Playing my favorite sport by the water keeps me happy and stress-free.

With the numerous options of articles, videos, podcasts, books, and creative tutorials out there on how to train salespeople to be great at selling, how does one even know where to begin?

In my opinion, everything that we do daily is selling. When we inspire someone to join our favorite charity or eat at our favorite restaurant or try something new with us, we are selling. If a banker convinces us to change to another type of account, that is selling. If someone asks us out on a date, that is selling. If a mother can convince her child to go to bed early so that the child will not get tired in the morning, that is selling. I hope you get the idea of what I am trying to convey.

To me, the meaning of selling is to engage, to intrigue, to persuade, to seduce, to entice, to enroll, and so on. Selling does not always have to be in exchange for a material thing or for money. For example, if you encourage someone to take action on your idea to improve their work or personal life, that is selling.  I feel like I have been selling my whole life. Always engaging and enrolling or inspiring, and motivating someone somewhere to try something that I am excited about at the moment.

In order to thrive as a salesperson, there are certain qualities I think a good salesperson must possess. Can those be taught and trained? I am not sure. Why don’t you read on to see what I have to say and then make that decision for yourself and your team?

Passion: I have seen many people in a sales position because it is a job, and not for the love of the product or the service offerings they are trying to sell. So much of sales is about sharing and communicating your enthusiasm and excitement about what you are selling. If you are not passionate about it, how can your potential customers be feeling the same? A great salesperson is genuinely and enthusiastically interested in what they are selling. And most often, you can see that in their body language, their positive facial expressions, and their upbeat tone of voice, too!

Knowledge: Study your products and services and know them well so that you can help fulfill the needs, desires, and respond to your customer questions promptly with well-informed and accurate data. Be the living example of it. Instead of spending time keeping track of what your competitors are doing, spend time giving your customers a unique, exclusive experience with you.

Honesty: A good salesperson is honest. Potential clients are watching and listening to you very intently, and can sense if a person is sincere or not. When you are honest and maintain integrity in your promises and delivery to your customers, you will build trust with them. And trust is the most important element in keeping any relationship strong.

Asking and Listening:When you are attentive to your customers’ wants and needs, you ask them specific questions about what they are looking for, their thoughts and concerns about the products and services, and then repeat their responses back to them to ensure them you have heard them correctly.  This is called active listening. The best sales experiences happen when your client feels that you know exactly what they want and need because you have done your homework of asking and listening. Soon, you will become a trusted adviser to the customer and transactions in the future will be simple and easy.

Detail Oriented: It’s the little things that matter. A great salesperson is very detail oriented. Their actions are fully thought out and performed with precision.  They know that every step they take and every little thing they do will be used by the potential customer to measure the worth of their brand or product in order to make the purchasing decision.

Polished and Positive: Finally, a polished image and a positive attitude are the key ingredients to get you in the door. It is always better to be overdressed than underdressed. When you look your best, you will feel your best. Your confidence and joy will be contagious and everyone around you will want to have what you have. Interestingly, it has been scientifically proven that our mental and emotional well-being skyrocket when we are looking our best. When you are polished from head to toe, your confidence shines through. You are more mentally alert and prepared for what is coming at you, regardless of how sudden or challenging. As they say, you do not have a second chance to make a first impression.

These are my top 6 qualities that a great salesperson must possess. But my #1 quality in a great salesperson is Loving Life. If a person is in love with their life and themselves, they will highly value their time and will only choose jobs that they enjoy and are passionate about. Work will not feel like work if you love what you do and are true to yourself. It will feel like you are living your dream life. And that is moi 99.9%! (smiles)

Being able to walk to the water within minutes from work makes my life even more powerful.