement: Always learning and improving.
Library and Resources: Build a library of sales knowledge and techniques.
Setting Standards: Higher personal goals and standards.
Communication Skills: Master body language and voice inflection.
Customer Relationships: Maintain and build strong relationships using recency, frequency, potency, and recommendations.
Conclusion
Professionalism: The professional salesperson is dedicated to continuous improvement, integrity, and customer satisfaction. They balance character, knowledge, and empathy to build successful, long-term sales careers.