CHAPTER 2 SALES PERSONALITY LEARNING OBJECTIVES. 1. Understand the importance of sales personality and what makes a good sales personality; Recognize the contribution of sales personality in winning a sale; and 3. Identify the ways to develop sales personality. “Success comes from Knowing that you did your best to Gecome the best that you are capable of becoming.” —John Wooden -— Sales Personality Sales personality is the totality of all the salesman’s physical, emotional, psychological, social, and intellectual traits that is deemed to be necessary in building a trusting retationship-with-etients— , a These qualities are essential to manage a successful sale and build loyalty for the product or Pervice pice by the salesperson. A promising sales personality can enlighten the sales atmosphere by breaking down the prospect's reservation against an initial sales pitch. Importance of Sales Personality nee Sales personality is very important in dealing with clients. It is the first step in building trust and confidence with them. You cannot expect your client to trust you with his business and money if your personality does not- show that you can be trusted. Sales ality_in_some sales, industry is developed through personality development wsningp ind is sponsored by the company for their salesman. Itserves asa COI favestment To their salespeople to effectively handle the sales. Professional Salesmanship Scanned with CamScannerSales personality comprises the following traits: ei pnt i: 12 Physieat Tits salesperson mst be presentable in front of hi Prospect. These will radiate trust and confidence hot only from his Prospect but also to the salesperson, A winning personality gives out q motivation to win a sale, a. Appearance. There is no perfect figure to an effective sales personalit nperfections. However, appropriate grooming .. Being neat and presentable in front of the pr Each of us has me impor ospect Is Fequired to a salesman. This includes wearing decent clothes to make a favorable impression to prospects. For men, formal long sleeves or polo shirts, slacks, black shoes are some of the common attire. Depending on the industry they represent, some even don a coat and tie while others in traditional attire such as barong’ Tagalog. For women, tailored slacks/skirt and blouse (with or without a blazer), nice dresses, and heeled shoes are the common get-up. In some cases, a salesperson’ attire is patterned on thé type-f prospect he or she is expected to meet. How comfortable a salesperson is in his or her get up adds confidence during client calls. Proper poise and posture should always be maintained. Some prospects are very particular the way sales people carry themselves. Salesperson’ couldn’t be careless the way they behave in front of the prospect because it will determine the impression created for the prospect. b. Voice, Speaking Habits, and Language Used. The salesperson voice is very important in dealing with Prospects. Various pitches and tone emphasize different emotions. Itis with the salespersons voice that the prospect can recogniz sincerity and true concern of the product solution that he or she is offering, During product presentation, the salesman uses various pitches and tones to show the different phases and transition of his presentation When the salesmen are Presenting the features and attributes of the product, they use a firm voice that shows their confidence of the product. It also important to remember that voice should be accompanied by enthusiasm and warmth to gain Believability. Professional Salesmanship Scanned with CamScanner-—— Monotone voice will do nothing, It will only appear to the prospect that the presentatiom-trquite scripted, and though it is, but the sincerity to help the prospect must-be honest, Emotion should not be scripted. es Conversational habits Jike “Ye And phrases that start and end with “arp...” should be keptat_a minimum or completely avoided wh@h talking with prospects. These will only make the sales presentation sound tentative, the salesperson unsure of the product or service being presented. Sales people must be careful in the language they use. They should always speak within the language of their prospect to gain trust. Too much use of not familiar vocabulary words is not helpful. It will not impress your prospect. Portion of declined sales is because the p tthe salesperson is talking. Use dnly simple wyrd that is within the lenses of your prospects understanding, d. Manners and Mannerisms. There are some mannerisms that the sales people should tone down or not sho) ring client calls. Sone of tse ae BEIT Ta eshte pulling the tie, drumming with fingertips, playing ballpen with the hand, tapping the floor with toes, and many others, These mannerisms may distract the clients and play a big factor in their impression of the sales presentations SOS Emotional Traits. Many talented individuals have ruined their careers because they let impatience overrule good judgement. es Self-control and temperament is needed so as not to_be easily provoked by the pro: anyone, the salesperson should understand wRare-the prospect is coming from. He should not feel irritated or angered by the prospects provocation. The salesperson must consider the pfospect annoyance ap part of the sales situation that he must overcomes Taking things too personal will_bring-nowhere. Salesperson should know how trgee held of nts Gmotions. No sale was being made by arguing with the prospect. Being emotionally stable