Selling is the act of exchange. And like the product itself, the act of selling is what drives the economy. Without the transactions, sales propel the economy would fall apart. Think of the disaster of the COVID-19 pandemic. People were not able to work or buy. Everything screeched to a halt and the world came apart at the seams. Sometimes in sales, you need extra assurance to make sure you’re on the right track. In this article, we will discuss 10 habits of top sales performers. We will look at this and find any undercurrents that are all harnessed and commanded by the world’s best sales performers.
Staying Motivated
This could go for any top performer in any field. It’s an underpinning of success and necessary for any objective completion. Action completes tasks and motivation is the ability to rev up the engine.
Motivation on a goal-oriented mindset allows for the top salesperson to focus-in on the task’s achievement and level up their game accordingly. Served as “the desire to act in service of a goal,” being motivated translates into often relentless action (given the degree of motivation) towards the ascertainment of a given outcome. Being able to stay in this state is what allows for greater completion and thus more tasks being completed over time.
Being Goal-Oriented
If motivation is the hypothetical ability to drive forward, being goal oriented would seat itself as the destination to where you are heading. Motivation is the drive, but that in and of itself will not complete the puzzle. The capability to move does not mean productivity.
The top salespeople set lofty metrics, often both in terms of results and of expectations. Think I will make thirty calls in the next hour, or I will close three deals this week. Regardless of the particular metric in which they work the top sales individual focuses in on mapping a high objective and then working relentlessly toward it.
It is often better to fail at greatness than achieve at middling mediocrity.
Stay Focused
Top sales performers need to hone in on their objective, then be willing to work toward it. If both of these are achievable then the premiere salesperson will need to stay on track until the objective is met.
Focus is the ability to tailor your course to your goal and then shrug off distraction and detraction until the objective is achieved. It can help to take time to break down the bigger goals into readily available and achievable milestones. The point is to find whatever beats you as a salesperson require to stay involved.
Time Management
Another top habit of sales performers is time management, as everything you do in life will require time to complete. Everything. Making your bed, brushing your teeth, and reaching your goal. Feeling existential yet? Not to worry. While each task that is undertaken will require a specified amount of time this also means that the salesperson can allot the time needed to accomplish the task. Likewise, remaining time conscious allows the top salesperson to keep the objective in mind and be mentally available toward its completion.
Surround Yourself with Better Salespeople
Networking is huge. Via the top salesperson’s network, there are mentors, competitors, and potential clients that can all add benefit and status to the aspiring salesperson. Regardless of what the developing individual needs to up their sales acumen, it can be found in the network.
Sales mentors can offer advice. Competitors can push the salesman to dominate the market. Clients offer the saleswoman a chance at honing the craft and potentially closing the sale. Networking is huge for salesmen of all levels. Learning to properly network can be what even land you the deal in the first place.
Reading and Listening
The top salespeople are always concerned with how much information they know. Specifically, in what ways they know can help present them with the information or opportunity to lock in a deal. Listening and reading help the top salespeople know what to do, in potentially pivotal situations before they ever occur.
Many sales professionals have either spoken or written at length about their process, perspective, and nuances that have appeared to them over their tenure in sales. The shrewd sales-minded individual recognizes this and pulls from that pool of knowledge.
Remain Consistent
Often starting something off is deemed the hardest part. This typically holds true for sales. Yet, there is the discipline required to keep production high even after sales numbers begin to take off. The top salespeople are able to maintain a high level of action, motivation, and performance throughout their careers through focus and dedication. Keeping an eye on the level of production is a tip many salespeople advise. This is especially imperative as the sales novice starts down the road to becoming a veteran.
Knowing the Product
One of the top habits of sales performers is also the best advice. What the salesperson is selling can vary greatly, and while there are many philosophical outtakes to help a general sell-all mentality there is no makeup for knowing the thing that is being sold. The top salespeople on any given product need to have a thorough enough grasp on the thing and system in which they are selling to answer whatever questions a potential buyer may address.
Understanding the common thoughts, typical questions, and their frequency as well as the common woes of the individual on the opposite end of the sale allows for great closing rates among the top sales professionals. This also can offer insight into what areas of the product they should understand most thoroughly.
Persistence
In essence, persistence combines motivation, focus, consistency, and passion. There is no remedy for persistence. Passion is persistence’s best bedfellow. Passion and persistence make sales.
Persistence will often close whatever deal the top salesperson is facing largely off the point that no is not an operable answer until it is the only answer. Not conceding until necessary is an often unbecoming aspect of the typical salesman, but absolutely critical to a goal-oriented, top sales focus.
Mentality
Finally, the last top habit of sales performers is perspective. The lens through which you see the circumstances inform how you may address the world. By tailoring sales to produce agency, the top salesperson can put him or herself in a place where they are ready to look on to the next sale. Whether previously met with triumph or defeat, a strong mind creates the top salesperson’s most versatile weapon.