Common Attributes of a Top Seller Set 1

In previous post Do you CARE about your customersI present Pareto’s Principle which states that twenty percent of all salespeople make eighty percent of all sales, which means eighty percent of a sales force fights over the remaining 20 percent of business. This statistic reinforces how important it is to be in the top twenty percent of sellers. These top salespeople possess personalities and abilities that best fit selling as an occupation. In addition, 55 percent of salespeople have no ability to sell, and 25 percent have sales ability but are selling the wrong product or service (Greenberg and Greenberg, 1983). 

In the following three blogs I will presents three sets of attributes that researchers have identified for top sellers. Despite the studys and surveys presented top sellers are not born. Anyone can become a top seller by studying, practicing, concentrating, and focusing on his own performance (Basis International, 2002). 

Common Attributes of a Top Seller (Set 1)

The first set of common attributes comes from a recent study by the Harvard Business School. The study found that highly successful salespeople (BASIS International, 2002): 

•  do not take “no” personally;
•  take 100 percent responsibility for results;
•  possess empathy; 
• have above average ambition, empathy, and willpower and determination; 
• are intensely goal-oriented; 
• and can easily approach strangers. 

In addition, the study found that knowing how to sell effectively is not always second nature; these attributes can be learned and incorporated into a personal development plan for reaching top seller status.

Authors Patton and Sardar (2002) define five related qualities that they feel describe a successful salesperson: 

• high energy level;
• self-confidence;
• hunger for money; 
• well-established habits of industry; 
• and the ability to see obstacles as challenges. 

They believe that top sellers possess a compulsive need to win and hold the affection of others (Sardar and Patton, 2002). Ruth and Wysocki (2012) agree with all but one of the qualities that describe the successful salesperson. They do not agree that a hunger for money is a quality that describes a successful salesperson. While a hunger for money can lead to short-term sales success, long-term sales success is best nurtured by cultivation of internal motivating factors such as the needs to succeed and to make a difference.

References

Ruth A., Wysocki A.: Top Sellers: Characteristics of a Superior Salesperson Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/sn004 [December, 2012]. 

Gitomer, J. (2001). Specific characteristics are what make top sales people tops. American City Business Journals. Retrieved February 6, 2002 from http://houston.bcentral.com/houston/stories/2001/07/02/smallb2.html.

Greenberg, H.M., & Greenberg, J. (1983). The personality of a top salesperson. Nations Business. Retrieved February 6, 2002 from http://www.calipercanada.com/personality.htm.

Sardar, A., & Patton, M.A. What makes a great salesperson?: Links between our heritage and the future. Retrieved February 7, 2002 from the Internet. [Site cannot be linked. To access online, direct your browser to <http://130.195.95.71:8081/www/ANZMAC1999/Site/S/Sardar.pdf>.


BASIS International. BASIS: Your Portal to E-Business. http://www.basis.com/advantage/magv4n2/portal.html [September 1, 2011]. 

Tamara Ćetković

Consultant, Coach & Project Manager

The Difference between Tellers and Sellers

What is the difference between a teller and a seller? A good source for determining the difference is The Top Ten Ways to Know You are a Teller or a Seller by Terri Levine (2000). 

Terry Levine, a business coach for sales and marketing professionals, has been the number one salesperson in two different national organizations and bases his teller or seller list on personal experiences. Although many people in sales title themselves “sellers”, in reality they are just “tellers”. 

All too often we fall back into the teller mode. To be a successful as a salesperson or a top performer in the sales industry, you need to be an effective seller not an effective teller. Figure 2 distinguishes tellers from sellers (Levine, 2000). Which one are you?

References 
Levine, T. (2000). The top 10 ways to know if you are a teller or a seller. Coachville Coach Training Resource Center. Retrieved from http://www.topten.org/public/AF/AF102.html.

Blanka Cigler
Senior Consultant, Coach
 and Project Manager

Do you CARE about your customers?

In the era of modern communications, it’s become easy to lose track of the most effective sales tools. Too often, the sales process has become one of faceless and nameless entities submitting bids via telephone, e-mail or fax. Or the process has been diluted so significantly that only one sales call is made, although statistics show that more than 75 percent of all sales are made after the fifth call.

Is it any wonder that Pareto’s Principle states that twenty percent of all salespeople make eighty percent of all sales, which means eighty percent of a sales force fights over the remaining 20 percent of business? This doesn’t mean that the top 20 percent are incredibly different; they just tend to do the little things better and win the close ones.

In today’s competitive market it’s more important than ever before to understand the sales process. Have you ever been told that prospects only want to know: What is the price? How long is the warranty? How long have you been in business?

Under these conditions, it’s even more important to understand the process. Have you ever lost a contract to a competitor who is higher in price? Have you ever purchased an item that was not the lowest priced? Why did you make the decision? Did you feel that the salesperson understood you? Did you gain a higher level of confidence in the company you chose over the company you did not? There it is — the sales process at work.

How can you improve your sales effectiveness?

Listen. Pay attention and keep up with the conversation going on. Do you finish their sentence in your head or out loud? Do you have a response before they are done speaking? It sounds obvious, but if you’ve ever been told you could sell ice to Eskimos, you need to be a better listener.

Listening is a difficult task as well as very effective sales weapon. Silence makes people uncomfortable and someone is going to fill the void. The professional should know better and resist the urge to chase a question with an easier question. For example: “Mr. Prospect, how much have you put aside for this project?” Silence. “Mr. Prospect, if you’re not sure, how about a ballpark figure?” Each time you feel uneasy about the silence, take a deep breath and slowly count to five. You’ll be surprised by what you learn.

C.A.R.E. (Communicate, Articulate, Respect and Excite), about your client:

• Communicate with them and try to understand what makes them tick. Are they new and feeling overwhelmed with responsibility? What is the history of the decision-making process? Who are you competing with and how was that decision reached? Every sales opportunity is an opportunity to make a friend and learn about your competitors firsthand.
• Articulate the most important benefits your prospects will gain by doing business with you. You should have a list of the 10 key benefits customers receive when purchasing your product or service. After talking with your prospects, you should be in a position to articulate how your benefits will suit their needs.
• Respect their time, and make them respect your time. Determine the ground rules. At the appropriate time, ask your prospects how long they have set aside for this meeting. Then stay within that time frame and end the meeting on schedule. This dependability will help you set future appointments. Schedule the follow-up appointment before leaving.
• Excite them. If you don’t believe your product or service is the absolute best choice, why should they believe it? You need to excite your prospects about your solution to their problem. Excite them about the product’s or service’s benefits, the ways it will make their life easier and how it will create more time for them.

In this new era of technology, it’s more important than ever to personalize the sales process. Differentiate yourself and your company. You’ll increase your sales through stepping around the impersonal methods of communication that are all too prevalent in today’s business world. 

This article is extracted from: Ken Lundin: Sales Techniques, Sales Consulting. PaintPRO. [URL: http://www.paintpro.net/Articles/PP501/PP501_SalesSilence.cfm], 11.04.2013.

Blaž Mertelj

Managing Director & Senior Consultant