When you need to hire a new team member for sales, it is vital to ensure that they’re not only going to be a good fit for your organization, but also that they have inherent qualities that make them shine above their peers. When you’re working with sales recruiters, they can help you zero in on the best candidates for the job, simply because they know exactly what to look for in each candidate.

Although some selling skills can be learned, the vast majority of highly successful sales people have particular characteristics that make them great. These are personality traits and abilities that sales recruiters are able to recognize, which puts certain candidates above the rest of the pack.

Let’s take a look at a few of these characteristics that sales recruiters look for in great sales people.

1. No Self Consciousness.

By far, the most common shared trait among great sales people is not only a good sense of self and belief in their abilities, but a lack of self consciousness. These are the people who are comfortable in any situation and are not hampered by feelings of inadequacy and doubt.

2. Resistance to Discouragement.

Getting discouraged is common in an industry where you may have to talk to 100 people to get 5 actual sales. Truly great sales people know how to fight discouragement and some of the best may never even have those feelings. These are the people that sales recruiters look for — the ones that can take no over and over again and still keep going strong.

3. A Healthy Competitive Spirit.

Great sales people will have a competitive drive that pushes them to exceed their peers as well as their own personal goals. A competitive spirit is absolutely essential in sales and these people display above average levels, but maintain a healthy spirit, rather than someone who is so centered on achieving they plow through anyone in their path.

4. A Curious Nature.

Curiosity is an incredibly important trait in sales people. This trait enables them in the relationship building process simply because they want to know more about their contact and keep asking questions. This not only gets the sales prospect talking, but it helps them build a rapport. Sales recruiters look for candidates that display high levels of curiosity and aren’t afraid to ask questions during the interview process. Not only do these candidates ask questions, but they know how to ask good questions to get people out of their shells and begin relating.

5. High Achievers.

If you want to be successful in sales, you’ve got to be a high achiever and be able to set and meet personal goals. Talented sales people display this trait naturally and don’t need to be pushed to meet goals. These are the employees who will always meet or exceed your expectations since they have such high expectations of themselves.

6. Passion and Enthusiasm.

It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, if sales people can’t get enthusiastic and passionate about it, they won’t be as successful as the people who can. Naturally enthusiastic people tend to score higher on passion levels too. They love what they do, what they sell and they want to share this product or service with the rest of the world. Sales recruiters may even test to determine which candidates have the highest natural level of these traits.

These are just a few of the traits that top sales people share. While you can screen for some of these on your own, sales recruiters are also trained to pick up on clues and have access to resources that help them differentiate the top candidates from the rest of the crowd. These tools make the hiring process easier and ensure that you are getting the absolute best person for the position.