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The two most important traits of successful salespeople in 2013 and beyond

When most people are asked to describe vendors, what words come to mind? in his book Selling is human, Daniel Pink researched that very question. Of the 25 words most frequently used to describe sales, it was the words “aggressive, gross, difficult, tough, and ugh.” Those are less than positive words and quite discouraging if your job involves any kind of selling.

Throughout the book, Pink manages to make the case that everyone is involved in some form of sales/is human. Sales involves moving people, it involves some degree of persuasion. EVERYONE who wants to help people tries to move people in a beneficial direction. Sales can be very positive for people; the idea or service we sell can dramatically improve their lives. Or it can be negative, ripping them out and leaving them worse than we found them. (If you are involved in this second type of selling, then please leave and go elsewhere; what follows is not for you and will not benefit you. However, if you are part of the human majority and want sales a win-win, then read on).

Pink singles out Tammy Darvish, vice president of DARCARS Automotive Group, one of the largest car dealerships on the East Coast. She got her start in sales, as the owner’s daughter, and quickly became the best salesperson. Her company has an increasingly popular policy of hiring people with no prior sales experience. They do this because they don’t want salespeople bringing unproductive sales techniques to the DARCARS environment. Like many great companies do, they want to train you according to their values ​​and principles.

Do you know what the two traits they look for the most are? The former makes sense and so does the latter, but based on the way most of us think about sales, the latter probably surprises you; he made me

1. Perseverance. Yes I have that one. Perseverance is one of those traits that is essential to anyone’s long-term success. In any field, if you want to be good or great, you have to be willing to keep going, not give up, conquer discouragement, and stay positive. Especially in sales, because sales always entail some rejection.

2. Empathy. If you were to ask most sales-oriented companies what traits they look for and want to develop in salespeople, would empathy come to mind? Probably not. But when you think about it, it makes sense for win-win sales. If you really care about the person you’re talking to, you want to help them, and you want to do what’s best for them. Darvish said, “You can’t train someone to care.” For her, the best sellers are those who ask themselves: “What decision would I make if that was my own mother sitting there trying to get service or buy a car?”

I agree with Darvish and Pink that empathy is an excellent and necessary trait to move people. Where I disagree with Darvish is that you can’t train people to care. I believe that affection and empathy are very easy to learn and train IF the person wants to learn. Whether it’s worth a company taking the time to train someone in this trait is another matter, but just reading that “empathy and mom” quote reminds me to think that way today and probably longer. Since what we think about most changes behavior, thinking about caring and empathy can help me behave that way more often. It will work for you too.

If you want to improve your ability to motivate people, becoming a long-term mover and thinking about what’s best for the people you’re involved with are great foundations to build on.

Will you carry on? Will you care?