Understand your sales staffing needs & then hire the right fit Candidate!

A: Sourcing the ideal sales persona

75% of sales posts are filled by extraverts.

Well that makes sense I hear some say.

To be in sales you need to have the gift of the gab, right?

Wrong! The true sales professional has the gift of the ear & discernment.

That is the ability to listen & hear a Customer’s needs. And the further skill to be able to, through listening & understanding, identify & then be able to articulate a solution to meet those needs.

This is a skill the extravert is often unable to cultivate.

The reason being that that the extravert enjoys listening to themselves rather than the Customer.

Bear this in mind when employing a new salesperson in your business.

It is not the one who comes across confident & brash that will ultimately be your sales champion, but he who listens intently & carefully forms an intelligent answer!

Hire right & you will then gain the sales outcomes you desire!

?B: the 5 vital traits of the best sales Professional

Are you finding it difficult to successfully recruit & retain productive salespeople? This is a common concern among Companies who rely on a professional sales force for their main revenue base.

The “80/20 rule” applies in sales as much as any other discipline, where 80% of sales are made by 20% of the company’s sales force.

But it need not be this way.

Building a strong sales team all starts with hiring the right people & then follows through into training them.

Research reveals that?over half of the people in sales?should be doing something else!

The ones who are left might need to either find something else to sell or simply be better trained to do their jobs.

There has been a lot of discussion about what makes the best salespeople.

Some are sales “skills” that can be taught or learned, while others are inherent personality traits that a company will want to uncover when hiring.

Here is a consensus of five common traits that your top sales performers all share.

1. Focus

A sales person with focus is one that is driven to reach their goals?and is generally self-motivated. Incentives are always effective, but not the driving force with these salespeople. They don’t require direction or guidance at every turn or appear anxious about procedures. In an interview, these candidates will give clear answers to questions and demonstrate a history of achieving objectives.

2. Positivity

Successful salespeople are positive and passionate about every aspect of their work. People would much rather make a deal with a cheerful salesperson than a bitter or pessimistic one. Everyone has life struggles, but these top performers understand that bringing a negative attitude to work will just compound matters. Passionate and positive traits are usually inherent and are difficult to teach. When you meet these people in an interview, they’ll stand out.

3. Integrity

Putting customers first is winning long-term strategy and a?critical sales skill?for sustained success. Sacrificing a sale or missing a quota for the sake of doing the right thing pays dividends over time in goodwill and future business. Salespeople that truly care about their customer’s needs find the most long-term success.

4. Self-Awareness

Sales is an ego-driven occupation that tends to be loaded with Type-A personalities. In some cases, this benefits your company, but when it comes to admitting faults and making changes, there can be issues. Your top salespeople are not only going to be high achievers, but they’re also going to have the self-awareness to pinpoint where they need help. They’ll be coachable and willing to adapt to both improve their sales and benefit the company.

5. Resilience

Let’s face it – salespeople get told “no” a lot. This isn’t the best career path for someone who bristles at rejection. A top salesperson not only needs thick skin to be able to handle rejections and bounce back, but they also?need to get comfortable with persistence.

Following up repeatedly or responding to a series of customer objections might be necessary to land that big sale. Some of these traits can be trained, but a level of underlying confidence must also be present for true success.

For some, sales, is a natural talent.

Several traits of top salespeople could be considered inherent attributes.

Others, however, can be taught, and this training can bring a company’s sales team to the next level, boosting profits and bottom-line results.

Businesses with an eye on building winning sales teams should scan for these other characteristics during the interview process, bringing in a sales force with an advantage on day one.