7 Traits of Successful Sales Professionals : Desmond Brifu

Sales professionals play a vital role in every organisation. They are responsible for selling their company’s products and services to customers. This requires building relationships with potential clients and convincing them to purchase the company’s products. Sales professionals who consistently deliver high performance are rare. If you want to become one of them, then you need to develop these 7 characteristics from Desmond Brifu.

• Be Persistent

Persistence is linked to many important sales-related variables such as the ability to close, meet quotas, and stay on top of the sales process. One of the best sales tips there is to be persistent. If you have a strong strategy, keep going back to it until you get what you want. Be persistent and you will get what you desire. Persistence doesn’t mean being difficult, being stubborn, or being insensitive. It means showing up and sticking around until your prospect says yes, and then following up. Carry on the conversation until you get the response you want. Be persistent and don’t give up.

• Have Patience

The sales process can be lengthy and complex, which can be frustrating. However, this does not mean that you should give up. Have patience and keep working on it until you break through. Patience is also required to see how the conversation unfolds over time, and how it may change as your relationship progresses.

You need to have patience and be willing to wait for your prospect to say yes before you can move on to the next step in the sales process. Have patience with yourselves as well as with the people you work with. Sales calls don’t always go the way they were planned, Desmond says from his personal experience.

• Know Your Product Inside Out

The truth is that if you know your product inside and out, then you will be far better prepared when it comes time to talk about it. All that skill in preparing won’t do you any good if you don’t have a good handle on your products and services. You need to know your product inside out and be able to explain it in a way that is both simple and yet informative. 

This means that you know enough about the product to answer the prospect’s questions and explain how it benefits them, but you also know the product well enough to explain how it relates to their problems.

• Know When to Walk Away

The best sales professionals know when to walk away. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. You have to know when to keep going and when to stop. It’s tempting to keep going when you’re making progress, but sometimes the best thing to do is to stop and try again later. 

Sales is a numbers game. You may spend hours with a single prospect, but if you don’t close the sale then it was all for nothing. The best way to avoid becoming frustrated is to know when to walk away claims Desmond Brifu. If the prospect isn’t buying what you’re selling then you need to move on to the next one.

• Listen Well

All too often, we listen more to our thoughts and opinions than we do to the people around us. We are so busy talking to ourselves that we don’t hear what others have to say. When making a sales call, make sure to pay attention to the keywords the prospects are using when they use your keywords. 

While listening well, Sales Managers should remain conscious of the timing of critical pauses in the dialogue and the ways they interrupt the conversation. They should know how to respond while the person being talked to is silent. How to respond when the person is silent for too long, and how to handle themselves when they finish talking.

• Show Respect

Salespeople need to understand that some people may not want to have a sales conversation with them, even though they are open to one. This should be taken into consideration when making a sales call, and salespeople should be keenly aware of this fact. Always show respect for another person, whether that be their rank, job title, or age. 

Being disrespectful is a sign of immaturity, both in thought and in behavior, and it does not reflect well on you as an individual. This goes a long way in creating a good relationship with your future customers.

• Have Integrity

Being ethical is an important part of being a successful salesperson. Salespeople need to have integrity and should try to keep their promises, both to their customers and themselves. If you make a promise to a prospect, then you need to follow through on that promise. If you don’t follow through on your promises, then you’ll lose credibility and your prospects will lose trust in you. 

It’s important to remember that no one is entitled to your time and that you are always free to say no to any request. This will make you a lot more likable. And will position you as someone good to work with.

Conclusion

At its core, being a successful sales professional means that you can deliver value to others. By helping them solve their problems, improving their lives, and by advancing the state of the world for future generations. If this isn’t a mission you can get behind, then sales might not be for you. But if it is, set your sights on impact, and give it your best shot!

Desmond Brifu believes that these 7 characteristics of a successful sales professional can be the first step towards achieving that success. Let us know your thoughts on these seven traits in the comment section below.