The idea of a salesperson in most peoples’ minds is the cheesy guy with the upbeat personality who talks a lot. I once heard someone say, ‘I can talk with a mouth full of marbles underwater and that is why I am the best salesperson.’

Wrong!

It is these people who destroy the name of what a good salesperson is.

So then, you may be thinking that the individual who listens well is the best salesperson – ‘You have two ears and one mouth and you should use them in that ratio.’

Wrong! It’s better, but it’s also incorrect.

So then, maybe the salesperson who is customer focused, and gives the client everything they want, and completes each task as they said they would, is the best salesperson.

Wrong! Although, these are good skills to have.

There are a lot of salespeople out there who are good and a lot who are terrible. I like to break them up into four categories ranging from best to worst:

• CATEGORY A
  The salesperson who has the sales process mastered and doesn’t have to think about the process anymore because it comes naturally
• CATEGORY B
  The salesperson who has an idea, however has to consciously think about every step they do within the sales process
• CATEGORY C
  The salesperson who has no idea, however knows they have no idea (not great but teachable)
• CATEGORY D
  The salesperson who has no idea and thinks they have an idea (the worst)

There are a lot of steps to achieve a successful outcome and being able to complete this process in a smooth and seamless progression is the superlative. However, it can take some time and plenty of practice to get to this point. Even a category A salesperson can become complacent and fall into category B again. By being aware of this, they can be conscious of their sales flow and quickly transition back to a category A salesperson.

Sales is like karate, where plenty of practice and repetition is required to help you become the black belt of sales eventually.

So what is the ideal salesperson? In my view the ideal salesperson is someone who researches well, builds rapport easily, is always in control and is very fluent in guiding the client through the sales process.

This entails asking good questions, listening, being patient, collating information, looking for key needs and desires, requesting clarity, confirming key needs, supporting with evidence when required and always progressing the client to the next key step without jumping in or too far ahead.

To gain further clarity on each of the key features of a successful salesperson, review each section within the sales guide and practise them regularly.

Good luck in your sales journey to eventually becoming the category A – or black belt – of sales.

If your sales skills or conversion levels are low, please look into our sales training program so you can turn this around.