What are you made of?

 “A man's own character is the arbiter of his fortune.” 

- Publilius Syrus

What does it take to be an effective sales professional? What character traits should we possess or learn to embrace to be a valuable asset to our clients? 

Most articles and websites are going to name things like being tech-savvy, being upbeat, goal oriented, competitive nature, multi-tasking (I can’t believe this was on one list I saw - it’s complete bullshit), and being “hungry”. By the way, “being hungry” is part of an extinct paradigm and part of the larger and grossly outdated sales philosophy built around aggression, fear, and quite frankly, a lack of true skill. 

I’m still learning after all these years, however I have put together a list of characteristics that I think are integral to professional selling. 

1. Empathy. Take time to understand the problem through the client’s eyes. How does it make them feel? How is it affecting their ability to be successful in their role? Tie the solution into those feelings to foster emotional buy-in. 

2. Listening Skills. If we’re doing most of the talking in a client meeting, we’re doing it wrong. It takes time, but learning about the incredible power that comes from shutting the fuck up and letting the client speak is one of the best characteristics we have as professionals.  

3. Curiosity. Combined with the aforementioned Listening Skills, being curious and asking questions about things you hear during a conversation or meeting can turn into nuggets of pure gold. 

4. Service Mentality. A desire to help our clients achieve their goals and put their needs ahead of our own. If we are to be trusted we need to shift our thinking to a Service Mentality. 

5. Adaptability. Roll with the punches. Change on the fly. Shift conversations as new ideas and needs arise. Learn how to do things more than one way. Keep backups of your backups. Adapt or die. 

6. Tenacity. Cold-calling is hard work, but sticking with it and reaching your weekly KPI’s will translate into dollars. 

7. Imagination. This is our fuel. We conceive what we believe, and the bigger the imagination the bigger the possibilities. Never mistake this for anything less. 

Are there any that you think should be added to the list? Post your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below and share this post with your fellow reps. Now go sell without the bullshit.