Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s ask ourselves a question. What makes a successful salesperson?

Well, according to career experts it is the combination of a person’s attitudes, personality and his or her approach to work. Together it makes up the formula for professional success. But, these traits not only apply to one being a salesperson by profession; all these traits can also greatly increase the productivity and impact of any form of work!

So, what are the sales personality traits that can help us in our careers and perhaps our own personal lives?

Here are 5 key sales personality traits that will help you in your career and everything else!

1. A Great Communicator

What is the first thing you notice when it comes to a Salesperson? When they’re selling their products or services right? That’s what most of us would say. How about their initiation to make a conversation with us?

A Salesperson’s strength comes from their communication skills. They are able to talk about their products with such ease. With a point-by-point system, their ideas are able to come across in a clean, simple yet easy to understand format.

But the best part about their communication skills is their ability to adapt speech style, tone and mannerisms according to different people.

Given a Salesperson’s job is so dependent on persuasive and believable exchange, becoming an effective communicator is crucial.

We can take this approach to apply to our own careers regardless of the field we are in. For instance, when we want to propose an idea to our clients or even our executives. It could also be something simpler such as communicating with your colleagues whose personality differs from us. Applying this to our personal lives would also benefit us in such a way that we can establish new and form a stronger relationship with our friends and family in the long run. 

2. Understanding Body Talk

Eye activities, facial expressions, head movements, hand and arm gestures, leg and feet movement … the list goes on and on. Learning how to read a person’s body language isn’t the same as reading your favourite magazine. It’s not impossible but it’s like trying to decipher a coded message. The clues are there, you just have to figure it out.

Being aware of what your clients, colleagues, bosses, friends and family are really feeling and projecting can help you be in a better position of communication.

This also comes vice-versa; when you know how body language works, you could also learn to mirror the person you are talking to or move your own body in away that helps the conversation in a positive manner.

This is what American Express had to say; “ In the Sales world if you can use body language to build trust with your customers, or at least not deteriorate it, then you will come out ahead”. Further more, they stated when connecting with your clients, “match the speed you are speaking to others in the room. If you speak too fast, the other person will feel pressured. Too slow, and they will think you are lazy or talking down to them. You should make sure to nod once in a while as you listen to someone else”.

Understanding where the other person is coming from is good, but understanding their body language including what they say is even better. Not only will you have an added advantage at your workplace, but also outside of work. It’s all about how you project yourself to others and perceiving the situation at hand.

3. Putting Yourself In Other People’s Shoes

Alright, here is where we have to admit to ourselves. We are all somewhat selfish to a certain degree. It’s only human and it is our nature because our primary point of reference of our world is – ourselves.

But there has to be reasons why they (the wise ones) keep saying “try to see from their point of view”.

Being able to understand the needs of your clients (or just about anyone else you are talking to) can help put you in a good position for persuasion or agreeability.

Listen to what your client has to offer. They may already have solutions to their problems but all they need is a little guidance, and it is YOU that should be that helping hand! Once you can position yourself in that manner, you will soon realise that your overall communication with others becomes a lot easier.

According to Business2Community knowing where you fit into a client’s overall objective is necessary for success. Client’s expectations will continuously change, so must yours. Establishing a trusting relationship between you and your client will be of value in the long run because people in the industry like to get recommended and if you have a strong relationship with your client, you will see more prospects in the future.

Personally understanding the perspectives of the people we talk to from colleagues, clients, to family and friends will also rule out any misunderstandings, improve our communication and make us better listeners. Moreover, it makes us feel good because we are reciprocating in a correct manner.

4. What’s Your Value Proposition?

Now, I know what you’re thinking. It is much easier for your offer to be accepted with an existing client. But that is not always the case according to people in sales.

“People don’t buy products, services or solutions. They buy results”.

Clients wouldn’t consider on hiring you if they know you cannot deliver. The results mentioned is the value received. It is an offer that can benefit your client in their overall objective. When you can repeatedly offer something of value to your client, they will turn into loyal fans of your brand.

For instance, providing your client information they can’t find anywhere else. If what you’re doing is providing the same offer as everyone else, your client will see zero value in you and risk under-performing while losing the opportunity of future prospects, therefore giving their attention to someone else.

The same can be said about family and friends, or anyone else for that matter. When communicating with people, it is an exchange of ideas. Ideas need to have a certain amount of value to them and when this value is communicated properly, the likelihood of acceptance is way much higher. Here’s a simple example of providing a value proposition:

Person A: Hey B, should we go to nasi lemak stall 1 or 2 today?

Person B: Well, nasi lemak stall 1 is kind of a far walk, though they do have nicer sambal, but nasi lemak stall 2 fries their chicken at just about now so if we make it there right now we can have fresh fried drumsticks right out of the pan!

Person A: Ok it’s nasi lemak stall 2 then! Let’s go!!

Because Person B has provided enough information to validate the value of selecting nasi lemak stall 2 over nasi lemak stall 1, Person A then chooses Person B’s value proposition. With the information at hand, Person A knew that going to nasi lemak stall 2 will yield better results thus the decision making process was made easier.

5. Rejection Is Not A Bad Thing

Rejection can be a painful thing. Be it in terms of work or outside of work. Nobody likes rejection. But it is inevitable. We learn to live with it, acknowledge the idea around it, learn from it and move on.

Out of all employees, a salesperson has got to face one of, if not the most rejection for work. It’s not easy and some say will say they still fear rejection. But with time and more experience, overcoming that fear gets easier.

The first thing when it comes to rejection is to:

“not take it too seriously or personally”

Learn how to acknowledge, move on and try to do better the next time around. Who knows? The next time may not be a closed door.

“If once you don’t succeed, try try again”

Take note of yourself and constantly remind yourself to maintain an emotional distance (if possible). Try to instill a superstar mindset, be confident and don’t doubt yourself. Focus on your game and you will excel. The more you doubt yourself, the more space you make for mistakes to happen. Being emotionally distant and not taking things too seriously will have a positive effect on you mentally and emotionally, not just at your workplace but outside of work too!

Conclusion

If you can adopt and instill these sales personality traits into your daily routine, there should not be a reason for you not to succeed in your career and improve certain parts in your personal life. It may take some time to get used to, but with a little push and consistency, results will take its course!

Good luck!