CHAPTER 2

SALES PERSONALITY

“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that
you are capable of becoming.”-John Wooden

Learning Competencies:

1. Understand the importance of sales personality and what makes a good sales
personality;

2. Recognize the contribution of sales personality in winning a sale;

3. Identify the ways to develop sales personality.

Sales Personality

Sales personality is the totality of all the salesman’s physical, emotional,

psychological, social, and intellectual traits that is deemed to be necessary in building a
trusting relationship with clients.

These qualities are essential to manage a successful sale and repeat client. A
promising sales personality can enlighten the sales atmosphere and bridge gap from the
prospects reserved feelings of entertaining the salespersons initial step to a meaningful
sale.

Importance of Sales Personality

Sales personality is very important in dealing to clients. It is the first step in

building trust and confidence with them. You cannot expect your client to trust you with
his business and money if your personality does not show that you can be trusted.

Sales personality in some sales industry is developed through personality

development training and is sponsored by the company for their salesman. It serves as
a company investment to their salespeople to effectively handle the sales.
Sales personality comprises the following traits:

1. Physical traits
2. Emotional traits
3. Psychological traits
4. Social traits
5. Intellectual traits

Physical Traits

A salesperson must be presentable in front of his prospect. These will radiate

trust and confidence not only from his prospect but also to the salesperson. A winning
personality gives out a motivation to win a sale.

Appearance

There is no perfect figure to an effective sales personality. Each of us has

imperfections. However, appropriate grooming is of prime importance. Being neat and
presentable in front of the prospect is required to a salesman.

Proper poise and posture should always be practiced. Some prospects are very
observant the way salesperson carry themselves. Salesperson couldn’t be careless the
way they behave in front of the prospect because it will determine the impression
created for the prospect.

Clothing

Salesmen must wear decent clothes to make a favourable impression to their

prospect. They are expected to wear suits, black shoes, and slacks. They may also
wear formal long sleeve office attire with tie. In some cases, salesperson attire is
patterned on the type of prospect he is expected to meet. This is for the fact that some
prospect felt conscious if he/she thinks that the salesperson is overdress than he/she is.

Saleswomen attires are the likes of formal dress, below the knee skirt, heeled
shoes, and slacks. It is important to note not to overdress as if attending a cocktail
party. Comfortability of the attire while performing client presentations is a necessity.

Voice, Conversational Habits, and Language Used

The salesperson voice is very important in dealing with prospect. Various pitches
and tone emphasizes different emotion. It is with the salesperson voice that the
prospect can recognize sincerity and true concern of the product solution that a
salesman is offering to the clients’ problem.

During product presentation, the salesman uses various pitches and tones to
show the different phases and transition of his presentation. When the salesmen are
presenting the features and attributes of the product, they use a firm voice that shows
their confidence of the product. It also important to remember that voice should be
accompanied by enthusiasm and warmth to gain believability.

Monotone voice will do nothing. It will only appear to the prospect that the
presentation is quite scripted, and though it is, but the sincerity to help the prospect
must be honest. Emotion should not be scripted.

Conversational habits like “you know”, “uhm”, and phrases that starts and
preceeded with “ano”, should be avoided when conversing with prospects. It will only
sound as if you are not sure of what you are talking and presenting about.

Salesperson must be careful in the language they used. They should always
speak within the language of their prospect to gain trust. Too much use of not familiar
vocabulary words is not helpful. It will not impress your prospect. Portion of declined
sales is because the prospect do not understand what the salesperson is talking. Use
only simple word that is within the lenses of your prospects understanding.
Manners and Mannerisms

Some mannerisms to be avoided by the salesman are the following: rubbing hair,
forehead, face, pulling the tie, drumming with fingertips, playing ballpen with the hand,
tapping the floor with toes, and many others. These mannerisms will cause the prospect
irate and uneasy, thus, diverting attention to others instead of the salespersons’
presentation.

Emotional Traits

Many talented individuals have ruined their careers because they let impatience
overrule good judgement.

Self-control and temperament is needed so as not to be easily provoked by the

prospect. More than anyone, the salesperson should understand where the prospect is
coming from. He should not feel irritated or angered by the prospects provocation. The
salesperson must consider the prospect annoyance as part of the sales situation that he
must overcome.

Taking things too personal will bring nowhere. Salesperson should know how to
get hold of his emotions. No sale was being made by arguing with the prospect.

Being emotionally stable is required for a salesman. Having a good disposition in

life contributes to working with confidence and enthusiasm.

