The life of a sales recruiter is not an easy one, in large part because there are so many people that think they would be good in the world of sales but end up causing nothing but frustration for their employers. Sales Recruiters of Virginia are tasked with putting great salespeople in contact with the respectable companies that need them, but everybody has at some point had a bad experience with an unqualified salesperson. Our job is to help ensure that businesses only end up with the best sales associates possible.
Four Must-Have Traits of Successful Sales Candidates
But what constitutes “the best”? The following are four qualities that show up most often in successful salespeople.
#1 Intrinsic Motivation
To be frank, a deep-seeded sense of self-motivation is one of the most sought-after traits of employees in any line of work, but it is especially important for sales people since they often are the ones most responsible for bringing in the income that keeps businesses running. Adding conscientious sales professionals to a staff means adding someone who not only is dependable but also willing to set lofty goals and then work their tails off until those lofty goals have been met. If they can’t light a fire underneath themselves, there is a very strong chance that they will not meet your expectations as a salesperson.
#2 Measured Confidence
Great salespeople typically are extroverts, which means they head into their industries with the sort of confidence required for closing sales. While a certain measure of timidity can be expected for anybody starting a new position, the best salespeople do not show it when interacting with clients and advertisers. They small talk well, they speak with clients in terms of “when” rather than “if,” and they present themselves with a confidence that suggests things will get done. At the same time, overconfidence can be a burden, so finding a certain coachability is important, too. Confidence matters, but it should not bleed into arrogance.
#3 Persistent Resilience
Salespeople are going to hear “no” a lot. It’s just the nature of the business. Knowing this, the best salespeople have to be both resilient upon experiencing that constant rejection, as well as persistent in terms of getting back on the horse to keep trying. Great salespeople keep pushing through, even on those inevitable days when they haven’t made a ton of sales.
#4 Prior Success
What’s the best way to tell that a salesperson is going to be successful? Check on their prior successes. A quick look at a resume can give an employer a sense of how successful someone has been in the past, and asking them about their most prestigious prior accomplishments can be a great way to determine whether or not those experiences will translate to a new business setting.
As your sales executive recruitment agency, Sales Recruiters of Virginia is eager to help businesses find the right salespeople, but starting a search based on these characteristics is an excellent first step. Moving beyond that, our expertise can help ensure that your sales team is strong and grows stronger with every new hire.