is required for a salesman. Having a good disposition in life contributes to working with confidence and enthusiasm. Professional Salesmanship Scanned with CamScannerility, and: humility 4 nination, dependability, and humility arg 3. — Psychological Traits, Det n must develop. additional traits that the sa Determination in selling or in any profession means that yoy cannot allow negative response: ia_anyway rather than Positively. The determined salesperson will not allow the “no response of a prospect affects the determination to get'the sale. Instead, the determined salesman will study the di reasons why the prospect said “no’. This will help the salesperson in preparing new strategies or make necessary adjustments that will persuade the prospect to change the “No” to a “Yes” and thus seal a salé. : Dependability means delivering what is promised. This brings profitability through repeat client ood Taterrats-by satisfied clients, When clients know that they can depend on you, it is hard for them to switch to other advisor or consiiltant because you have already gained Tespers their trust. i) Humility is essential when trying to connect with the prospect. During sales presentation, speak mainly and specifically about the Product or service being pitched. Focus the presentation on the fine ints\ of the sale without boastful claims about the company being teprescnted and even about oneselE— « Social Traits. This trait enables the salesperson to say or do the right thing that facilitates social interaction with the prospect. eS ea Tact is called for when dealing with sensitive pros; is shown categorically by what a person refrains from saying as by what the person does say. It is important that the salesperson knows how to be sensitive to the feelings of his prospect. Sa: Laughin; ight time is essential in building relationship with prospect. It is said that laughing at the mistakes of others makes no friends. But laughing with your Prospect when they want you toTaugh cultivates their ego; they will like the salesperson for it. Never devalue a person's ego, instead, build it up. aan Self-confidence is needed enable to mingle well with his prospect. It is usuatly-developed as-you gain through experience that you were able to surpass difficult sales situation. Cheerfulnessin conversing with piospect lightens the atmosphere and breaks THe gap in social situation, eesti Professional Salesmanship Scanned with CamScannerIntellectual Traits. A salesperson need to be knowledgeable of all the details about and related to the product or service being pushed. All types of questions may be raised by the clients to whom the salesperson must be prepared to answer honestly and correctly. Add to this, the salesperson, will meet people from all walks of life, with different economic and social background. He or she must be able to talk to them convincingly, adjust to their level of understanding and acceptance of the sales pitch. Developing Your Personalit Sales Personality cannot be developed alone by a’second or third party individual. If you are to develop yourself into the person you want to be, you have to help yourself. : 1 Coachability. Avoid being a_know-itall individual. You may know a lot, but not everything. Learn to listen, accept suggestions, and seek assistance from individuals with extensive experience in the field. 2. Winning Attitude and Behaviour. What the mind of man will conceive, man will achieve. Pressure and past failures are hindrances to self- improvement. If you continuously allow yourself to be haunted by your failures, you cannot do anything better. Do not belittle yourself, believe that you can do and perform better than what your failures brought you before. is a continuous process, having a plan lets you monitor your improvements from where you have started and what is-your future intended self-development. — | 3. Plan. It isalways wiser to make plans. Though personality improvement | Attitude Required for Salespeople To bea successful sales person, one needs to have adequate knowledge of the domain, be proficient in the skills required and have the right attitude. All the three are equally important though we tend to undermine the importance of having the right attitude to be successful. Tv'fa attiracte Of sales person determines the altitude to which he can rise in his career and in an organization. . Professional Salesmanship Scanned with CamScannersales per 1. itudes that are very important for you a Let’s review some of the a i ntattitude he first and pet haps the most imporiany atti beta es people e confi Person needs to possess is confidence. Sales peop mid ices that about their abilities and about the product or services that they gy | doubts in t ind of the _Confiden les people are work and it is their confidencé that helps them to taj, rejections in their stride and bounce back with enthusiasm. Dekermined: Persistence and determination need to be the nature of a sales person, There are innumerable obstacles that com, along and it is the determined:person who refuses to accept defeat ang Boes on to attain what he wants, He should be a go-getter, never losing sight of the targets for the month and the goal that he has planned for himself. 