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The first essential quality for a salesperson is a "bandit spirit." This bandit spirit is not the bad habits of bandits like drinking, gambling, killing, robbing, or doing mischief, but rather the courage and boldness of bandits who fear nothing, and the righteousness to dare to act and take responsibility. In plain terms, it is the marketing personnel's confidence, breakthrough, decisiveness, and ability to shoulder heavy responsibilities.

1. Confidence—Let Inferiority Go to Hell

Most new salespeople, when meeting clients for the first time, will be incoherent and flustered. That's not surprising. What makes you lack confidence? If you say it out loud, everyone probably understands: it's just that you're usually shy to speak and always feel inferior. Let's analyze the psychological roots of inferiority.

Money is a good thing; with money, you can enjoy things others can't. Without money, you'll feel inferior; with money, if you meet someone richer than you, you'll also feel inferior. When will you become Gates or Li Ka-shing and not feel inferior? But how many such people are there?

If that's the mindset, wouldn't China's wealthy like Wang Shi, Shi Yuzhu, and Liu Yonghao also feel inferior when meeting world super-rich? You earn your living by your own labor—what's there to feel inferior about?

When you meet someone of higher status, do you also lack confidence? No need! No matter how prominent their political status, they are just human. Strip off their clothes and remove the halo above their heads, and they're still human. Which county head, provincial governor, or minister didn't rise from the lowest level? Obama's background might be worse than yours, but didn't he become the U.S. President? When you see your superior acting bossy, you envy them, but haven't you thought that they also came through the same path as you?

You've seen a provincial-level corrupt official's tearful confession before execution, and you've seen a chairman apologize tearfully in the courtroom. At the moment of life-and-death choice, they are more fragile than you. When you strip down to the essence of human nature, you'll find that the awe-inspiring temperament or envious feeling is all disguised.

People are inherently not noble or humble; it's just your psychology playing tricks. So, when facing people of higher status, raise your head, puff out your chest, and communicate naturally and easily. Let your inferiority go to hell. First, be a confident person—that's the beginning of your success.

2. Breakthrough—Observe and Dare to Break Through

Many people think they don't have the quality of breakthrough. Actually, that's not true; you just lack the courage to try boldly and the habit of observing and thinking. I once conducted a "door-breaking" interview.

Once, when recruiting marketing personnel, I placed a half-page color recruitment ad in the newspaper, with a special note in the requirements column about breakthrough ability. The interview was at 9 AM in the company. I put a prominent "Interview Room" sign on my office door (my office was easily visible from the conference room). I placed a stack of resume forms and several pens in a prominent spot on the conference table. I told the HR staff to go about their business and not pay attention to the conference room.

That day, many people came; the 100-square-meter conference room was packed, and many were standing outside the door. At first, a few people proactively picked up resume forms and filled them out, but after filling them, they just waited. However, more people just sat there. I deliberately walked from my office to the restroom several times. Unfortunately, no one proactively pushed open my door. Each time I went out, the crowd thinned, and all I heard were complaints. Finally, only seven or eight people remained. After more than an hour, I finally got the two people I needed. Two young men successively pushed the door open and entered; they were hired. Later, they both became business backbone in the company.

At lunchtime, I walked out of my office and saw one interviewee still sitting on the sofa dozing. I asked him why he didn't go in for the interview, and he said he was waiting for someone to call him. I said, "Didn't you see people going in just now?" He said he didn't know if they were interviewees or maybe company employees.

Nothing more to say. A person without observation, without thinking, without asking questions, won't have breakthrough ability either.

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3. Decisiveness—Act When It's Time

Facing fleeting business opportunities, you must take decisive measures. If you don't handle them in time and eliminate hidden dangers, it's highly likely to cause a corporate disaster. If at that moment you write a report, fax it to your superiors, and then it goes up the chain, and if several leaders happen to be out, waiting a few days will be too late. If you miss the opportunity and cause chaos, you'll be the one to suffer in the end. No matter how well you describe your reasons, you'll be the scapegoat.

For many such things, you have to act first and report later, or act and report simultaneously. The company doesn't need people who can fight; it needs marketing personnel who can win battles. As long as you do the market well and the company profits, even if you break some "heavenly rules," at most, your merits will offset your faults. In "Bright Sword," Li Yunlong rarely played by the book in battles, but he often seized opportunities, avoided harm, and achieved greater victories with minimal cost.

4. Responsibility—Dare to Take Responsibility

Taking on heavy responsibilities has two meanings: one is that you can accept challenging work with high intensity and high workload; the other is that you can bravely take responsibility and face reality.

The former tests your stress tolerance and psychological quality. The market tasks given by the company usually exceed your psychological bottom line. If you are complacent and timid, you'll likely fail to complete the tasks; if you face the pressure head-on, rise to the challenge, and adopt reasonable and effective tactical combinations, you might work miracles.

The latter is a manifestation of your sense of responsibility and moral character. A responsible marketing person will be responsible to the company, to superiors, and to their own employees. Such a marketing person gives the company peace of mind, superiors' trust, and employees' respect. To everyone, you bring a sense of security.

If you don't dare to take responsibility, you'll shirk it or shift the blame onto others, which crosses the moral bottom line and makes you a person with character problems. Such a person won't last long in a company; being out is only a matter of time, even if your market operation ability is super strong.

Confidence, breakthrough, decisiveness, and responsibility—these "bandit spirits" can also be cultivated and shaped. How to make yourself have bandit spirit? It's by forcing yourself, and by superiors forcing subordinates. Breakthrough is forced out.

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