Posted on: Monday, October 29, 2001

60 Seconds on Business
Super salespeople have four distinct skills

By Dr. Drake Beil
President, Solutions Inc.

How can you select super salespeople? How do you identify the best salespeople for the job? Most employee mistakes begin with hiring the wrong person. At California Pizza Kitchen, they use the phrase "hire hard and manage easy."

Well, what key competencies should your salespeople have? A recent retail client surveyed their best salespeople, and found four key competencies:

First, they set high standards of achievement. The outstanding salesperson was driven to compete against a self-defined standard of excellence usually a few notches higher than other members of the company.

Second, super salespeople developed effective tactics and techniques to gain customer trust and support.

Super salespeople had a knack for explaining complex ideas in simple terms.

There's no coercion involved, either; their influence generally came from the strength of their personality and their commitment to service.

Third, they considered the likely effects of their actions, their words, and especially their appearance. They tailored their approach to suit customer needs. When the customer is an engineer, the salesperson might work hard to create the impression of having more technical knowledge. When the client is a social worker, the salesperson may work to develop a personal relationship before beginning the sales process.

Fourth, high-performing salespeople had tenacity. The ability to stick with it, to persevere was essential as a sales success skill.

Reach Dr. Drake Beil at drake@60secondsonbusiness.