A father meets his son’s teacher.
“Sir, I’m afraid your son is a cheater”, says the teacher.
“What? No ! What makes you say that”? responds the father
“Well, in the last math test, he had the same answers as his neighbour”.
“Yeah, that’s a math test, duh. There’s only one good answer, right”?
“Indeed, but in one of the questions, your son’s neighbour answered ‘I don’t know’ " .
“So what”?
“Well, your dumbass son wrote "yeah, me neither".
Business experts we interviewed say that the most successful salespeople share these traits.
They care about the customer's interests, they’re confident, they’re always “on”, they’re subtle, they’re resilient, they’re extroverted, they’re good listeners, they’re multitaskers, they provide insight, they’re persistent , honest, and focused; they're optimistic and upbeat, and have a broad worldview and cultural understanding.
And, they must must MUST have, Product Knowledge. What differentiates superstars from the regular salesperson is that they know their wares so thoroughly that they are confident and proud of what they're offering, and they possess the ability to spot new ways of leveraging the product as a solution to customers' unforeseen problems.
The Caretaker Salesperson
The caretaker is one of the most common types of salesperson that you can hire. Also known as transactional salespeople, these are employees that are often passive and are content to find a comfort zone that they rarely ever leave. They are often known as order-takers because rather than hunting for a potential sale, they wait for the sale to come to them. Caretakers are the types of salesman that are risk-averse, which means that they don’t want to take the chance on a prospective customer rejecting their sales pitch. They will often provide small businesses with competent, steady performance because they are adept at positioning themselves in the right place at the right time to get a sale. If you run a retail business in which the primary job of your sales staff is to help buyers find the products they are already looking for, you should hire a caretaker.
The Professional Salesperson
Another one of the most popular types of salesperson is the professional or the relational sales personality. The professional has strong analytical skills and is able to reason his way through problems. The professional develops good customer/client relationships by building a rapport and connecting with customers and clients by understanding their wants and needs. With these types of salesperson, the goal is to establish a bond that is based on fulfilling expectations. Professional salespeople often get sales because buyers trust them to deliver on what they’ve promised. Professionals are the types of salesman that excel in advertising companies or any type of sales companies in which servicing existing accounts is important.
The Closer Salesperson
Closers are the type of salesman that you often see parodied in used car commercials on TV. They are distinguished by qualities such as persistence, brashness, and a healthy dose of self-confidence. They are often referred to as “born salespeople,” because their mindset is to always be closing a deal, even if the prospective buyer is reluctant to buy. Closers are always finding ways to encourage, coerce, or push customers toward the goal of closing a deal. They are not concerned as much about building future relationships as they are about finalizing the deal that’s in front of them. Closers often have outgoing personalities that can sometimes border on being too aggressive. They don’t take “no” for an answer and they're able to offer incentives and enticements in situations in which customers need that final push to close a deal.
The Consultant Salesperson
Consultants bring the qualities of a closer with the personal connection often found in professionals. They are well-rounded salespeople who know how to close a deal and build relationships at the same time. They aren’t afraid to solve problems for their customers and to go the extra mile with incentives in pursuit of a long-term relationship. They are skilled at tailoring their sales pitch to each customer’s needs and they are active listeners who are patient when the need requires, but they can also be aggressive with customers who are on the cusp of saying “yes” to a deal.