What is the most important quality for a salesperson? Different people have different answers. Some say professionalism, some say communication skills, some say affinity, etc. The author does not deny the importance of these qualities in sales; they are necessary conditions for success but not sufficient conditions. The most important quality for sales is persistence; without persistence, a salesperson will not achieve great success!
Persist in the same industry Although the principles of sales are common across industries, it takes at least three years for a salesperson to fully understand an industry. Frequently changing industries means you have some understanding of each industry but not deep enough. Without deep understanding, you cannot navigate the industry with ease, and you won't achieve good results. Moreover, sales performance is closely related to your network, relationships, and resources. Often, when you change industries, your previous network, relationships, and resources become unusable, and you have to accumulate them anew, which is very detrimental to a salesperson's growth.
Persist in the same company Many salespeople lack stability and frequently change companies. Many salespeople switch companies after three months without results, thinking that a change of environment will bring good results, or that if they communicate well with clients, clients will follow them anywhere. This is a big mistake. First, not having results in three months might mean results in the fourth month; the first three months could be accumulation, but precisely the salesperson doesn't persist, like boiling water that stops at 99 degrees—one more push and it boils, but the fire is stopped. Second, clients recognize you not because of you as a person. Think about it: clients meet so many salespeople every day; why would they remember you? Salespeople must remember that clients recognize you because they recognize your company, not you personally. Most salespeople have this experience: after changing companies, communication with previously well-connected clients becomes difficult. Third, if you persist in one company, as long as you are diligent, even if you don't get results in the short term, the boss won't let you go. Persist and you will get results, and it's easy to gain the boss's favor and get a promotion. Finally, when you change companies, the new boss will definitely ask about your previous performance. If you say your performance was good, the boss will ask why you left; if your performance was poor, the boss won't dare to hire you. In any case, the boss will test you for a period, and you have to integrate into a new team and environment, which is a huge challenge for salespeople.
Persist in customer tracking and maintenance Many salespeople, after initial contact with a customer, when the customer shows interest (maybe three months, six months, or a year later), start active tracking. Initially, salespeople show some enthusiasm, like sending texts, making calls, etc., but it doesn't last long. Gradually, the frequency of communication decreases, texts stop, calls stop. Soon, the customer forgets you. In fact, sales is about persistence. Can you communicate with customers more frequently than your competitors (of course, communication should be moderate)? Can you use more communication methods to make customers like you and remember you instead of your competitors? Salespeople should all know the concept of lifecycle, meaning that after closing a deal with a customer, our work is not over. We need to provide related services to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. We also need to pay attention to the customer lifecycle because customers have different needs at different stages. We should study the different needs at different stages, and also engage in emotional communication beyond business communication. Such emotional communication helps reduce friction, enhance friendship, and thus improve customer retention and referral rates.
Persist in learning The competitive environment is fierce. Only by continuous learning can salespeople improve their quality, temperament, and speech level, which are very helpful for career growth. Salespeople must embed the concept of "live and learn" into their minds, continuously learning and improving themselves. Of course, there are various ways to learn. (1) After working for a period, you can take a few months off for study or attend training classes. Systematic learning is very necessary. Some may say there's no time for dedicated study; then you can use the following methods. (2) Read frequently. Reading can browse a large amount of news information (newspapers can be read but don't spend too much time). Reading magazines can provide in-depth interpretation of a major event. Some may ask, reading newspapers is slow; I can go online to get information directly. But you must know that there is too much information on the internet, with too much distraction; most time is spent choosing information rather than reading it. (3) Buy books to read. Book reading is the best learning method, with the least distraction and the best effect. Of course, we should be careful when choosing books. The author finds that many salespeople read too much rather than too little. Reading should be systematic, not too scattered, and you should take reading notes. (4) Summarize frequently. Summarizing is also a learning method. Summarize sales experience, daily insights, and life observations in a timely manner. Only through summarization can you improve and elevate.
-END-