Every successful salesperson has the desire to be successful. Success for salespeople begins with their abilities. A majority of successful salespeople share similar behavior styles and abilities. Here are 5 of the most common abilities among successful salespeople.
1. Ability to Empathize
Most successful salespeople possess the gift of gab. However, gabbing isn’t empathizing. Successful salespeople are able to have two-way conversations with their managers, fellow salespeople, and most importantly their prospects. Simply talking at your prospects will get you into trouble. Effective sales communicators are able to listen, read body language, and empathize. You will not advance far in your sales career if you don’t have the ability to empathize.
2. Ability to Set Goals
Are you a goal oriented person? If you want to succeed at sales, your answer needs to be yes. Successful sales people are focused on reaching goals. You should be checking in periodically with your sales manager to find out your progress. Take advantage of all your company’s sales resources to help you accomplish your goals. One of the best tools you should be utilizing is your company’s CRM. The CRM will record important information on prospects that you can use to develop a relationship with the prospect which will allow you to make a sale easier.
3. Ability to Exude Confidence
Most successful salespeople have dominant behavior styles. If you’re a nervous wreck or have a reactive behavior style, you’ll find it difficult to be successful at sales. To be a successful salesperson you must be able to exude confidence and have the ability to guide and direct your prospects. If your prospects and clients own you it’s because you lack confidence. If you are not confident in yourself, prospects will not be confident in you or what you are selling. One of the best ways to build confidence is to practice your sales calls and pitches before you sit down in front of your prospects.
4. Ability to Redirect Inward Pessimism
Usually being pessimistic is not a behavior for success. However, successful salespeople use inward pessimism to help them discover more about their prospects which allow them to sell the perfect solution to them. Being an inward pessimist allows you to ask your prospects the hard questions while maintaining an outward optimistic attitude. Redirecting Inward Pessimism will allow you to truly understand what your prospect’s needs are and you can then sell them the right solution.
5. Ability to Sell Inside the Organization
High performing salespeople usually have better relationships with their coworkers and managers. More so than with underperformers. Successful sales people develop their relationship with their coworkers and managers by being collaborative and having strategic conversations with them. Underperformers’ conversations with coworkers and managers primarily revolve around them asking for direction.
Some of these abilities may not come naturally to you. The good news is these abilities can be learned and strengthened over time. If you want to be a successful, high-performing salesperson, take time every day to acquire and strengthen your sales abilities.
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Jeff Ruby
Founder of RedRock Leadership