LECTURE 1

WAYS TO IMPROVING SALES PERSONALITY

1. Self-introspection
2. Trainings, seminars and workshops
3. Reading books and literatures
4. Interact with prospects and clients
5. Tips and advices from co-associates, coaches, and mentors
A STAR SALESMAN
A star salesman is one who has full knowledge of himself. By knowledge of oneself
means the salesman is concerned about the way he looks, how he behaves in front of his
prospect, how he mingles with people, how he reacts to difficult sales situation and how he
performs and speaks about his sales claims.
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
A person with a sales personality tends to embody all of the traits that lead to superior
sales performance: inspiring genuine trust, building strong relationships, finding the right
solutions to the right problems, consistently following up, showing grace under pressure, and
closing higher-value deals faster.
If the salesman already possesses a pleasing sales personality, he can now face bravely
every kind of prospect he may meet. The associate must be able to adapt himself to various
types of prospects whom he may call to offer his product or service. An effective associate
understands that he has to be like his prospect, so the prospect may feel they share similar
vibrations.
7 PERSONALITY TRAITS OF TOP SALESPEOPLE
1. Modesty
Contrary to conventional stereotypes that successful salespeople are pushy and
egotistical, 91 percent of top salespeople had medium to high scores of modesty and
humility. Furthermore, the results suggest that ostentatious salespeople who are full of
bravado alienate far more customers than they win over.
2. Conscientiousness
Eighty-five percent of top salespeople had high levels of conscientiousness, whereby
they could be described as having a strong sense of duty and being responsible and
 reliable. These salespeople take their jobs very seriously and feel deeply responsible for
the results.

