Anyone who works in sales has to have certain qualities to be successful in their job. This rings even more true for a successful B2B salesperson because you are selling your product to people who are experts in how the product should work. Many might think that B2B sales is something that just anyone could do, but those in the industry know that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
When you’re looking for a high-quality, successful B2B salesperson, here are 5 important qualities to look for during your hiring process:
Personality goes a long way. If charisma isn’t the most essential ingredient in closing sales, then it is definitely what actually gets customers in the door. Charismatic people are like a catalyst: they get creative and collaborative juices flowing, and that gets product moving. Also, they can be a pretty infectious bunch. Nothing is better than a lively workspace! Your typical charismatic person will not only be super easy to work with, but they will generate more sales because of their personality. People will trust them, even value what they have to say. And even if they don’t make an immediate sale with a potential client, they’ve already built a relationship and made a lasting impression for business to flourish in the future.
No matter how much we might kick and scream, things always change. We just have to change with them. This is no different for the nature of sales, which is always shifting. We now live in an age where the actual selling of the product isn’t necessarily human-to-human (H2H) anymore but through social media. However, H2H selling should be at the core of all your social efforts. The ability to sell on social media is pivotal to today’s market. Social media is where everything is happening, and while we may not be moving actual products over social media, we are selling ideas and the brand itself, which is an integral first step in the sales cycle.
Rejection can be tough to deal with, and for the wrong person, it’s absolutely devastating. Your new B2B salesperson needs to have a bit of a thick skin to face the hundreds of rejections they will receive on a day-to-day basis. In turn, a healthy amount of persistence is key to succeeding. You will want someone on your team that isn’t afraid of failure and takes rejection easily. At the end of the day, persistence will win out and provide results where timidity will not.
Intelligence in sales seems like a no-brainer, but the degree of intelligence can be a little more ambiguous. The type of person you will want on your sales team will not only have the smarts to sell your product but also your brand. Not only will they obviously need to know every conceivable detail of your product, but they will also need to know the market and the competition. Trust isn’t earned on charisma alone, your sales team will also need to prove that they know any and all relevant information related to the client’s needs.
If you have someone on your sales team that has a bit of tech phobia, they will cause themselves and your brand to miss out on all the opportunities afforded to us by technology. There are literally limitless possibilities to enhance your everyday life at the tips of your fingers, so there’s no room for someone with an allergy to technology. Your sales team members should be able to use technology to benefit the way that they conduct business. If you sell software, you should expect your team to be fluent in how the software works and what it can do for your clients. Even if you don’t sell something tech-related, your salespeople should be able to use technology to make their jobs easier. In fact, even aside from social selling, most of today’s business is conducted on computers anyway. There is no time to be left behind by your competition, and if your sales team isn’t fluent in technology, you will be losing ground every step of the way.
When your team is recruiting for your next salesperson, keep these qualities in mind. There are a ton of things to look for in a new candidate outside of this list, but you have to land on the person that’s a good fit for you and your company.
Need more tips on what to look for in your next candidate? vidREACH is here to help.