Wow, I had to read this Inc magazine article. I was quite sure I was not going to be on the list, but I was curious who was. Zig Ziglar and Mary Kay Ash seemed like logical choices. I’ve heard both of them speak and was ready to buy Zig’s tapes and Mary’s cosmetics half way through their talks. The Dale Carnegie choice also seemed to fit. I’ve taken a couple of his courses over the years. I also loved seeing the Ronco founder, Ron Popeil on the list. Seriously, who doesn’t own a set of Ronco knives!
The list is fun to read, but to make it useful for us, we have to consider what attributes these salespeople have that made them such legends. What is it that each of these super salespeople have that the rest of us might not have? After reading each of their accomplishments and biographies, here is my list. Do your sales people have these attributes?
- Passion for what they do
- Belief in their product or service
- Long term commitment
- Confidence in their abilities
- Encouraging customers to Imagine
- Persistance and follow-up
- Ability to emotionally connect with people
- Demanding of themselves and colleagues
- Goal oriented (Incentive driven)
- Closure seeking (Closing a deal)