5 Characteristics of a Guaranteed Sales Performer
Western Australia experienced an economic super boom in the years between 2009 and 2014. This boom had a positive impact on almost every industry and as a consequence every business. As global demand for our resources has cooled, so too has our state economy.
With this as a backdrop, how does a business continue to meet its growth aspirations? My personal view is that sales and selling will become one of the most important capabilities Western Australian businesses can develop, and having highest performing sales people an important part of that capability.
So, who are the highest performing sales people?
First, lets look at the predominant sales types – there 5 types of sales representatives
The Hard Worker – The Hard Worker is exactly who they sound like. These are the reps who show up early, stay late and are always willing to put in the extra effort. They’re self motivated and don’t give up easily.
The Relationship Builder – Just as the name implies, Relationship Builders are all about building and nurturing strong personal and professional relationships and advocates across the customer organisation. They’re very generous with their time and work very hard to make sure their customers needs are met.
The Lone Wolf – The Lone Wolf will look familiar to anyone in sales. Lone Wolves are deeply self confident. As a result, they tend to follow their own instincts instead of the rules. In many ways the Lone Wolves are the “prima donas” of the sales force – the “cowboys” who do things their way or not at all.
The Reactive Problem Solver – The Reactive Problem Solver is highly reliable and very detail oriented. While every rep in one way or another is focussed on solving customer problems, these individuals are naturally drawn to ensuring that all of the sales promise are actually kept. A Reactive Problem Solver could be described as a customer service rep dressed in sales rep clothing.
The Challenger – Challengers are the debaters on the team. They’ve got a deep understanding of the customer’s business and use that understanding to push the customer’s thinking and teach them something new about how their company can compete more effectively. They’re not afraid to share their views, even when they’re different and potentially controversial.
So, what is the most effective sales type? In a comprehensive global study conducted by the CEB Sales Leadership Council, which studied the performance of over 6000 sales reps across multiple geographies and industries, it was concluded that The Challenger was the standout success.
So what truly sets a Challenger apart?
- They offer the customer unique perspectives
- They have strong 2-way communication skills
- They know the individual customer value drivers
- They can identify economic drivers of the customer’s business
- They are comfortable discussing money
- They can pressure the customer
In summary, a Challenger sales rep is really defined by the ability to do three things
- Teach – Challengers are able to teach for differentiation during the sales interaction
- Tailor – Challengers are able to tailor for resonance, delivering the right message to the right person within the customer organisation
- Take Control – Challengers take control of the sale
Are these skills learnable, absolutely. To truly harness the power of The Challenger sales approach, your organisation needs to
- Build appropriate sales models – models that encourage – teaching, tailoring and control
- Coach and train sales people to be comfortable in the Challenger approach – sales training is a mentoring process
- Recruit people with a natural propensity to engage in this approach
