Why is it so difficult for sales managers to recruit and retain highly productive salespeople? It won't be an exaggeration to say that whenever sales managers get together at company meetings, acquiring high turnover rates and recruiting/training the sales professionals are invariably the topics for discussion. In fact, majority of the sales leaders accept that 80% of all sales are made by only 20% of their sales force.

A leading survey has concluded that -

€ 55 per cent of people engaged in selling are in the wrong profession.

€ 20-25% has the essential attributes to sell, but are probably selling the wrong product/service.

While they have the potential to be highly successful, they are only marginal performers in their present sales positions.

So what does it take to be a successful salesperson?

A sales person's attitudes, personality, and work methods are virtually the entire basis for their professional success. Common sense dictates that the sales rep's approach to work determines their performance on the job.

In the words of a sales expert/strategist - €'Selling and buying are not logical exercises. They have lot more to do with emotions; which is why great salespeople have a strong command over their emotions. By the very nature of the work itself, successful salespeople possess a common set of personality attributes that enable them to succeed.''
According to Robert Scher, (president of the Scher Group), - €'sales leaders need to provide a comprehensive training to sales reps. Comprehensive training not just implies training on sales-oriented enterprise software applications but also training to develop within them the right set of emotional attributes. €'

4 emotional characteristics every sales rep should possess -

1. Assertiveness

This is a smart move by the sales reps to move the sales forward without really offending the prospect. So let's say when a prospect is delaying the meeting, an assertive reply can be -

Can you provide an exact time and date when you'll inform me about the meeting schedule?

Assertiveness is somewhere between being passive and aggressive. While a passive response puts the sale on hold (which also gives your competitor the opportunity to outsell you); aggressive response creates pressure on the prospect.

Unlike them, an assertive approach (in this situation) helps set up the conditions for the sale closure, without making the sales professional appear as a pushy sales rep.

2. Empathy

Empathy is NOT sympathy. It's the ability to identify with prospects, to feel and understand their emotions and make them feel respected. Other than just showing concern for the problem, it demonstrates the sales rep's interest in providing a specific solution. A salesperson that shows empathy more likely gains trust and establish rapport with prospects. He gets on their side without being/sounding judgmental.

Example -

When the prospect mentions low sales in the past month - the sales rep can have two approaches to it

Ignore the news and continue with the sales pitch
Or

Probe a further on the problem of low sales.

Although, both responses make business sense - but being empathetic (2nd option) will help build a better relationship. Based on the emotional reading of the prospect, sales rep can adapt the succeeding conversation - i.e. whether the customer would want to commiserate further or just be distracted from the problem.

3. Optimism

Nothing helps a sales rep than an optimistic nature to maintain a sense of balance when things go awry. In fact, experts call optimism the unspoken rule of sales which need to be applied every day. So let's say if the first sales call of the day goes poorly, then the performance for the rest of the day depends on the sales rep's attitude. The attitude can be -
A bad first call means that I'm off my game. It will be a bad day today.

Or

Every sales call is different, so the next will probably be better.
This same principle of optimism aka happiness works on bigger events, too. In the words of a sales expert - €'The real successful salespeople will always see the weak economy as an opportunity to sell more, in contrary to the others who will just be busy hand-wringing.''

4. Self-Awareness

It's very important for sales reps to have a clear command over their emotions. In other words they should be able to -

€ Identify the emotions
€ Predict how those emotions will affect the sales
€ Compensate for negative emotions that might prevent the sale
€ Encourage positive emotions to help make the sale.

So let's say most often sales reps have to face situations when they are stood up by their customers. In such times, a sales rep should most likely think of all the times he has succeeded in the face of challenges. Inevitably, this will give him confidence and the much-needed morale boost to attend the next prospect.