I’ve made some recent business trips to Canada and Ireland, and found it fascinating to hear sales managers and sales professionals from those countries describe their best sales performers. Interestingly, the comments did not differ significantly from what we’ve heard in the U.S.  Granted, Canada and Ireland are culturally similar to America, but I have also heard similar comments in prior trips to Asia, Europe, and South America.

Two of the most common recurring descriptions for Top Performing Salespeople:

• Less talking, more listening - The skills of questioning and listening are universally valued by customers, and cited by sales managers as a characteristic of their top performers.

• Results-oriented - The best salespeople want to win, and focus their time and attention on winning the right accounts.

In many of my sales training workshops, after facilitating a discussion about the characteristics of top salespeople, I cite research from a book I recommend, Discover Your Sales Strengths. Authors Benson Smith and Tony Rutigliano studied the characteristics of thousands of salespeople.  Two significant findings indicate that the best salespeople consistently “discover and solve customer needs” (by asking more and better questions) and “impact others to say yes” (to get results).  

Based on your sales or management experience, what do you think?  What selling skills and attributes characterize the best sales professionals? Additionally, if you have sold internationally, what is similar and different about selling overseas vs. in the U.S.?

- Bill McCormick, President of Sales Training And Results, Inc. (STAR)

What makes a Sales Team a team?

In my 20+ years in the sales training business, there has definitely been a trend to move toward team selling. When done well, a successful team can sell and negotiate more effectively than a single seller. 

Yet, a recent conversation with experienced sales professionals in our Sales Negotiation Workshop highlighted the major challenge in team selling. You cannot simply throw together a group of people and call them a sales team. It takes time, effort, and skill to form a successful team.

Here are some questions that can determine whether a sales team will succeed or not:

• Who should be on the team?
• What are each person’s specific roles and responsibilities? 
• Who should lead the team? 

Some of the answers to these questions may be obvious, but many sales teams fail to address these questions at all. For example, the salesperson shouldn’t necessarily be the leader of the team.

Based on your experience, what do you think?  What does it take to create a high-performing sales team? When should you use a team in the sales process?

Let us know what you think!

- Bill McCormick, President of Sales Training And Results, Inc. (STAR)