What makes a successful salesperson? Fast talking, pushy, and pressurising? Or at least that’s what most people think but the reality is that salespeople like this would not last long in the real business world.

Salespeople are often having to deal with selling high value products/services which can be a long process involving from having to pass through various decision makers, handle objections, and get sucked into long negotiations. All of these stages require different skill and behaviour application to make the sale successful, as well as avoiding bad habits.

Tony discusses habits and behaviours to avoid if you want a successful sales career, and shares some of Huthwaite’s research into what makes a successful salesperson.

Key insights from the article:

• 85% of business decision makers believe that a good buying experience involves a salesperson listening carefully.
• Not only are salespeople not asking enough questions, they’re not asking the right questions that extract the right kind of information to make a sale.
• Successful salespeople use a four-stage questioning model.
• Avoid making quick counter proposals - skilled negotiators make counter proposals only half as often as average negotiators.