What are the most important qualities a salesperson should have?

Sales and marketing are two interdependent departments that enable a company to achieve common goals. But if they are to be achieved, the role of the salesperson is crucial. To find out what the most important qualities of a sales person are, read our article.

Contents

Missions

What are the duties of a sales representative?

The role of the sales representative is to generate and boost a company’s sales, using customer prospecting methods and developing its portfolio.

In the past, sales people thought that everyone was a potential customer and that this could help them to make more sales. Today, however, this is no longer the case, as sales people can distinguish between relevant and irrelevant customers. Based on this, they need to be able to personalise their services to meet consumers’ needs and, above all, target their sales operations.

It’s always important to get to know the customer before offering a product or service. To do this, a good salesperson needs to know the latest trends in the sector in which he or she operates. This means being fully conversant with social networks and the various sources of relevant information.

A good sales person must also be versatile and able to work not only with the marketing department, but also with other departments in the company. Because they have a thorough knowledge of useful customer information, they can help bloggers to create appropriate content, or help designers to create a product that perfectly meets customers’ needs.

Find out more about career opportunities in sales.

Qualities

What human qualities should a salesperson have?

Salespeople are in constant contact with their customers. They must therefore be able to interact effectively with them. To do this, certain human qualities are useful.

Good listening skills. The first stage of the sale begins with listening. This gives the sales representative the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the prospect’s concerns and needs. This strategy will arouse the customer’s interest and trust. In this way, he can act as an advisor without the customer feeling harassed or pressured into buying a product or service.

empathy. Empathy and compassion are quality traits that must be almost innate in a salesperson. Empathetic salespeople listen carefully to people and are very sensitive to what affects them. They are able to put themselves in other people’s shoes so that they have a better understanding of their real concerns and needs. This enables them to know how best to help their customers.

An attitude that inspires confidence. Success in sales and as a salesperson is first and foremost a matter of trust. The best salespeople understand the importance of establishing a climate of trust and ensuring that every customer is satisfied. To achieve this, they regularly follow up their prospects and customers, and not just when they are trying to close a sale. Even after an unsuccessful sale, sales reps always keep in touch with their customers.

Skills

What technical skills and knowledge should a salesperson have?

There are certain skills in which a salesperson must excel to guarantee good results and sales performance.

Identify new opportunities. Sales people generally have a unique view of customers. To achieve this, they must always strive to make improvements to their products, ideally based on customer feedback. To do this, they need to be able to decipher these factors from the technical data at their disposal. They must also be able to detect other opportunities based on the results of certain studies that remain unexploited.

Developing the best solutions. A salesperson must be able to find a unique solution to each situation without it having an impact on the company. Their technical skills give them a good deal of scope for finding solutions to certain problems that are quite complex to resolve. They certainly have an impact on sales volume and customer loyalty.

Responding and providing technical advice. A sales representative must be able to respond and provide technical answers to every situation. They must be able to make a technical assessment of consumer behaviour. This technical expertise will serve as a reference for the marketing team in developing an effective advertising and sales strategy.

Opportunities

What are the advantages of working in sales?

Sales is a blatant example of the pay-for-performance system. That’s why so many people want to become salespeople. As well as building relationships with different people, this professional earns a fairly comfortable salary. The more important the position, the higher the salary, not to mention the bonuses.

The sales profession is also a challenging one. The bar is set higher with every performance, so you can surpass yourself and climb the ladder through increasingly difficult challenges.

Discover our FAQ dedicated to the sales professions.