systematicHR

It would be absurd for me to tell you how to attract salespeople. So I won’t. Sales is so highly specialized based on the target markets, the product mix, the region that very few tactics are universal. However, Gallup has apparently found some common traits that all successful salespeople have some degree of.

Gallup interviewed over ½ million salespeople and came up with four qualities that seem to be fairly universal.

• Ability to Close: This might seem obvious, but there are varying degrees and different types of closing the deal.
• Ability to Build Relationships: This also was not anything new, so I’m not talking about this one either.
• Intrinsic Motivation. Great salespeople seem to be self motivated. This motivation could be for any number of reasons, and those reasons are dependent upon the individual. The reason for the motivation is not a success factor, and can include the desire to compete and win, the desire for money, or for prestige. The common thread is that successful salespeople don’t need to be externally motivated – they already have it.
• Disciplined Workstyle. Organization is a good thing. But we’re not necessarily talking about keeping all your papers in order. Really the more important factor is the ability to set a rhythm and pattern. Most salespeople I’ve ever met hate prospecting and tend to avoid it. However, the successful salesperson will diligently carve out time to prospect and no matter how distasteful, will stick to the schedule. Organized salespeople seem to have all the luck. It’s not luck – when things seem to click for those organized salespeople, it’s because they were actively prepared for it.