The four traits key to success in the critical world of sales
PHILIP Delves Broughton’s idea is very simple. “Selling is not a sideshow, a pesky obligation apart from the real business of finance, law, or accounting. It is business in gorgeous Technicolour.” Sales is a “human practice.” To be a success in sales requires skills and traits that aren’t solely useful in that particular job, but essential for success in life. In his new book, Life’s A Pitch: What the World’s Best Sales People Can Teach Us All, Delves Broughton’s central premise is that “to sell is to be human – with all that that implies.”
As an everyday action, therefore, there is no single archetype of the ideal salesperson. Success is linked to context. There are, however, key traits that differentiate the great from the good and their relevance is not limited to sales. Learning from the best salesmen and saleswomen can help any career, and even assist with that most difficult of pitches – selling yourself as a job candidate.
1 RESILIENCE
Delves Broughton describes resilience as the “ability to maintain an emotional equilibrium in the face of bad events.” Good salespeople, anyone in business, must see “rejection and failure as essential to building the muscles necessary for eventual success.” Not everyone will want to buy what you’re offering, whatever the value of your product, just as not everyone will want to hire you, however well-qualified you may be.
Effective long-term sales prowess requires hardiness in the face of rejection. Someone who will crack at the first sight of disappointment will likely find it difficult to pursue more difficult clients, and will certainly fail to understand why it is they failed and how they can improve on a flawed strategy.
2 MANAGED COMMUNICATION
Josh Franklin, manager of sales and marketing, investment banking, at BRUIN Financial, the specialist recruiter, says that sales communication is more than about being good in person. “Salespeople must have a meticulous and seamless sales process from initial call, through to meetings, how they follow up on these meetings, how they manage the pipeline, and finally how they close and manage that relationship.”
Communication is not just about an effective patter. Proactive communication, “keeping your products and brand at the forefront of a client’s mind,” is part of building a strong relationship. And this relationship should be as credible as possible, built on jargon-free facts. It can also be improved, according to Franklin, by so prosaic a skill as knowing your client’s language. In private banking or wealth management, for example, “there is a constant need for business-fluent foreign language speakers – German, Dutch and French, in that order.”
3 RESEARCH AND PROVE
Effectiveness in sales means the ability to understand client motivation. When your context is financial services and investor appetite is one of caution, slow decision-making and due-diligence, good sellers will collaborate with analysts and support staff to provide that reassurance.
Similarly, when selling your prior achievements, researching your potential employer’s motivations is key, as is proving why your product fits into those motivations. “The obvious starting place is revenue generation,” says Franklin. If you can demonstrate that you’ve sold well, or simply performed, you will have an advantage, especially in a market when products aren’t flying off the shelf.
4 ACTIVE DIFFERENTIATION
But with so many salespeople pursuing a limited number of clients, and so many applicants chasing a similar number of jobs, it’s worth considering first principles. “It’s sometimes difficult to differentiate between the average, good and the great in sales,” says Franklin. “This market has no room for passengers.” Good sellers will ensure they’re driving action, not just responding. They should “pick up the phone, make things happen. Stay in constant contact with clients and pay attention to the most minor of details.”
Resilience, adaptability, tailored and empathetic communication, strong research, and an ability to prove prior achievement all reflect a singular desire to succeed, under whatever conditions the market throws up. The greatest salespeople didn’t shrink from challenges. Nor should anyone else in business.
Philip Delves Broughton, Life’s a Pitch, What the World’s Best Sales People Can Teach Us All (Portfolio Penguin, £12.99)