If I told you that one of the most important characteristics of sales excellence in today’s hypercompetitive business environment was not to be a salesperson, would you think you subscribed to the wrong or https://npfinancials.com.au/magazine? Well, I have a good reason for saying it.
I’m not really saying you shouldn’t be a salesperson. I’m saying that to be a top sales professional, you have to be a businessperson — because businesspeople make the most effective salespeople. And why is that true? Because what you are really selling is business improvement.
In terms of selling, what do I mean by “businessperson”? A businessperson is someone who can transcend the product or service she is selling to reach higher ground — the ability to understand, articulate, and drive the contribution her business can make to the client’s business.
What is the business value of your product or service? To communicate this to your prospect convincingly, you must be more than a sales rep. You have to be a businessperson and, using business competencies, view and present your offering as platform upon which your prospect can achieve their business plan going forward.
Characteristics of a Businessperson
Being a businessperson not only means developing these business skills, such as the ability to read and interpret financial statements, but it also involves a way of thinking and being. Here are some of the behaviors and traits I have observed in sales winners — people I would also consider businesspeople:
uThey know that if they give their customer what he needs, they will then get what they need.
uThey make rational decisions, rather than allowing emotion to guide them.
uThey follow orderly procedures and processes, rather than taking random actions.
uThey plan for the future and have the discipline and motivation to execute that plan.
uThey seek out the truth through insightful, probing questions, rather than blindly accepting what they are told.
uThey accept responsibility for their own ac
