Salesmen are among the most important marketing tools that a company has. Good salesmen can make the fortune of the company and that’s why companies treat good salespersons as valued assets. However, it is not easy to be a good salesman these days due to intense competition. The consumer of today is also much more knowledgeable and informed due to the presence of the internet. Therefore he can do his own research and it is not easy to change his mind. Being a good salesman requires a mix of certain qualities. Let us study them one by one.
Table of Contents
- 1. Endurance:
- 2. Self-control:
- 3. Observation:
- 4. Analytical power:
- 5. Communication:
- 6. Learning ability:
- 7. Execution:
1. Endurance:
Patience is the hardest thing to do. Anyone who has made sales knows that you have to be patient when there is no customer initially. Many people who have just stepped into the sales industry give up halfway through and cannot persist. Maybe you need to endure for a month, half a year, or even a year before you begin to accumulate some customers. Accordingly, it can improve your performance and income. Being a good salesman requires a lot of skill and which can only be developed over time. So look for opportunities to learn. In the beginning, see every customer as an opportunity to learn and develop those skills. It’s okay if you can’t make a sale. Have patience and keep improving.
2. Self-control:
Although some people may ignore it or don’t think of it as relevant, self-control is an important aspect of being a good salesman. We learned about patience and endurance above which is possible only through self-control. A salesman may get rejected several times. Sometimes he may also have to face bad behaviour by the customers. He should have the quality of self-control to not get demotivated by bad behaviour and rejections. Salesmen may have to contact several clients in a day and only one or two of them will accept your offer. Salesmen need to have the self-control to leave all laziness behind as they need to be energetic while meeting each and every client. Salesmen also need self-control to not let multiple rejections make them feel low and frustrated. Otherwise, they will also lose those one or two clients who they would have convinced, had they been in a good mood and full of confidence.
3. Observation:
The ability to observe things around you and be aware of them is a critical ability for becoming a good salesman. A salesman should also be able to segregate relevant information from the irrelevant ones and should observe and focus only on the relevant ones. The broader market conditions of the economy, the conditions of the industry to which the salesman belongs, new trends coming in consumer preferences, in his industry and in the market in general, the performance of the products that he sells, its strengths and weaknesses, consumers reactions on his products, competitions products, behaviour and reactions of the customers when he meets them, etc., are some of the most important things that salesmen must keenly observe.
4. Analytical power:
Analysis and observation are inseparable. Observation gets information, and analysis makes sense of it in the present scenario. You observe all the things that are relevant to your work and ignore the irrelevant ones. You then need to analyze everything you observed in the context of our present situation and reach a conclusion on how this information can help you. When dealing with a customer, for example, you need to carefully observe his behaviour, his eye movements and his expressions. You have to use these observations to analyse consumer preferences, likes and dislikes. Based on this analysis you can come up with plans to convince the customer to buy your product.
Also read: How To Do On-The-Spot Customer Analysis?
5. Communication:
Communication is an indispensable ability for sales personnel. Communication has two meanings. One is to accurately collect the other party’s information, understand the other party’s true intentions, and at the same time accurately convey their own information to the other party. This basically means how well you are able to understand the other party and how well you are able to convey to the other party what you have to say. The other is to use appropriate communication methods such as tone, expression, behaviour, manner of speaking, etc. Every customer is different and you may need to change your communication methods a little bit for every customer. Based on his own behaviour you can decide what is the most effective way of communication for this customer. However, in general, you should sound polite, amicable, impressive and convincing to make an effect on customers.
6. Learning ability:
For a salesperson, there is a wide range of knowledge that needs to be contacted, from marketing knowledge to financial, management, and related industry knowledge. The business environment is getting more and more competitive day by day and in this scenario, no knowledge is ever sufficient. A salesman needs to constantly update his knowledge database and be aware of all the important changes coming in everything that is relevant to his work and his product. The present era is referred to as that of a knowledge economy. Knowledge is everything in this era. So the more you know the better are the chances of your success as a salesperson and in business in general.
7. Execution:
Execution ability reflects the overall quality of the sales staff, and it is a spirit of never giving up unless the goal is reached. Sales staff often encounter difficulties in implementing the plan. At this time, if you say, “The task is too difficult to do,” then your leader can only say, “OK, then I will find someone who can do it.” Things that are not difficult cannot be called tasks, and things that everyone can accomplish cannot reflect your value.