Psychological Traits

Determination, dependability, and humility are additional traits that the

salesperson must develop.
 The determined salesperson will not allow the “no” response of his prospect
affects his or her determination to get the sale. Instead, the determined salesman will
study the different reasons why his prospect able to say “no”. In this case, his next
encounter with different prospect, he will able to convert the “no” response into a close
sale.

Determination in selling or in any profession means that you cannot allow

negative responses affect you in anyway rather than positively.

Dependability means delivering what you have promised. This brings profitability
through repeat client and referrals by satisfied clients. When clients know that they can
depend on you, it is hard for them to switch to other advisor or consultant because you
have already gained their trust.

Humility is essential when trying to connect with the prospect. During sales
presentation, speak with humility and don’t even try to boast in front of your prospect
about your company, your product, and specially yourself. Handle the presentation with
humility and sincerity to catch the attention of your prospect and not to make him irate
with your presentation.

Social Traits

This trait enables the salesperson to say or do the right thing that facilitates
social interaction between him and the prospect.

Tact is called for when dealing with sensitive prospects. It is shown categorically
by what a person ​refrains ​from saying as by what the person ​does s​ ay. It is important
that the salesperson knows how to be sensitive to the feelings of his prospect.

Laughing at the right time is essential in building relationship with prospect. It is

said that laughing at the mistakes of others makes no friends. But laughing with your
prospect when they want you to laugh cultivates their ego; they will like the salesperson
for it. Never devalue a person’s ego, instead, build it up.

Self-confidence is needed enable to mingle well with his prospect. It is usually

developed as you gain through experience that you were able to surpass difficult sales
situation.
Cheerfulness in conversing with prospect lightens the atmosphere and breaks
the gap in social situation.

Intellectual Traits

Salesmanship demand intelligence. Dealing with different prospects requires

different level of intellect. There are times that a salesperson will have to face a
prospect with prominent position, and make some computations, it is important that the
salesman is equipped with the knowledge and skills to deliver the sales presentation.

Several prospects will try to measure the salespersons intelligence and

knowledge towards the product or service he is offering, however, regardless of the
intelligence, the salesperson needs to be quick-witted, that is able to think fast.

With this, the salesperson should be creative in thinking of a proper strategy to

overcome difficult situation. Though sales presentations are oftentimes scripted, the
prospects responses are not. It is vital that the salesperson can quickly think but
carefully managed to address the prospects doubts.

DEVELOPING YOUR PERSONALITY

Sales Personality cannot be developed alone by a second or third party

individual. If you are to develop yourself into the person you want to be, you have to
help yourself.

1. ​Coachability. ​Avoid being a know-it-all individual. You may know a lot, but not
 everything. Learn to listen, accept suggestions, and seek assistance to
individuals with extensive experience in the field.

2. ​Winning Attitude and Behaviour. ​What the mind of man will conceive, man
will achieve. Pressure and past failures are hindrances to self-improvement. If
you continuously allow yourself to be haunted by your failures, you cannot do
anything better. Do not belittle yourself, believe that you can do and perform
better than what your failures brought you before.

3. ​Plan. ​It is always wiser to make plans. Though personality improvement is a

continuous process, having a plan lets you monitor your improvements from
where you have started and what is your future intended self-development.

ATTITUDE REQUIRED FOR SALESPEOPLE

​ f the
To be a successful sales person, one needs to have adequate ​knowledge o
domain, be proficient in the ​skills r​ equired and have the right ​attitude.​ All the three are
equally important though we tend to undermine the importance of having the right
attitude to be successful. In fact the attitude of a sales person determines the altitude to
which he can rise in his career and in an organization.

Let’s review some of the attitudes that are very important for you as a sales person.

Confident: ​The first and perhaps the most important attitude that a sales person
needs to possess is ​confidence.​ Sales people must be confident about their abilities and
about the product or services that they sell. Lack of confidence only manages to instill
doubts in the mind of the prospects. Also, sales people are bound to face rejections
during the course of their work and it is their confidence that helps them to take
rejections in their stride and bounce back with enthusiasm.
 Determined: ​Persistence and determination need to be the second nature of a
sales person. There are innumerable obstacles that come along and it is the determined
person who refuses to accept defeat and goes on to attain what he wants. He should be
a go-getter, never losing sight of the targets for the month and the goal that he has
planned for himself.
Visionary: ​Successful sales people value the relationship with customers and
maintain a long-term relationship with them through regular follow-ups. They understand
the bigger picture and view each sale as a stepping stone towards earning the goodwill
of their customers who could provide valuable referrals to future prospects. They don’t
think of today and just one sale, but plan on a long-term basis.

