So much has been said and written about what top sellers do to set themselves apart from the average and low performing salespeople.
Let’s look at this from a different angle. What things do they make certain to NEVER do?
In order to fully understand what makes a high performing sales person, it’s helpful to recognize behaviors NOT exhibited by this elite group.
The best salespeople develop relationships built on trust. In essence, they always do what they say they’re going to do, and they’re always honest about what they’re not capable of doing. Their clients know they can trust them; therefore they're willing to open up and share their real challenges and opportunities with them. High performing salespeople are trusted allies rather than vendors.
Nothing is more frustrating to a client than trying to track down their sales person with no luck when they really need them. This should not happen, ever! Elite salespeople are responsive and are always available for their clients. And if they know they won’t be available, they always let their client know who will be taking care of their business in their absence.
It’s not about their budget, their quota, a contest they want to win or their desire to “close” a deal— the focus is always on the client. Elite salespeople put themselves behind their client’s desk, and they work hard to understand their client’s valid business reason, challenges, and opportunities.
The best salespeople don’t “wing” it. Their clients are much too valuable and important to show up without a solid plan. They take the time to prepare for each meeting and they know exactly what needs to be accomplished. They never want to waste their client’s time.
Elite salespeople believe they are the real difference between working with their company and their competitors. They hold themselves accountable for their client’s success. If something is not working, they own up to it, diagnose the problem and quickly solve it.
They sell solutions. It’s never about why their product or service is superior; it’s always about how their clients can use their products or services to solve their business problems and/or meet their goals and objectives.
This is just a list of six things; there are, of course, many more things high performing salespeople make certain to NEVER do. If you’re a sales manager or sales person, we’d like to hear from you. Share your thoughts and tell us what else should be added to this list.
*Editor's Note: This blog was originally published in 2012 and has since been updated.