It’s an exciting time at Discovery ADR Group – we have recently welcomed a fantastic Sales Manager, Penny Crawford, who is in the process of recruiting a brand new sales team made up of hungry young sales people. We asked her to describe the ideal sales person, and they might look something like this:
Penny was also kind enough to highlight the five most important attributes a good sales person should have. Do you have the right qualities to be a success in sales?
1) Curiosity
A sales person should be a natural ‘why’ person. Asking why, how and when in a confident and intelligent manner is an essential part of sales. It allows you to uncover potential opportunities, and to understand quickly if your contact is the decision maker, and could be a potential paying client.
2) Persistence
Sales people need to keep in touch with decision makers at agreed timeframes until it is evident that no opportunity exists, but that’s not all; they then need to diarise a follow up call to understand if a new opportunity has arisen. Having the persistence to stick with a potential lead is crucial for sales success.
3) Discipline
A good sales person will embrace the sales process of their company and continue to apply it, even in the face of rejections.
4) Resilience
…which is not the same as persistence! Resilience is essential for a sales person to understand that a no is not personal, and that even though their product or service is not required now it could well be in the future.
5) Confidence…with a touch of arrogance!
Following on from number 4, a sales person needs to be confident and even a little bit arrogant to succeed. After all, as Penny told us, ‘you have to be a slight masochist to do a job that puts you in a position of rejection over and over again!’
Seem simple? Well, before you get on the phone, it’s worth mentioning Penny’s caveat that these attributes will only lead to sales success if due diligence has been done before any sales call, and if you fully understand your market sector and target clients.
Of course, many Sales Managers are wary of taking on untested young sales-people-in-the-making over experienced sales professionals, which is understandable; better the devil you know…or is it? Discovery firmly believes in the benefits of developing talent from within, and hiring on values and potential rather than the CV package. Our Sales Winners Programme works on the principle that by hiring fresh new talent, you can mould them into the sales people your company needs, and retain them into the bargain. And there’s another reason to consider hiring a new generation of sales people; according to Forbes, 78% of sales people who use social media in their process outsell their peers. With the first generation of ‘digital natives’ entering the workplace, now might just be the perfect moment to start snapping up the sales managers of tomorrow!
Written by Florence Sturt-Hammond