Friendly: ​Sales people need to have a personality that is amicable so that

people are comfortable talking to them. They ask the right questions to understand the
business situation of their customers and their buying needs. They put their prospects at
ease and listen to their requirements and suitably amend their sales speech to make it
more relevant for their prospects.

Accountable: ​Another important trait of a successful sales person is that they

are accountable for themselves, their customers and their organization. They are more
forthcoming in accepting their mistakes and correcting them in future without resorting to
a blame-game. They behave responsibly, being answerable to both the customers and
to the organization they represent for their decisions.

Optimistic: ​Only an optimistic person can be a successful sales person. Having

a positive attitude does not just mean that a person looks at the bright side of things. It
also means that an individual consciously chooses to see new opportunities even in the
worst situations. Facing a setback is quite normal for a sales person and an optimist
learns from these experiences and effectively uses them in future.
OTHER ATTRIBUTES OF A GOOD SALESMAN

Good Salesmanship is not about never losing a sale. It’s about learning from
every lost sale and never letting history repeat itself in that arena! Everyone can’t be a
good salesman. It requires a great deal of competence or excellence.

Following are other attributes that a master salesman must develop.

Deliver more than you promise

For instance, if your customer is promised a good quality product on a particular

date but the product reaches him before time and the quality too is better than expected,
you have acquired a loyal customer for life! This is how a super-salesman works! He
pursues the practice of rendering service that is greater in quantity and finer in quality
than he is expected to deliver, thereby bringing profit not just for himself.

Make mistakes, but learn to profit from them

For a good salesman, no effort is ever lost. A good salesman not only never
repeats his sales blunders, but learns from them. A good observation is a plus point.
Learning from others mistakes helps prevent business too! Also, any mistake made is
thoroughly analyzed to look for a solution. Good is sure to come out of it! A Good
salesman understands that a coordination of different minds for the attainment of a
single purpose is sure to produce positive results.

Have an aim

Another attribute of a good salesman or quality he must develop is his working

towards the attainment of a particular goal or quota, within delineated time. A good
salesman never goes with an intention of selling all he can. There has to be a specific
objective to be attained.

A good sales man before making his sales pitch always tries to put himself in the
customer’s shoes. This provides a much better understanding of the customers? Needs
and how those requirements can be amply fulfilled.

The most important attribute of a salesman is his passion and his keenness to
complete a sale. This infectious enthusiasm is immediately picked up by the prospective
clients, which makes it easier to build a relationship of mutual trust.
Good Salesmanship is a combination of the elements of persuasion, creativity,
education and the ideal of mutual benefits.

A quality salesman must have a good knowledge of products (special features

and uses), knowledge about customers (nature, types, habits and buying motives),

∙ ​The technique of selling and terms and conditions of the sale - delivery, prices,
packing, credit facilities available etc.

∙ ​He must have ample familiarity with sales promotion activities such as distribution
of samples, coupons, premiums, exhibitions and clearance sales.

∙ ​The objectives must remain to properly introduce new products, win new
customers, and to improve public image of the company.

∙ ​Personal and moral qualities of honesty, integrity, loyalty are a must! A successful
salesman should be co-operative, courteous, well mannered, and outgoing. He
should be intelligent with a presence of mind, imagination, confidence,
observation, sharp memory, foresightedness and above all the power to take
quick decisions. A pleasing personality only adds to the selling process. A good
 appearance, good tastes, good habits and impressive voice are sure to make a
lasting impression.

∙ ​A good salesman is one who proves beneficial to both the sellers and the buyers.
While ensuring that the need of the customer is suitably met, a good salesman
ascertains a profit.

∙ ​The ability to quickly develop rapport with their prospective customers. Without
rapport, your prospects won’t trust you enough to feel comfortable doing
business with you. What makes a good salesman is either an innate ability to
bond with people, or more likely, working hard to study and acquire this ability.
∙ ​A desire to truly help their customers. People can sense when the only thing you
care about is your commission. What makes a good salesman is putting the
customer’s needs and desires first.

∙ ​A never ending desire to learn more about how to sell more effectively. Most
salespeople never take it upon themselves to further their own education in the
profession of selling. What makes a good salesman is his drive to keep learning,
keep improving even when he is already at the top of his game.