The new line of sales thinking is that any sales professional has the ability to become one of the best sales people on a team with the right set of skills and training. Although there are people who naturally equipped to start a career in sales, the days of believing that only these individuals are able to excel in a sales role are past. Sales people looking to succeed, and the sales managers seeking out individuals with this drive, should look to the three behaviours of the best sales people for insight.

1. The Best Sales People Invest in Their Own Success

There is no one avenue for an individual to become a top sales representative. In any given group of professionals regarded as the best sales people on a team or even in an industry, chances are good that each professional followed a different route to success. However, that success is almost invariably based on the willingness to commit to and invest in personal development. There are many approaches to personal development that a sales professional can take to become one of the best sales people in his or her area, including:

• Completing traditional college or university degrees
• Taking ongoing sales training courses
• Obtaining industry related certifications
• Purchasing and studying sales oriented books, CDs, and other media

The best sales people are constantly looking for new ways to improve their sales approach and foster better results. This not only benefits the sales person in the form of increased earnings potential and expanded career opportunities, but also the sales person’s employer through added sales and the ability to promote from within.

2. The Best Sales People Are Persistent

Persistence in sales is a delicate balancing act between maintaining contact with a prospect or client and driving that prospect or client away with too much contact. Yet persistence is a behaviour that all of the best sales people understand is integral to sales success, since it can take ten or more contacts to reach key decision makers under today’s organizational charts. The drive to follow up on phone calls, e-mails, and in-person visits is not typically an innate trait, especially if the initial contact was not returned. However, the best sales people will persistently strategize to overcome cold responses or outright rejection, which frequently leads to major deals.

3. The Best Sales People Ask the Right Questions

Questioning a prospect or client at every stage of the sales cycle is an integral behaviour that all of the best sales people have. However, even sales people performing at lower levels ask questions. The difference between these two groups is that the best sales people ask dynamic questions that go beyond basics such as, “What do you know about our company/product?” or “How do you think we can help you?” that can quickly lead to dead ends. Top sales people ask insightful, leading questions such as:

• What are the most pressing challenges for your business?
• Who else have you talked with about alternative solutions?
• What would you need to see to justify a purchase?
• How can we move ahead?

Astute sales people know that the most penetrating questions are the most difficult to ask, but are also the most likely to move a contact closer to a sale. This is why the best sales people put aside personal feelings and embrace tough questions at the outset.

Sales people who consistently work on these three behaviours are on track to become the best sales people in their organization or even industry – if they are not already there. Those who dependably display these behaviours stand out in an organization, as do those who are committed to developing these behaviours. This enhances career opportunities for those looking to become the best sales people, and sends a positive message to the hiring managers who know to look for these habits as well.