{"id":5915,"date":"2014-01-01T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-01T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/?p=4028"},"modified":"2020-03-30T23:21:10","modified_gmt":"2020-03-31T03:21:10","slug":"11-traits-dedicated-salesperson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/11-traits-dedicated-salesperson","title":{"rendered":"11 traits of a dedicated salesperson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our friends at the\u00a0YEC<\/a>\u00a0asked 11 entrepreneurs to share what they look for first in a salesperson. Here\u2019s what they found:<\/p>\n

A hunter’s mentality<\/h3>\n

We want someone who is going to get excited about \u201cthe big fish\u201d — someone who will prepare endlessly and wade through a lot of information, contacts and leads in order to put themselves in a position to land as many big accounts as possible. That kind of drive pushes them to never rest on their laurels and always look for the next big thing.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Alex Lorton of\u00a0Cater2.me<\/p>\n

The discipline to follow up<\/h3>\n

I’ve found consistent follow-ups to be one of the most valuable acts a salesperson can do. My team has gained many sales by having a strategic follow-up strategy for our salespeople to follow. When they don’t follow it, I can usually tell about two months later. Other skills can be learned through training, but follow-up is mostly about discipline.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Lawrence Watkins of\u00a0Great Black Speakers<\/p>\n

Charisma<\/h3>\n

“Any salesperson I’m considering hiring needs to have me \u2014 and anyone else she meets while with me \u2014 eating out of the palm of her hand very quickly. A salesperson can always learn about a new product, but it’s much harder to teach a person to get other people to like them. And if a salesperson isn’t likable, well, it’s hard to make any sales.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 Thursday Bram of\u00a0Hyper Modern Consulting<\/p>\n

Are they an intelligent fighter?<\/h3>\n

“No matter what type of sales role you hire for, the one common trait every salesperson needs is pure motivation. I look for an intelligent fighter \u2013 someone who doesn\u2019t take no for an answer, who knows how to be politely persistent, and who is quick on his or her feet. Without motivation and a strong work ethic, no amount or training or high compensation will make a person successful at selling.”<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Ben Rubenstein of\u00a0Yodle<\/p>\n

The trifecta: intelligence, personality and drive<\/h3>\n

“Unlike other roles within an organization where a single specialized skill is good enough, great salespeople need to be intelligent, personable and driven. This mix of personalities will ensure that they can not only get themselves in front of buyers but also close the deal — and ultimately create relationships that pay dividends over time.”<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Christopher Kelly of\u00a0Convene<\/p>\n

Resilience<\/h3>\n

“Rejection is a very real part of selling a product, especially when focusing on cold leads. A great salesperson isn’t easily discouraged, and doesn’t take the rejection on a personal level.”<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Robert J. Moore of\u00a0RJMetrics<\/p>\n

Empathy<\/h3>\n

“Salespeople have to relate to the customer and support them in choosing the right solutions, so personal empathy is an essential quality. It shows up as listening more than talking, relating to the other people in conversation and genuine care for others. The lifetime value of an ideal client is much more important to us than the quick sale, so empathy from the sales team is crucial.”<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Kelly Azevedo of\u00a0She’s Got Systems<\/p>\n

Existing relationships and product knowledge<\/h3>\n

“Relationship selling starts with ability to build and manage relationships. For a technology startup to sell software to an enterprise that to some degree changes how people within a company collaborate requires relationship selling at its best. I look for salespeople who can show an existing portfolio of relationships, understand our product, and are able to articulate its value.”<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0Raheel Retiwalla of\u00a0Fuzed<\/p>\n

People skills<\/h3>\n

“A salesperson needs to have what my dad always called \u201cpeople skills.\u201d In short, that means he or she must be easy to converse with, respectful, patient, and pick up on social hints. It sounds simple, but I don\u2019t want a salesperson that can\u2019t listen. A typical salesman will be a talker. I want a listener. I want someone who can connect the real needs of a client to the solutions of our offers.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 Brian Moran of\u00a0Get 10,000 Fans<\/p>\n

Tenacity<\/h3>\n

“I test a salesperson in every way possible before I hire them: I miss our scheduled phone call to see what he does; I ask him to give a presentation and sell our product during our interview; I email him and use an incorrect name to see how he responds; I reject him to see how he responds to rejection. My goal is to find out if the salesperson is truly tenacious and willing to close the deal.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jun Loayza of\u00a0Ecommerce Rules<\/p>\n

Confidence (and a touch of arrogance)<\/h3>\n

“Confidence with a touch of arrogance! The best salespeople I have met are the ones who have great personality, are confident in what they do and never let go of opportunities. They grab the leg and don’t let go.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Degraide of Astonish<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)<\/a>\u00a0is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched\u00a0StartupCollective<\/a>, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our friends at the\u00a0YEC\u00a0asked 11 entrepreneurs to share what they look for first in a salesperson. Here\u2019s what they found: A hunter’s mentality We want someone who is going to get excited about \u201cthe big fish\u201d — someone who will prepare endlessly and wade through a lot of information, contacts and leads in order to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":884,"featured_media":34169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n11 traits of a dedicated salesperson<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our friends at the\u00a0YEC\u00a0asked 11 entrepreneurs to share what they look for first in a salesperson. 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