Sales Blog: Four Characteristics of a Successful Salesperson

Success is a very difficult word to define because it represents so many diverse concepts and ideas within our personal and professional lives. We all have our own unique understanding of success, but there are many common traits and characteristics that generally lead to excellence in the realm of sales. Excellence seems like a more appropriate word to use in reference to a professional role as it doesn’t eventually lead to failure. Excellence is a frame of mind whereas success is a destination. It’s very common to reach a level of success in life and then shortly after endure the tumble back to the bottom due to unexpected circumstances and fluctuations within the market. Upholding a standard of excellence is dependent solely on your own actions and is within your control.

The four most influential characteristics that mold an excellent salesperson are:

1. Ambition/Drive
2. Commitment
3. Positive Outlook
4. Responsibility

Without some level of discipline and adoption of these traits, a rewarding career in sales may be difficult to obtain. With the right tools and training, you can build a foundation to support your future and strive for excellence. Discipline also leads to professional freedom. If you can train yourself to be consistent, you will experience a significantly smaller degree of stress and frustration and a significantly higher degree of security within your role.

The Sandler Success Triangle is created by attitude, behavior, and technique. Take a moment to define each of these in your own terms. How are these 3 factors important in helping you reach the top of your profession? The specific pieces that fit into these categories will differ across industries, but the concepts are the same.

Once you understand what it takes to reach a level of excellence, it’s important to verify that your mentality matches your aspirations. Excellence within the sales profession is very dependent on mindset. In today’s society, we are very consumed by our professional roles and often forget that our identity isn’t always defined by our role. There’s an obvious connection between the two, but also a separation that is sometimes hard to acknowledge. At Sandler, we call this “I/R Separation”. Who you are isn’t defined by your level of success. Keep a clear mind, maintain a consistent process, and don’t get discouraged. You have to hear a lot of no’s to get to the yes’s.