Did you know that there were more than 13 million salespeople in the United States in 2024?
Whether you go and get a degree or not, you can become a salesperson if you are passionate about your industry.
If you are thinking about going into sales and what all it takes, there are a few traits to pay attention to.
Continue reading to discover important traits that make successful salespeople so that you can grow your career!
1. Confident
One of the most important traits that successful salespeople have is confidence.
Businesses won’t want to work with a salesperson that doesn’t trust themselves. This will make them question you and their decision to trust you. It is also important, however, that you aren’t overconfident.
Learning as much as you can about your industry and products will increase confidence in a person. Being able to answer questions and not get overwhelmed when discussing things will clients is crucial.
If you lack confidence, you should start changing your thought process to be an effective salesperson. Try to think about all of your accomplishments and what you can offer.
2. Customer Focused
Having a sales career means that you will be doing most of your communicating with customers.
Office and manufacturing jobs don’t require staff to focus as much on the customer because they are behind the scenes. Often, the salespeople are the ones representing a company. Being customer-focused keeps them happy and working with you will be the top priority.
Depending on what industry you are in, a salesperson may focus on the customers through video calls, phone calls, and emails. It is also common for salespeople to meet with large customers in person.
3. Excellent Communicator
If you want to improve your sales strategy, you need to improve your communication.
Many people get experience communicating with others through Cold Calling Services or other jobs. You should look at every opportunity as a chance to improve your communication skills. Try to ensure that listeners don’t get easily bored, overwhelmed, or confused when you are talking.
Learning how to organize and present information to people is a lot of what you will be doing as a salesperson. Most of your conversations will be light and serious but there will be times that you need to communicate difficult information.
4. Extroverted & Personable
It takes a certain person to be happy and successful working in sales.
If you don’t like talking to other people and want to work on your own, you should consider another career.
Salespeople are most successful when they are extroverted and personable. This makes them feel more confident and unafraid to reach out to new people and begin a conversation.
Connecting with customers with a personable attitude is good since it helps them remember your company.
Often, when people try sales jobs for the first time, they can quickly determine if the job is too much for their personality.
5. Able to Multitask
Salespeople typically sell more than one item and service but they are selling to dozens or hundreds of buyers.
Being able to multitask is essential because you will be juggling multiple accounts. Each order will be in a different phase and particular to the client. You will need to work with technology while learning about products and focusing on marketing.
If you can multitask, you won’t be as easily overwhelmed when first starting this career. Make sure that you stay organized and multitasking will become a lot simpler. When your workspace and mind are cluttered, it can be challenging to handle multiple things.
6. Strong Listening Skills
So many people find it easy to talk to others, but listening is another component of communicating effectively.
As a salesperson, you will need to listen to your vendors, coworkers, and customers. You will be the middle person that is organizing all of the details so that everyone benefits. If people don’t feel that you are listening, they might not want to do business with you, and the potential for messing up an order increases.
The best way to improve listening skills is by having conversations with people. Try to listen as much as you can without interrupting. When people pause, you should ask follow-up questions and confirm information.
7. Passionate About What They Do
Have you ever been confronted by a person trying to sell you something that you don’t think they use or even like?
People are only successful with sales if they are passionate about what they do. Caring about the services or products that you sell is a key element that can’t be taught. The entire purpose of a salesperson’s job is to show someone else why they need something.
If you don’t feel passionate about what you have to sell, it can help to learn more. Learning more about products and services will lead you to questions and more interest in the topic. This helps you succeed because you will become knowledgeable and unafraid to learn more.
Try to look for a sales position in a field that you already have some interest or experience in.
How Successful Salespeople Get the Job Done
Learning about the elements that make successful salespeople can put you on the right track to success.
Most people know that a good salesperson is an effective communicator but it goes far beyond that.
Listening, being persistent, and multitasking are other key factors that will put you apart from the competition. As you gain experience and knowledge in your field you will become more confident and passionate.
Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone if you are interested in working in sales.
Be sure to check out our blog for more articles about how to get better at sales and excel in your career!