Today’s guest speaker commented on what he viewed as the two most important qualities of a good salesperson: a great work ethic and confidence. The first is very straightforward. A good salesperson must be both dedicated to their work and passionate about the product they are selling. He discussed the importance of knowing how to “shake it off” after an unpleasant interaction and learn from your mistakes. He also commented on the value of having thick skin in the world of sales. There is a balance, however, that must be kept between maintaining professionally thick skin and remaining personable and attuned to the customer with whom you are speaking. A salesperson with skin so thick that they are unable to become invested in a sale or empathize with the customer they are speaking to will be a very ineffective salesperson. Sales requires the ability to invest oneself in a sale, remain personable, but at the same time keep a professional distance so as not to be personally offended or hurt if the sale goes unexpectedly. The second quality that today’s speaker identified as one of the most important qualities of a salesperson is confidence. After stating this, he made sure to clarify the difference between confidence and arrogance. To be an effective salesperson, one must know and understand that they have self-worth and must be confident in their capabilities. This, again, brings to light a difficult balance between an appropriate level of self-confidence and an inappropriate level of arrogance. One of the quickest ways to turn away a potential customer is to appear arrogant and conceited. People appreciate when others relate to them on a non-confrontational, non-intimidating platform; and arrogance hinders both of these demeanors. An effective salesperson must understand balance – the balance between remaining personable, yet not easily offended and the balance between displaying confidence, not arrogance.
BoweryJE22
I thought this was a great point that Wendy brought up when she came to speak in class. Often times, salespeople will get caught up in themselves and forget to put the customer’s needs first. It is important to remember to keep the balance and make it clear to the customer that they are your main priority. A good sales person is able to identify with the customer and achieve the appropriate balance of confidence without coming off as arrogant and conceited.
This was a good post expressing the importance of balance. Extremes in most cases do not appear to be effective in selling. The ambivert personality type being most effective at selling is a prime example of this.