3. Achievement Orientation
Eighty-four percent of the top performers tested scored very high in achievement
orientation. They are fixated on achieving goals and continuously measure their
performance in comparison to their goals.
4. Curiosity
Curiosity can be described as a person’s hunger for knowledge and information. Eighty-
two percent of top salespeople scored extremely high curiosity levels. Top salespeople
are naturally more curious than their lesser performing counterparts.
5. Lack of Gregariousness
One of the most surprising differences between top salespeople and those ranking in
the bottom one-third of performance is their level of gregariousness (preference for
being with people and friendliness). Overall, top performers averaged 30 percent lower
gregariousness than below average performers.
6. Lack of Discouragement
Less than 10 percent of top salespeople were classified as having high levels of
discouragement and being frequently overwhelmed with sadness. Conversely, 90
percent were categorized as experiencing infrequent or only occasional sadness.
7. Lack of Self-Consciousness
Self-consciousness is the measurement of how easily someone is embarrassed. The
byproduct of a high level of self-consciousness is bashfulness and inhibition. Less than
five percent of top performers had high levels of self-consciousness.
SALESMANSHIP DEFINITION
The process of convincing people to act favorably and accept products, services, or
ideas for the purpose of satisfying their needs and wants.
So, to be a salesman is a gentle lifework of extending help to people satisfy their needs
and wants. By knowing the company, the product, the prospect, and their needs and wants, it
would be much easier for the salesman to convince and persuade the prospect to buy any
product, service, or idea.
It is an enjoyable and a challenging process. Equipping one’s self with all the attributes
of a good salesman is one of the requirements one should possess. Moreover, a salesperson
should also have the fondness for people. Being a people person would somehow increase
one’s knowledge of knowing lots of people and determining the right sales approach since
there is no “one size fits all” accession in selling.
IMPORTANCE OF SELLING
Salesmanship is synonymous to personal selling. It commonly requires face-to-face and
direct communication between a salesperson and a prospect. It is the art of fascinating and
captivating to personally persuade a prospect to act favorably to product, service, or idea.
With salesmanship, the salesman is at a vantage ground over marketing communication tools
and other forms sales promotion.
Product clinic or demonstration is easier for the salesman since salesmanship requires
face-to-face contact, although in the modern world where internet has become one of the
successful avenues to do selling, many salesmen would resort to doing their business
electronically, which is also one of the advantages of being a salesman. Hence, with actual
product clinic and demonstration, a good chance of having the prospect be convinced of
buying the product is high because the prospect actually sees how a product is used and
applied.
During face-to-face contact with prospects, the salesman is able to:
1. Address every question or query of the prospect concerning the product.
2. Explain his selling points with the help of an audio-visual presentation.
3. Establish rapport, friendly relations, and ease on the part of the prospect.
4. Protect the image and the reputation of the company.
5. Lead the way for the prospect to the decision to buy the product.
ADVANTAGES OF BEING A SALESMAN OVER BEING AN OFFICE WORKER
1. Unlimited Earning Opportunities
When you are selling you can get much more as long as you work hard and you
work smart. Income potential in selling can be doubled or tripled depending on how
committed, patient, and hardworking a salesman would be. Moreover, there are
companies offering not just two but to the maximum of six ways to earn in selling their
products, inclusive of profit, commissions, bonuses, overrides, travel incentives, and
lifetime discounts on product purchases.
2. More Chances of Promotion and Growth
In selling, there are lots of opportunities of being promoted. Depending on the
salesman’s motivation, sales volume achievements, and ability to duplicate himself,
he can grow the organization and produce better revenue for the company. In sales,
the more people getting promoted, the higher the chance of company stability and
longevity.
3. Less Employment Requirements
In applying for a sales position, all that the applicant should possess is the
genuine interest in selling, the drive to be a problem-solver providing the needs and
wants of the prospects and the goal to become successful. All the more, the company
provides the orientation, seminars, and trainings to acquaint the salesman about the
 company, its products, and its compensation plan. These seminars and trainings will also
help equip the salesman with the right attitude and selling traits he needs for successful
selling.
4. Less Tensions and Intrigues
In an office, the workers are tensed every time a deadline is set for their work. They
usually beat the deadlines without expecting for any remuneration. Therefore, the motivation is
less to complete the task. In addition, your officemates will start talking about you, should you
be able to get a reward for your accomplishments - intrigues in the office will certainly affect
you.
5. More fun and Adventures
There are different gatherings being held to celebrate small and big wins of a
sales team and a salesman as well. Most often, a team or a group would throw cut-off
parties to celebrate the success of the team or an individual. Raffle draws, catered
dinners, film showings, testimonial talks, parlor games, and intermission numbers by
show business personalities are just part of the program (Garcia and Villanueva, 2009).
Sometimes, celebrations are held out of town with free accommodation to
resorts or hotels, all expenses paid by the company or the team. Moreover, the
salesman gets to share his experiences and achievements to new and aspiring successful
salesmen in the company or the team.
6. Awards and Rewards
Aside from fun and adventures, sales people also experience recognition in their
career as sales professionals. Trophies, plaques, certificates of recognition, and other
forms of token or symbols await the salesman for being outstanding in his sales
performance. Awarding ceremonies are usually held during conventions, team
gatherings, and international conventions.
7. Opportunities to Travel and Meet People
Qualifying for a sales incentive trips makes a salesman meets people from
different places. It is also a good opportunity to learn the different entrepreneurial
ways of different people which is also beneficial to the salesman in developing his
sales personality. This is one of the reasons why selling is an interesting and inspiring
profession.
8. More incentives and Fringe Benefits
If you are a salesman, you do not only get to earn profit, commissions, incentives,
bonuses, and discounts. The salesman also gets the chance to enjoy fringe benefits such as free
use of company cars, gas and travel allowances, and other benefits used to represent the good
reputation and name of the company. Other incentives in kind are also plentiful in sales such as
dining, living room, kitchen, and bedroom showcases. More than that, other companies grant
scholarship for the children of outstanding salesmen.
9. Less working hours
In sales, you are the manager of your own time. You can work according to
your own pace and at times at the comfort of your own home. A salesman can work
from home and enjoy being with his loved ones while doing sales calls and fulfilling
 other sales itineraries. Unlike an office employee who is bound to abide by the eight-
hour labor law. Should the employee decide to earn extra, he must extend his own work
hours after his regular job wherein, even his supposedly time spent with his family is
consumed by working to earn more.
10. Working without strict supervision
A salesman is his own boss. He works according to his time preference or depending
on the schedule of meeting set by a prospect. Another advantage of a salesman over an office
worker is that he can actually work depending on his own pace, mood, and well-being. He can
work without a supervisor overseeing his progress. Important to note that there are still
deadlines and quotas to meet even if the salesman is working in his most pleasurable time and
pace. Outputs and progress are still monitored but not under stringent supervision.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SALESPEOPLE

