The Mindset of a Salesperson

It’s often said that at the core, everyone is a Salesperson. Irrespective of the work, level or the profession you are in, as long as you are dealing with people, you are selling something. Hence, shouldn’t sales should be second nature to all?  

When you set aside the commercial angle of Sales, it is just an exchange of goods, services or ideas, which is an integral part of our daily lives. So, what is the larger definition of Sales? Here’s what I would put it as – anything you do to help another person or provide value to them in exchange for something - tangible or intangible. And when that exchange entails a monetary value, it’s commercial sales as we know of it.  

Now come to think of it in these terms, we are always selling something to someone on a regular basis. For eg: when we are recommending a restaurant / movie to your friends, pitching your political ideologies to your colleagues or just sharing a bit of advice / opinion with your family. The crux of Sales is when you care and want to help! It is said that the best Salesperson does not sell but just tells - in a way that the other person sees value.  

There are 5 characteristic behaviours in a good Salesperson 

1. Empathy 
2. Confidence 
3. Honesty 
4. Competence  
5. Passion

When you look at the characteristics, a true Salesperson should operate with 2 mindsets 

1. Rational  
2. Emotional 

Both these mindsets are critical for being successful. Yes, emotional mindset too in an important one, as a majority of the purchase decisions are emotionally driven. Moreover, when you look at the 5 characteristic behaviours, majority of them hinges on emotions. Hence, a well-balanced mindset enables a Salesperson to be highly effective, as shown in the diagram below. 

When and how to use these mindsets is dependent on the nature of the Sale and the person(s) being dealt with. Very often it’s a balance between these two mindsets that enables a successful sale. This mirrors the Consumer behaviour too, which swings between rational & emotional while making a purchase decision.  

In other words, a successful Salesperson, apart from having high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) must operate with a strong Emotional Quotient (EQ) as well and I would weigh the latter a tad more important than the former!