You can have the best product or service in the world, but if you don't have the right people in place you will never get the business results you desire.
Speaking at the recent NationaLease Sales Meeting, Michael Caceci of Excellerated Performance, LLC, says a good salesperson needs knowledge, skills and attitude in order to be successful.
He defines those terms this way:
- Knowledge: What to do or information, understanding or skills gained from experience or education
- Skills: How to do it or the ability to do something that comes from training, experience and practice
- Attitude: Want to do it
His list of skills includes: self-leadership, business acumen, consultative selling, written and verbal communications, and time management.
A salesperson needs knowledge of his customers and prospects as well as of local, regional and national markets. In addition, he or she must understand the buying process and be aware of industry trends. And a good salesperson must be well acquainted with both current and emerging competition.
He added that knowledge and skills combined only have a 15% impact on sales performance while attitude accounts for 85% of the success. But even though skills and knowledge only appear to have a small impact, they still are vital to the sales process.
Attitude is developed by major events that shape ones thinking and by discovering new facts. Attitude can be changed through increasing the use of positive language, and by being aware of negative “habits of thought.” During the hiring process, test for attitude and once you have hired someone reward behaviors that align with your sales goals.
But don’t forget to make sure your salespeople also have the knowledge and skills that will allow them to achieve their sales goals.
