Here at Operatix we’ve hired hundreds of salespeople over the past few years. As such, this puts us in very good stead to tell you what makes a successful salesperson tick. We’ve found that the best salespeople tend to have the following three characteristics in common: confidence, courage, and enthusiasm. There are three questions you’ll need to ask yourself regarding those characteristics:

• Do I have confidence?
• Do I have courage?
• Do I have enthusiasm?

Cover those three bases, and you can truly set yourself on the way to success as a salesperson.

Back yourself and your product. Be confident.

Having confidence in yourself is absolutely vital. If a boxer heads into a bout without supreme confidence in their own ability, it’s more than likely that they’ll lose. The same goes for you as a salesperson. If you don’t have utter conviction in your own selling skills, then you’ll be setting yourself up to fail. Just remember: you wouldn’t have landed in this role if your superiors didn’t think you could do it effectively – that counts for something, right?

Knowledge breeds confidence. You need to learn your product inside and out before you bring it to a prospect. If there’s even an inkling of uncertainty with the facts, you won’t be able to deliver your pitch confidently. Know your product through and through. Once you’ve done that, you’ve armed yourself with every piece of information needed to speak with a high degree of authority.

Step up to the plate. Be courageous.

You’re in the world of sales. It takes guts and courage to pick up the phone, dial a number you’ve never dialled before, and pitch to a complete stranger. You’re in this game already, and that’s considerable testament to your courage as is.

Channel your courage to challenge people. Are you receiving an objection to your pitch? Then utilise your knowledge to bend the prospect back on track. Prospects can give reasons and excuses to avoid meetings and further enquiries. It takes courage and persistence to change the view of someone who may already have made up their mind.

You’ll also need every ounce of courage to try new things and push boundaries. It’s all well and good developing a pitch and sticking rigidly to its formula, but there may be occasions when the contents of your pitch aren’t working. In these instances, you need the courage to adapt your approach. Experiment with the format and the delivery. Find a combination that works for your prospect; there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to a sales pitch.

Attitude directly influences chances of succeeding. Be enthusiastic.

It’s incredibly off-putting when a salesperson isn’t invested in their pitch. We’ve all had sales calls in which it’s completely apparent that the person on the other end of the line couldn’t care less about what they were saying. These are the pitches that are guaranteed to fail. Show enthusiasm, and you’ll do a far better job of piquing the prospect’s interest.

If necessary, fake your enthusiasm. As a human being, you probably do this all the time anyway. You’ve done it in job interviews, you’ve done it when your partner asks how they look in their new clothes, you’ve done it when your mother bangs on about how pretty her garden looks. It’s easy. Keep plugging away and pretend you absolutely love what you’re talking about, and who knows? You may genuinely end up being enthusiastic about it.

Enthusiasm is infectious. If you sound like you’re invested in what you’re talking about, the other party will naturally pick up on your aura. Make a habit of an enthusiastic attitude with your sales pitch, and the results will speak for themselves.

Confidence, courage and enthusiasm are hallmarks of any successful salesperson. Should you be able to take on board the advice we’ve detailed within this article, you’ll be armed with the arsenal of knowledge required to better yourself as a salesperson.

If you haven’t already done so, take a look at our article on improving your sales pitch – linked here.