3. “Visionary: Successful sales people value the relationship with’customes and maintain a long-term relationship with them through regu regular” follow-ups. They understand the bigger picture and view each saleS a stepping stOne towards earning the goodwill of their customers who could provide valuable referrals to future prospects. They don't thinkaf today and just one sale, but plan on a long-term basis. Friendly: Sales people need to hai ality that is amicable so that people tabletalking to them Ther ete ore ight questions to eer SpE oy customers and their buying needs. They put their prospects at ease and listen to their requirements and suitably amend their sales speech to make it more relevant for theit prospects, Accountable: ‘Another important trait of a successful sales person is that they are accountable for themselves, their customers and theif organization, They are more forthcoming, in accepting their mistakes and correcting them in future without resorting to a blame-game. They behave responsibly, being answerable to both the customers and to te organization they represent for their decisions, Professional Salesmanship Scanned with CamScanner6. Optimistic: Only an optimistic person can be a succe: ful sales person a 0 person looks at Joes not just mean that al consciously ¢ New opportunities even in the worst situations, Facing we setback is quite normal Tora sales person and an oplimisttearns from these experiences and eff fectively uses them in future, Other Attributes of a Good Salesman oman Good Salesmanship is not about never losing a sale. It's about learning from every lost sale and never letting history repeat itself in that arena! Everyone can't be a good salesman. It requires a great deal of competence or excellence. Following are other attributes that a master salesman must develop. 1, Deliver more than you promise. For instance, if your customer is Promised a good quality product on a particular date but the product teaches him before time and the quality too is better than expected, you have acquired a loyal customer for life! This is how a super-salesman works! He pursues the practice of rendering service that is greater in quantity and finer in quality than he is expected to deliver, thereby bringing profit not just for himself. w Make mistakes, but learn to profit from them. For a good salesman, no slots ever lost A good salesman not only never repeats his sales blunders, but Tearns from them. A good observation is a plus point. ‘Learning fronrothers-mistakes helps prevent business too! Also, any mistake made is thoroughly analyzed to look for a solution. Good is sure to come out oft Gant ese ae a a coordination of different minds for the attainment of a single purpose is sure to produce positive results, Have an aim. Another attribute of a good salesman or quality he must develop is his working towards the attainment of a particular goal or quota, within delineated Time~A-goutt-walesmmatr Hever goes with an intention of selling all he can, There has to be a specific objective to be attained, Professional Salesmanship Scanned with CamScannersales pitch always (; A good safe man before making nis sales IC™ © tg to put himself in the customer's shoes. This Pr fiuaselreadii etter understanding of the customers? Needs and how thos ‘Ments can be amply fulfilled. 7 asman is his passion and fy The most important attribute of a salesman is his passion and hj, tious enthusiast Ts immediatly Keenness to complete a sale, This infe it easier to bur icKEM UP Dy the prospective clients, which makes it casier to build , relationship. trust, Good Salesmanshipjsa combination of the elements of Persuasion, creativity, education and the ideal of mutual benelits. Fmutualbenchts ——— ae | A quality salesman must have a g0o ledge of proc (special features and uses), knowledge about customer} (nature, types, habits and buying motives), a. The technique of selling and terms and conditions of the sale - delivery, prices, packing, credit facilities available etc. b. He must have ample familiarity with sales, promotion activities such as distribution of samples, coupons, premiums, exhibitions and clearance sates c. The objectives must remain to properly introduce new products, win new customers, and to improve public image of the company. d. Personal and moral qualities of honesty, integrity, loyalty area must! A successful salesman should be co-operative; courteous, well mannered, and outgoing, He should be intelligent with a presence of mind, imagination, confidence, observation, sharp memory, foresightedness and above all the power to take quick decisions. A pleasing personality only adds to the selling process A good appearance, good tastes, good habits and impressive voice are sure to make a lasting impression. ¢. A good salesman is one who demonstrates helpful to both the sellers and the buyers. He should ensure that while making profit, prospects needs is not compromised, Professional Salesmanship Scanned with CamScannerf. Building rapport is important in dealing with prospects. Make them feel comfort ile having business with you so they can | trust you with their business, 7 A desire to truly hel customers Fraspecan feel if the salesperson is only after hs onan ission. A professional salesperson put First | the welfare of his prospects by providing him/her the products and services they needed. h, Anever ending desire to learn more and grow in his selling skills. A good salesperson should continuously improve in the Td of selling by acquiring additional knowledge through trainings, seminars, and field experiences. If the salesperson stops to learn, he cannot respond to the changing prospects attitude and selling environment. oe Professional Salesmanship Scanned with CamScanner