A sales job is a career that doesn’t require any formal qualifications to succeed, although it does need some very specialized skills. Most of these skills are hardcoded into the personality of the salesman. You might find that many salespeople are unable to answer why they are so good at their jobs as they are not consciously thinking about it. They are simply using the skills and traits that they have.
If you are looking for some insight into what makes a great salesperson, there are some personality traits that are common among salespeople. The best sales personality traits are modesty, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and confident. Each of the sales personality traits can be identified among the best salespeople on the workforce.
Here are the eight best sales personality traits and skills:
1. Modesty
This sales personality trait might come as a little bit of a surprise. After all, the typical stereotype of a salesperson is one of ego and brash confidence. You only need to watch the first 20 minutes of Glengarry Glen Ross to see that!
The truth of the matter is that the best salespeople are modest and humble. It is not the role of a salesperson to dominate, but rather it is to be likeable and approachable. Pushy and egotistical salespeople often don’t do well in the long run. Relationship building in the long term is far better than burning bridges to make a sale.
2. Conscientiousness
This means that the person will be responsible and consider it their duty to fulfil their role with the company. These salespeople take their job at the company very seriously. This is important as sales is a very result driven job. They have a responsibility to the company to meet their targets and also to their team to ensure that they are pulling their weight. Being a team player is a big part of a sales role.
3. Motivated
This is one of the most important aspects of any salesperson’s personality. They need to be a self-starter who is able to get on with the work that they need to do at any given time. Sales is a very tough job at times and it takes someone who is willing to commit to a constant grind to get through to the sales that they need to make their target number.
4. Goal-orientated
This goes hand in hand with motivation. A good salesperson needs to be able to see the big picture and work towards a goal. This is also important in order to keep their position as many employers require you to hit your targets. This sales personality trait can often be assessed and predicted with the help of a cognitive behavioural test, allowing you to measure if the salesperson’s goal align with the company’s vision.
5. Curiosity
This is a great personality trait for anyone, but it is a particularly great sales personality trait. If you are curious, you are naturally inclined to be hungry for knowledge and information. This is important as the best salespeople are also experts on the product or service that they’re selling.
It’s also very useful to be naturally inquisitive. The more that you know about your potential customers the greater the chance of you being able to make a sale. An excellent salesperson is very skilled at getting the answers to questions. Sometimes a sale can grow from just having a discussion about client’s needs and the challenges they are facing in their industry.
6. A positive attitude
This sales personality trait might seem obvious, but salespeople often get doors slammed in their faces. Literally and figuratively. It can also be disheartening to work very hard on a sale and then have it fall through at the last moment. A good salesperson needs to be able to bounce back from a sale that didn’t go their way or even a stretch where they’re not closing. Keeping their head in the game is half the battle.
7. Confident
There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. It is important for the salesperson to always walk this fine line. If they seem timid or unsure of themselves they will inadvertently make people think that the product or service that they are selling is not of high quality too. It’s important too that they carry themselves a certain way. After all the sales team are more than just a tool for getting contracts signed. They are ambassadors of your company brand.
This would also fall under the category of extraversion. You want someone who is comfortable putting themselves out there and not shy away from picking up a phone or meeting someone in public.
8. Agreeableness
A salesperson has to be likable. Being an agreeable person is one of the many ways to achieve that goal. There also needs to be limits to this when it comes to negotiating a contract. For the most part, a salesman is a great conversationalist and can enjoy talking to almost anyone irrespective of their background.
