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Developing Effective Sales Personalities

This document outlines the key responsibilities, duties, traits, and skills required to develop an effective sales personality. It discusses the importance of cultivating physical, emotional, psychological, social, and intellectual traits to build rapport with customers. Additionally, it identifies common duties of salespeople such as direct selling, problem solving, educating customers, and maintaining human relationships.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
150 views7 pages

Developing Effective Sales Personalities

This document outlines the key responsibilities, duties, traits, and skills required to develop an effective sales personality. It discusses the importance of cultivating physical, emotional, psychological, social, and intellectual traits to build rapport with customers. Additionally, it identifies common duties of salespeople such as direct selling, problem solving, educating customers, and maintaining human relationships.
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Professional Salesmanship

Developing a Sales Personality and the Salesman’s Responsibilities, Duties and


Qualification

Module 002 – Developing a Sales Personality and


the Salesman’s Responsibilities, Duties and
Qualification

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Know and understand the meaning of Sales personality.


2. Explain why it is important to have a good Sales Personality.
3. Discover the different aspects of Sales Personality.
4. Enumerate the different traits that a salesman should possess.

Meaning of Sales Personality

Sales personality can be defined as the sum of all the salesman’s physical,
emotional, psychological, social, and intellectual traits needed to obtain a favorable
response from prospects and customers, in short, for effective salesmanship.

Importance of Sales Personality

If the salesman already possesses a pleasing sales personality, he can now face
bravely every kind of prospect he may meet. The salesman must be able to adapt
himself to various types of prospects whom he may call to offer his product of
service.

Important Aspects of Sales Personality

As mentioned in the definition, sales personality is the totality of the


salesman’s physical, emotional, psychological, social and intellectual traits. Hence,
the PEPSI aspects of sales personality.
Figure 2.1- Four Buyer Personality Types and how to Maximize Sales on them

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Physical Traits Required of a Salesman

The physical and personal appearance of a salesman is a primary consideration


in building a pleasing sales personality. The favorable first impressions of the
prospect defend upon your personal appearance and the physical traits you
possess.

The physical traits required of a salesman include appearance and grooming,


clothing, poise and posture, voice, language used, manners and mannerisms, facial
expressions, and body movements.

Emotional Traits Required of a Salesman

A star salesman must cultivate and develop not only his physical traits. In like
manner, a salesman must also consider certain emotional traits for promoting
better relationship with his prospect.

These emotional traits that the salesman try to process are self-control, even
temperament, fact, optimism, and enthusiasm. It is truly a must on the part of a
salesman to be emotionally stable so as not to antagonize his prospect. He has to
avoid anger, guilt or revenge.

Psychological Traits Requires of a Salesman


Courtesy, humility, cheerfulness, dependability, initiative, determination to
succeed, courage, self-confidence, persistence, persuasiveness, reliability,
adaptability, sincerity, and a host of other important traits are what a salesman
must develop in him. If he wants every sales closed, the salesman has to be
psychologically liable. The prospect must be impressed favorably for his orders to
come in.

Social Traits Required of a Salesman

The salesman should be aware of the magic of a smile. A smile can win a
thousand hearts. If your smile is sincere and warm, your prospect cannot resist
you. A smile is contagious.

Call your prospect by name. To a person his name is one of the most beautiful
sounds on earth. Use it often during the entire sales interview; be sure you are
pronouncing his name correctly.

Intellectual Traits Required of a Salesman

The salesman must not only be physically, emotionally, psychologically and


socially fit. He, likewise, must be intellectually fit to become a star salesman. To be
intellectually fit is to be mentally healthy. Analytic ability, problem-solving ability,
to learn quickly, originality, creativity and decisiveness are some of the most
important intellectual traits that a salesman must possess.

Ways of Improving Sales Personality

1. Self-introspection seems to be the least expensive way of improving one’s


personality. All it takes is an analysis of one’s strengths and weaknesses.

2. Your company, at one time or another may be sponsoring seminars and


workshops aimed at sales personality development.

3. Reading pocketbooks and other literature on personality development can also


be of help to you.

4. Tips and advice from your co-salesman and sales manage express deep concern
for you to grow and succeed.

5. As you interact with your prospect, you can also have the chance to improve
your sales personality.

Salesman’s Job

The job of a salesman is to get an order. Money, time and effort spent by a salesman
will prove to be useless if at the end of the day he is not able to make sale getting an
order is the complete realization of the spelling process but actually its real objective is
to provide service.

Salesman as a Communicator
The sales presentation is a method of informing prospects or costumers about
the product service or idea the salesman must be an expert in communicating to his
prospects the good side of his proposition.

Salesman as a Problem solver

A large segment of our population have come to regard the salesman as a high
pressure persuader whole sole aim is to convince the buyer to purchase something
which he does not need or want

Salesman as an Educator

Patience plays a very important role in the life of a salesman. He must realize
that it is not easy to convince a prospect. He must be ready to point out to explain.

Salesman as a Human Relations Expert

The human factor is important in selling. The salesman must be aware of his own
personality with the people he comes in contact.

