Everyone says that the best sales people are hard to find. But somehow, sales managers tend to spot them and hire them before others in the industry can. But who are these legendary sales professionals, really? What makes them so successful? And who are these sales managers who are identifying their greatness and hiring them? Keep reading to find out.
Successful sales reps have specific personality traits that make them superstars. Though sales skills can be learned, much of what makes some sales people legendary is in their DNA. They’re born to sell. And if you look closely enough, you can spot these important personality traits when you’re interviewing new sales candidates to hire.
Empathy: The greatest sales professionals can easily identify with their customers and feel what they’re feeling. They read customers’ emotions, show concern, and demonstrate genuine interest in their wants, needs and problems. This allows them to establish rapport and gain trust in order to make the sale. Empathetic sales people ask the right questions, listen well, and put people at ease in their presence.
Drive: Awesome sales professionals are internally driven to accomplish their goals. They are able to stay focused on achieving their goals despite objections and obstacles. They do not need sales managers to externally motivate them because their motivation comes from within. They’re driven to succeed, no matter what.
Optimism: Those in the sales world need to be optimistic in order to succeed in the face of constant rejection. Mediocre sales professionals will crumble after constantly hearing the word “no”. They’ll let rejection affect their future sales, instead of leaving it in the past. Great sales people, on the other hand, are resilient because they are optimistic that the next sale will be more successful.
Problem Solving: Being in sales is all about coming up with the best solution to a client’s problem. The best sales professionals are great problem solvers. They are innovative enough to come up with new ways to satisfy their clients’ needs.
The people who know how to identify these innate personality traits of legendary sales professionals are the ones who are most likely to hire them and have them on board as great assets to their organizations.
These sales managers might be sales superstars themselves and see in the candidates the same qualities that have allowed them to succeed in their own careers.
They also know how to ask the right questions to dig deeper when interviewing candidates. They don’t focus on what they already know—the education, skills, and past experience that are already on the candidates’ resumes. They ask thought-provoking questions that allow candidates to show their true selves during interviews. They ask questions that get answers that matter.
The sales managers who hire legendary sales professionals often take a chance on them. They don’t focus on previous experience. They know that certain candidates have great potential, despite their lack of sales experience, and they hire them, knowing they can train them and teach them all of the selling skills they will need to close deals.
When sales managers identify these traits in their candidates, they don’t wait. They don’t hesitate. They hire them right away. Because they know that top sales professionals won’t be on the market for long. They’ll be scooped up by a competitor.
However, some sales managers know that they simply don’t have the right skills or experience to spot the best sales professionals, so they don’t kid themselves. They leave the important job of hiring top talent to the experts. They work with sales recruiters who are experts at identifying top talent and who already have deep connections with great candidates to ensure that their sales teams are filled with legendary sales professionals.
Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.