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Five Attributes To Lead You To S.A.L.E.S. Success

Written by: Howard Litwak

Article Overview: Now, more than ever, it's important for salespeople to go back to basics. Here are five attributes that have led to my 20 years of success in sales. See how you can develop or strengthen them in yourself to help get you to where you want to be.

Five Attributes To Lead You To S.A.L.E.S. Success

Five Attributes To Lead You ToS.A.L.E.S. Success.

Salespeople need to be better now than ever. There is still business to be had regardless of your industry but it's going to the person who has set themselves apart from the rest. In a good way of course...

Now, more than ever, it's important for salespeople, experienced or not, to go back to basics. I'm not talking about different techniques for questioning or closing, but your foundation or who you are as a person.

Here are five attributes and one bonus that were the foundation of my 20 years of sales success. Attributes are like habits. They can be developed or made stronger and more effective. To help me bring these to you, I have turned SALES into an acronym.

The first attribute, the "S" stands for Sell to Help. Always put the others needs first. To paraphrase Zig Ziglar: If you help your prospects get what they want, you can get more of what you want out of life. People can usually sense a salesperson just out for a commission. It either comes out before or after the sale. If you are looking for the benefits of long term relationships, like repeat and referral business, selling to help is a must. Transactional salespeople don't last long term. How aware of your prospects needs and wants are you? How well do you match your product or service to fill those needs of wants?

The second attribute, the "A" stands for Attitude. That is Positive Attitude as opposed to 'Having an Attitude'. Attitude is what drives behavior. A positive attitude leads you to thinking about your potential for success, as opposed to what could go wrong or why something won't work.

Remember -Your thoughts are the one thing in this world that you have complete control over. And your thoughts lead to your actions which lead to your results or the success that you want. So you are in complete control over the level of success you achieve. How is your attitude in general? Is your sales attitude getting you the success that you want?

The next attribute, the "L" stands for Likeable or friendly. People want to do business with people they like. Like leads to trust. Friendly leads to easy to do business with. Friendly is showing an interest in others. When you do that, people feel liked. If a prospect likes you and trusts you, then they MAY do business with you. Otherwise you have very little chance of earning a sale. Are you likeable to everyone, all of the time?

The "E" stands for Enthusiastic. Passionate. People want to see enthusiasm. Being enthusiastic about what you do makes it easier for your prospect to buy "you". Enthusiastic and passionate makes it easier for a prospect to like you. People will buy more from your enthusiasm and conviction. These are all foundational to relationships and sales. Enthusiasm can be transferred to a prospect which increases your chances for a sale. But remember that it needs to be real. How enthusiastic are you every day? What can you do to refresh your enthusiasm?

The last "S" stands for Smart or knowledgeable. Knowledgeable leads to trust. It leads to competence and confidence. People want to do business with confident competent people. Know all you can about your product or service and its possible outcomes in terms of your prospects needs, wants, concerns, or issues. Know all that you can about building relationships and influence. It is then that you can deal from a position of resource and advisor. That's a good place to be. What can you learn to be more valuable to your prospects and clients?

The bonus attribute is Authentic. You need to be who you are. None of this can be faked. You will always be more effective when you are yourself as opposed to trying to imitate someone else or to use a "technique". Authenticity is using your natural talents for the right reasons and in the right way. On a scale of 1-10, how authentic are you? How can you be more authentic?

S.A.L.E.S. These 5 attributes have been the cornerstone of my 20 years of success selling many different products or services. Success leaves clues and I have provided you with your own clues to help you get where you want to be.

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  What Makes a Great Sales Professional?

Article Tags: attributes, sales success, salespeople
Referred by: http://www.processspecialist.com/



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