There is always room on an organization’s sales team for another great sales person, but what makes a great sales person? Businesses with sales hiring experience know to look for select attributes that a great sales person will demonstrate in nearly any setting. In fact, you will see a great sales person putting these attributes into action not only with prospects and managers but with peers, acquaintances, and anyone else with whom they come in contact. Businesses can rely on great sales people with these behaviors because these are the sales people who will be able to build long term relationships with repeat clients in nearly any market.

A Great Sales Person Supports the Business, Not Just Personal Sales

It almost goes without saying that a great sales person will consistently deliver great sales. Yet there is more occurring in this dynamic than a drive for personal success; a truly great sales person is making sales that support the business, not just his or her own earnings. This involves thinking for the long term with every sales decision, even when this might pose the more difficult route.

A Great Sales Person Is Willing to be Personally Accountable

In adverse market conditions you may hear sales people talking about how conditions are negatively impacting their ability to sell, but a great sales person will acknowledge those factors and work to overcome them without allowing negativity to hold him or her back. By acknowledging that there are influences a great sales person is able to work around them, without laying external blame for personal performance.

A Great Sales Person Has Considerable Powers of Observation

Great sales people tend to listen more than they talk, and when listening are not just looking for key words or attitudes. They are also observing the speaker and the attitudes of others involved in the conversation, and allow these positions to influence their own approach. These observational powers and the willingness to adjust allow great sales people to make those with whom they are working more comfortable with the interaction whether the stakes are high or low.

A Great Sales Person is Excited About the Business’s Brand

Excitement for the brand that he or she is representing distinguishes a great sales person from an average one, as that excitement can be contagious with prospects and clients. However, to truly work, such enthusiasm must be genuine: Prospects who are being asked to spend a portion of their budget on a product or service will pick up on deception and respond to it with a firm “No, thanks.”

A Great Sales Person Always Has a Plan

You will never hear a great sales person arriving at the office and wondering, “What should I tackle first today?” A great sales person already knows what he or she must do to meet personal goals for the day before the day has officially begun. Similarly, when a great sales person is pursuing a major contract, you can be assured that he or she has already devised a plan for how to close that contract. With these plans, great sales people:

• Are looking for mutually beneficial results
• Are allowing room for modifications and adjustments as needed
• Are maximizing their time to be more efficient and effective in everything they undertake

A Great Sales Person is Career Focused Each and Every Day

Great sales people don’t tend to think in terms of the next day, the next contact, the next sale; they think about how each action they take is building their career. A great sales person’s focus is on results and reputation. This might be why a great sales person is more willing to tackle the ambitious goals, and is certainly why a business can always rely on a great sales person to do the right thing – a career focused individual is never willing to compromise personal or business integrity.