The 8 Most Common Personal Attributes Of The High Performing Business To Business Salesperson

Some of the attributes are obviously identifiable, some more interesting.

1. High need for personal achievement
2. Insecure enough to need the constant reassurance of success
3. Secure enough to deal with rejection
4. Likes people
5. Sufficient emotional resources – self motivated, secure in own self-image
6. Happy to be thought of as a sales person; carries no negative baggage around about the job they do; is proud of the role they are fulfilling
7. Dislikes routine but likes to be organised
8. Enjoys the feeling of (often) being outside their comfort zone

Management Commentary

1. Effective target setting, and personalised incentive schemes, will bear significant fruit here
2. Give (appropriate) recognition and praise
3. Allow them to quickly move on after set backs
4. Don’t employ salespeople who like travelling, and who enjoy their own company
5. Customers like buying from, and dealing with, confident, functional human beings
6. Embarrassed salespeople, who ‘are not really salespeople’, should be avoided
7. This explodes the myth that salespeople are inherently disorganised. The opposite is true of high performers. What they hate is routine, always being in the same place at the same time, each month running the same way. Allow discretion in how they organise their time.
8. Allow calculated risks to be taken; give them accountability for outcomes

This article is based on SalesPathways own research around profiling top decile sales performers. If you would like to discuss creating a high performing sales team please contact:

Claudine McClean
T:  01789 734400
E: claudinem@salespathways.com

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