Don’t be misled by the headline; there is no such thing as a perfect salesperson, or even a perfect person, but the difference between average salespeople and almost perfect ones is enormous. Most of the time, average reps meet or exceed their quota, but great salespeople always go above and beyond their quota.

Good salespeople earn the respect, loyalty, and referrals of their customers. They know how to address objections and proactively raise concerns so they disappear.

Ideally, a salesperson will have a solid grasp of both their product and their target market before stepping into the sales role. A good salesperson, on the other hand, has both natural and trained customer service abilities and a drive to succeed. If you’re interested in being a successful seller, focus on mastering the following skill sets:

• • Confidence: A salesperson must have faith in and enthusiasm for both their product and their own selling abilities before they can be successful.

• • Communication: Effective salespeople have the ability to convey a product or service’s benefits in plain language that anyone can understand.

• • Patience: To close a deal, a sales professional may need to spend considerable time with a customer.

• • Networking: For a successful salesperson, interacting with others and establishing professional connections come as second nature. Existing customer relationships are strengthened and new ones are formed as a result of their networking abilities.

• • Enthusiasm: Motivated sales people find new ways to sell a product when they are excited about it. Customers, too, get a kick out of the euphoria.

• • Competitiveness: Meeting goals, comparing one’s success to that of others, and striving to be the best are all hallmarks of a successful salesperson. 

• • Listening: Salespeople must pay attention to what customers say in order to meet their needs and close deals.

A good salesperson prepares ahead of time. That means they do their homework on a potential client before a big meeting and have a strategy and a backup plan in place so that they can anticipate problems or questions and avoid losing the deal.

You can’t stop being a salesperson as soon as you leave the workplace if you want to over-perform. At parties, networking events, dinners, and so on, successful sales reps are continuously on the lookout for new customers to meet.

Reading the room, of course, is a must! Is it okay if you deliver a five-minute speech at your cousin’s memorial about the importance of social media? Not at all… Nevertheless, if your new friend Tony reveals that he’s looking for a digital marketing agency for his company while you’re chatting with him, give him some helpful advice and let him know that you’d be happy to go into further detail if he needs it.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to becoming a good salesperson, but the habits listed above are essential to giving a satisfying customer experience. You may go from being an ordinary sales representative to being a high-performing success story by demonstrating that you have enthusiasm, expertise, self-determination, and adaptability.

by Areny Poladian