Why Are Some Sales People So Much Better Than Others?

If you have been in sales for any period, chances are you've worked with a superstar salesperson. I certainly have. I have been lucky to work with some of the best sales people around. What makes them so good at sales? What helped them to rise to the top of their field? Were they born to work in sales, or was it something else?

Sales can be a tough business. It does take a certain skillset to be at the top in a sales environment. Do you need to be extroverted? Definitely not! Being extroverted from my experience is not a prerequisite to being a top sales person, In fact, some of the best sales people I have worked with were naturally very introverted. They wanted to be great salespeople and they followed easy to learn systems/processes and approached their roles with the right mindset.

Let me outline some key traits that top sales people on average harness These are not difficult traits to master, should you desire to do so. Let me say that again:

"These are not difficult traits to master, should you desire to do so."

Let's jump in!

They're Curious.

Top sales people are always curious. They are always looking for ways in which to improve. They are watching others sell. Even when their numbers are better than everyone else's, they are still seeing if there can be some nugget gleamed that they can themselves use. They are always asking questions. They're inquisitive.

Always seek to learn.

• They ask great questions and ask questions well.

Top sales people know the questions to ask that will move the process along. They know when to probe deeper and when to hold back.

They know how to ask questions well. A top salesperson knows that to sell their product to the best of their ability they need certain questions answered. What's the customers pain points. What's the customers current state and what size is the customers gap between current state and future state.

They also ask questions so well that the customers are happy to open up. This is a key skill. The questions are not delivered like it's an interrogation.

Learn about effective questioning.

• They generally have a high work ethic, or at the very least, they started their careers with one.

The amazing thing about having a high work ethic in sales is that you are getting to refine your process quicker than everyone else because they're talking to more customers. They fail quicker, but more importantly, they are learning quicker. Having a high work ethic pushes you to the top.

They recognise when they need to be up their work ethic and output quicker than most.

Start improving your output.

• They are great listeners.

One of the hardest things to do as a salesperson is to listen. To really listen! Listening to understand. Too often we are thinking about what we're going to say and not listening. We're listening to respond, not listening to understand. By listening to understand you are building an accurate picture of the needs wants and desires of your client. Your client feels understood when you listen. Top salespeople are phenomenal listeners.

Start listening to understand.

• They're generally very systematic/process driven.

Most top salespeople work to a system/process. The are not jumping from one job to the next. They follow the system/process because it streamlines their work flow. You will find that top sales people are looking for ways to improve their system/process to help maximise their output. If you have a top sales person in your ranks, ask them about their system/process. This is the easiest one in the list to emulate.

Look for ways to improve your system/process.

• They usually turn up to work, to work.

Whilst they will engage, you will usually find them working on the next deal. If you analyse their time spent on productive work, it will usually be the highest in the org. They don't get sidetracked easily. They are always conscious of time.

Don't get sidetracked. Remember your goal!

• They are reflective.

Top sales people always reflect on deals won and deals lost. They are learning from themselves. They generally analyse how a deal went down and deconstruct it to find the learnings. On average they don't just accept the reasoning the customer has given them for not purchasing their product/service. They are reflecting on it to see could they have changed tact. Were they talking when they should have been listening. Did they not show the customer their future state well enough? What did they miss?

Start deconstructing your deals. Be reflective!

• They are usually more hungry than everyone else.

They will tend to do more self learning than anyone else.

They are not afraid to go above and beyond to stay at the top of their profession.

That hunger drives them to use the lion on the hunt method.

The lion will go down to the watering hole to see if there is food available. If not they will go over to where they heard a commotion to see if there is anything there. If there's no joy there, they will go behind some trees that are growing close by to see if there's anything there. If they don't find joy there they will either double back and do it all again or they will keep pushing on to find food. They have a hunger and that hunger needs to be satisfied.

Be a lion.

Conclusion:

So you see. All of the skills you will ever need to succeed in sales are learnable traits. You don't need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to becoming a top sales person. There are tried and trusted methods to raising your sales numbers. It all starts with the desire to improve.

Thanks for reading.

Aiden