• Success is the culmination of failures, mistakes, false starts, confusion, and the determination to keep going anyway. – Nick Gleason.

• Most people think “selling” is the same as “talking”. But the most effective salespeople know that listening is the most important part of their job. – Roy Bartell.

• You don’t close a sale; you open a relationship if you want to build a long-term, successful enterprise. – Patricia Fripp.

• If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will. – Bob Hooey.

Individuals who are into sales usually have to master the art of convincing the other person about the benefits of buying or investing in something. A salesman needs to stand out by combining the art of persuasion with charisma in order to sell a painting, a car or even an ice-cream to a child.

But the important question is this: is there a way or process by which people can become great salespeople? Well, the secret is experience and the willingness to learn, especially learning from the initial mistakes one makes while on the job and not repeating them again. However, there are also certain qualities that a good salesperson should imbibe in order to be effective.

I am listing below just some of the character and personality traits that every salesperson should have in order to be effective when it comes to selling anything:

Not Just a Sale
A good salesman adopts a positive attitude when selling. If he cannot make a sale immediately, he keeps in mind that what he does today will translate into business sometime in the future. A good salesman always manages to think beyond an immediate sale. To achieve this, he acts as if the sale is not the only motivating factor that drives the conversation with the client. He would be more interested in building a rapport with his customer for a long term relationship. Therefore, be sensitive to the fact that your business depends on building good relationships with customers which will, somewhere down the line, turn into sales. Of course, there will be times when repeated interactions with a prospect just don’t translate into sales; however, a great salesman would still continue the relationship. Because while the prospect may not be in a position to give him his business, he may recommend him to someone else, either for business or even for a job. Perseverance pays!

Understanding Needs
A good salesperson listens. And speaks only when necessary. Because it is only by attentive listening that a salesperson will gauge what the customer truly wants. When you listen to what the customer needs, you will find a solution that delights him.

Commitment to Deliver
We as individuals always tend to over commit and then fail to deliver. A salesperson would normally promise a lot and, if he is lucky, even manage to deliver some of the times. However, he will fail at other times and that is a recipe for disaster. While all of us have heard of the dictum ‘under commit and over deliver’ that, too, is not a sound tactic in today’s hyper-competitive environment. Instead, salespeople should over commit (within limits) and over deliver in order to build good faith and forge happy, long lasting relationships.

Invest Right
A good salesman has no use for things that will not contribute to his overall growth. Therefore, he will invest his time in activities that will contribute to his growth. Regular reading, regular practice, maintaining a complete database, meeting people – these are the investments that a salesperson should make in himself.

Time is of the Essence
In order to be a good salesman, an individual would need to value time above all else. Therefore, look for better and quicker ways to increase your sales because if the opportune time passes, you may rue a missed opportunity. A good salesman will be on the clock to ensure that he never misses out on a golden opportunity, even if it inconveniences his personal life.

Networking
Networking has become an effective way by which people can close sales. Therefore, a good salesman should be willing to invest time and effort in networking and building relationships which will prove to be lucrative in the future. You will need to invest in your community without thinking of it as an expense or a chore. Make it a point to join the local country club if it helps in building your network. In short, try and get involved in your community to forge stronger bonds that you can then convert into sales over the long run. A worthwhile by-product of all this is the wonderful friends that you will make.

Taking Action
In order to be an effective salesperson, you will need to be quick to act. Therefore, sales people do not use economic trends as an excuse. Of course the economy matters but a good salesman will outperform others even in bad times. An effective salesperson will take things into his own hands and create opportunities for success.

Failure Doesn’t Keep Him Down
A good sales person will never let failure affect his morale. If anything, he will rebound and try harder with his next sale. He will just go on and on till he meets his objectives.

Every human being has to sell. We all have to sell products and ideas, not just in our professional life but also in our personal life. But the guy who is a professional salesman has a tough job. He has to sell products and ideas in a competitive environment at the right price to a hardened set of customers and prospects. A great salesman does that by being prepared, being optimistic even in tough times and by not letting anything keep him down.

Visual courtesy : https://www.flickr.com/photos/3059349393/