I. For Business to Business Channel

1. Industrial Salespeople
Salespeople selling industrial products to businesses are called industrial salespeople.
They usually sell bigger quantities and they cover a specific area or region where they sell
their company’s products.
2. Trade Salespeople
Trade salespeople someone who calls on retailers and helps them display, advertise, and
sell products to consumers.
3. Distributor Salespeople
These are people who usually increase brand awareness for a product or service build
relationships with wholesale buyers, and establish a network of retailers in a specifically
defined territory.
4. Missionary Salespeople
They are manufacturer's representatives sent into a territory to stimulate or quicken
sales of a product or service through public relations or special promotional offers.
II. For Business to Consumer Channel
1. Direct Salespeople
These are people who sells products, services or ideas directly to consumers on behalf
of a company.
2. Trade Salespeople
Trade salespeople someone who calls on retailers and helps them display, advertise, and
sell products to consumers.
3. Retail Salespeople
They usually sell products, services, or ideas directly to consumers. They play the role of
a problem-solver by helping customers find what they are looking for. They usually close the
sale by explaining how products, services, or ideas will benefit the consumer.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SELLING

1. The capacity to establish long-term relationships with customers one at a time: Most
successful salespeople consider how they may use the current transaction to gain further
business from the same customer or through referrals in the future.
 2. The capacity to listen to the consumer: A lot of salespeople waste time trying to persuade a
potential buyer to buy before learning what the client genuinely wants. Customers purchase
remedies or goods that give them a positive feeling. If you do not know what the customer
needs or wants, you cannot fulfill it.
3. Self-motivation: Salespeople that are successful have a lot of initiative. They are always on
the lookout for new chances and see failures as learning experiences. They take
responsibility for their actions and do not place blame for their failure on other people or
the state of the economy.
4. Self-promotion: In order to promote oneself, one can distribute flyers and other marketing
materials, build and use an email list, make a website, and post on social media.
5. Investing in the community: Giving back to the area where you work by making charitable
contributions, supporting neighbor- hood organizations, and participating in volunteer work
are not only beneficial to your mental health but also to your company's bottom line. When
you invest where you operate, it is more likely that clients will return the favor later on
when they require your goods or services.

DEVELOPING A SALES PERSONALITY

WHAT IS SALES PERSONALITY?

Sales personality can be interpreted as the salesman’s overall distinct qualities including his
physical, emotional, physiological, social, and intellectual traits necessary to obtain a commending
response from prospects and consumers, which can be translated to effective salesmanship. (Garcia and
Villanueva, 2009)

The objective of sales personality is to get a favorable response from prospects and consumers
using the traits of the salesman. Closing the sale is the primary purpose of engaging in sales and this will
only happen when the salesman knows how these distinct qualities can be used in his advantage. In
short, the salesman’s pleasing sales personality. If the salesman is able to develop these PEPSI aspects,
he can definitely have a pleasing sales personality and eventually become a star salesman.

IMPORTANCE OF SALES PERSONALITY

1. Able to create long- lasting business relationship with customers.

Creating a long-lasting business relationship with customers is also one of the
significance of sales personality. The salesman will also be able to grow his network of
customers thru referrals by long-time customers whom he has created a strong foundation of
trust and confidence with.
2. Able to develop skills in building rapport with prospects.
Another pertinent feature of sales personality is that the salesman is able to develop his
skills in building rapport with his prospects. He is also able to develop his characters tantamount
to the characters of his prospects.
3. Able to adapt to different sales situation.
One of the relevance of sales personality is that the salesman is able to adapt to
different sales situation, deal with different prospects, tackle queries professionally, and address
sales challenges along the way.
THE PEPSI ASPECTS

1. PHYSICAL TRAITS OF A SALESMAN

Personal appearance of a salesman is a primary concern that creates an impression to the
customers. The physical traits include grooming, clothing, poise and posture, voice, language
used, manners, facial expressions, and body movements.
2. EMOTIONAL TRAITS OF A SALESMAN
A star salesman must also consider emotional traits to promote better relationship with his
prospect. These emotional traits include self-control, even temperament, tact, optimism, and
enthusiasm. These traits keep the salesman emotionally stable to avoid challenges such as
anger, guilt, or revenge.
3. PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAITS OF A SALESMAN
In selling, the salesman has to be psychologically liable in order to close each sale. Psychological
traits to be developed are courtesy, humility, cheerfulness, dependability, initiative,
determination, courage, self-confidence, persistence, persuasiveness, reliability, and sincerity.
4. SOCIAL TRAITS OF A SALESMAN
These are attributes that the salesman is trying to radiate every time he is in face-to-face
contact with his prospect. The sincere and warm smile, calling the prospects by name, interest
in his prospect, being a good listener, sympathizing with the prospect, showing respect, and
thanking the prospect are some of the traits that the salesman must cultivate to win his
prospects and close the sale.
5. INTELLECTUAL TRAITS OF A SALESMAN
The salesman must also be intellectually fit to become an outstanding salesman. These traits
include analytic ability, problem-solving ability, originality, creativity, and decisiveness.

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