Salesman’s Aim

Since all salesmen deal with the sale of products services and ideas certain goals must
be achieved.

1. To sell himself
2. To sell the company
3. To sell the product
Figure 2.2- Salesman’s Prayer

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Common Duties and Responsibilities

Direct selling – promoting company goodwill.

Advising and counseling – this activity involves the supplying of information to help
solve the costumer merchandising

Handling complaints – this activity requires the salesman to make the adjustment
himself

Attending Sales meetings – they may be held in the branch district or home office
Non-selling

Reporting this activity includes the preparation of daily, weekly, and monthly reports
Collecting some companies require the salesman to collect the payment for
merchandise. Assisting the credit department some company depend upon the
salesman to collect credit information

Famous Five P’s of successful selling

1. Product
2. Personality
3. Perseverance
4. Prospect
5. Picturesque

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF SELLING

1. Speak to people
2. Smile at people
3. Call people by name
4. Be friendly and helpful
5. Be cordial
6. Be genuinely interested in people
7. Be generous with praise
8. Be thoughtful of the opinions of others
9. Be considerate of the feelings of the others
10. Be alert to give service

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals


Arante, Lilia B. & Gomez, Julita R. (2010). Salesmanship (Revised Edition)
National Bookstore

Garcia, Alipio M. & Villanuev, Merla G. (2009). Professional Salesman


Booklore Publishing Corporation

Online Instructional Videos


Sales Types - Which of the 4 Types of Salespeople are you? By Marc
Wayshak/ [Link]
Retrieved September 26, 2019

Common questions

Powered by AI

Essential psychological traits for a successful salesman include courtesy, humility, cheerfulness, dependability, initiative, and persistence. These traits influence buyer decisions by building a sense of trust and reliability, making customers more comfortable and open to considering the salesman's propositions. Traits like determination to succeed and persuasiveness can drive a salesman to not only present compelling cases for their products but to also effectively close deals .

Intellectual traits such as analytic ability, problem-solving skills, learning quickly, originality, creativity, and decisiveness enable a salesman to understand customer needs better and devise effective solutions. These traits allow the salesman to tailor their pitch, overcome objections, and adapt to various customer scenarios, thereby facilitating successful sales closures. The ability to think critically and act decisively underpins the development of strategies that align with both client and company objectives .

Having a good sales personality is crucial for a salesman as it enables him to effectively engage with a diverse range of prospects. A pleasing sales personality allows the salesman to adapt his approach to suit the individual needs and preferences of each prospect, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful sale. This adaptability is essential in building trust and rapport, which are key components in convincing potential customers to make a purchase .

Self-introspection is recommended as it allows a salesman to critically assess and understand his strengths and weaknesses. This awareness can guide personal development efforts, leading to enhanced emotional intelligence and adaptability. By acknowledging areas for improvement, a salesman can strategically focus on cultivating traits that enhance interactions with prospects, thereby increasing sales potential and personal satisfaction .

As a communicator, a salesman's primary role is to effectively convey information about the product or service, emphasizing its benefits to the prospect. This involves clear expression, persuasive skills, and the ability to engage the audience. As a problem-solver, the salesman focuses on diagnosing the customer’s issues and providing effective solutions tailored to their specific needs. While communication is about delivering a message, problem-solving is about understanding and addressing customer problems to facilitate a sale .

A sincere and warm smile creates an inviting and friendly atmosphere, making prospects more receptive to the salesman's message. Using a prospect’s name further personalizes the interaction, making them feel valued and respected. Both techniques significantly strengthen the emotional connection between the salesman and the customer, which is crucial for building trust and rapport and ultimately increasing the likelihood of making a sale .

Physical traits such as appearance, grooming, poise, posture, and facial expressions significantly influence the buyer's initial perception. These traits create a favorable or unfavorable first impression, which can impact the buyer’s willingness to engage further. A well-presented and composed salesman is likely to be perceived as more credible and trustworthy, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of their sales pitch .

The 'Famous Five P’s of successful selling' – Product, Personality, Perseverance, Prospect, and Picturesque – act as comprehensive guidelines for a salesman. Product knowledge ensures accurate information delivery; Personality relates to how traits can make the interaction more genuine and appealing; Perseverance underscores the importance of persistence in tough sales situations; Prospect focuses on targeting the right audience; Picturesque involves creating vivid, relatable scenarios for the prospects, enhancing engagement and recall .

Emotional traits such as self-control, even temperament, optimism, and enthusiasm help in building better relationships with prospects by promoting a positive interaction environment. A salesman who can manage his emotions appreciates the needs and moods of prospects, allowing for smoother communication and reduced chances of conflict. Emotional stability prevents negative feelings like anger and revenge from affecting professional conduct, thus fostering trust and rapport .

A salesperson who acts as both a direct seller and an educator can benefit customers by providing them with comprehensive product knowledge, which enhances the perceived value and trustworthiness of the product. This dual role can lead to more informed customer decisions and potentially increase sales. However, the drawback might be overwhelming the customer with information or being perceived as too assertive, which can detract from a comfortable buying experience. Maintaining a balance is crucial to leverage both roles effectively .

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