What's your Sales DNA?

What makes you a successful salesperson? Is it being able to grind out results, working hard when everyone else has gone home? Or is it your training? Were you taught by the best, practising regularly to improve your skills. Or, do you think it's something you were born to do?

I believe that being able to work hard is essential, and you know how hot I am on sales theory and how it can be applied to close those deals in the real world. However, I think there are attributes you’re born with which make you really successful. It’s the small margins, those slight edges that can’t be taught. It’s your Sales DNA.

Here are some of the fundamental points of Sales DNA. You’ve either got it, or you don’t.

1 - Energy

Look, I’m not comparing sales to working down a mine or bomb disposal here, but it can be pretty hard work. You need to have high energy levels, and a quick recovery time, if you’re going to be a true success.

Think about the facts and figures you need to remember about your product or service. Think of how you have to think on your feet, often improvising to overcome objections or snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. How mentally draining is it to stand up and present in front of a room people of important people? It takes its toll on your mind and body.

If you’re a successful salesperson you’ll have the energy to be able to give it your all every day. You’ll look after yourself so you stay curious, stay hungry and keep learning.

2 - Enthusiasm

It's a fact that people buy from people they like. What kind of personality traits are the most likeable? What kind of attitudes build rapport?

Enthusiasm is the primary personality aspect that makes someone warm to you, and if you’re successful salesperson, you’ll have it in spades. What you give, you get back.

You’ll have a level of enthusiasm that will make people feel that you’re thrilled to speak to them, that you’ve been looking forward to meeting them. Your presentations will make your prospects feel that you’re genuinely excited to display your products or services to them. You’ll be able to show genuine enthusiasm for improving their business.

3 - Belief

Belief is a massive part of Sales DNA. Without belief, you’ll be ground down before you’ve even started.

Sales is a tough job. You have targets which can seem insurmountable at times. You have to close clients which seem impossible. You have to fight impostor syndrome every day. Without belief, you’re defeated before you even start.

4 - Positive Outlook

In sales, you take a lot of knocks. You get rejections from prospects you were sure were going to buy. You feel pressure from those above you, and team members below you are demanding too.

Truly successful salespeople will not allow negativity to creep into their outlook, no matter what happens. If a prospect rejects you, you brush it off and pick the phone up to the next prospect with your usual enthusiasm. You’ll deal with your managers with a can-do attitude, and your team with a helpful smile. There is always a way.

A salesperson with a positive outlook is a bonus to have around the office. They mould the team’s culture and lead by example.

5 - Care

A great salesperson takes pride and care over everything they do.

When dealing with prospects and clients, a successful salesperson builds relationships based on trust, mutual benefits and empathy. They are happy to go the extra mile. They want to see their product or service make a difference for their client. In fact, they get a genuine thrill from it.

Within the team, the best people take care over their work. They pay attention to detail, roll their sleeves up and pull together. They don’t disregard the tasks they don’t enjoy.

They’re the 5 fundamentals of Sales DNA as I see it. The key to all of it, as always, is confidence. Have the confidence to be yourself, and everything else will follow.

Your turn now. Do you believe in Sales DNA? What inbuilt qualities do you think are essential for a successful salesperson? Let me know down in the comments.

Become a sales leader at www.salesconfidence.com/blog

About the Author

James Ski is CEO and Founder of Sales Confidence and CRO of Opogo. He previously worked at LinkedIn, where he advised companies on recruitment, marketing and sales. 

If you would like to be first to read his published posts focused on sales confidence sign up to his blog here.

In June 2018, James ran London’s first B2B SaaS Sales Conference, SaaSGrowth 2018.

This article was first published in September 2017.