logo
follow2 follow1 follow1
 
Login: Job Seekers / Employers / Community
 
  • SG Home
  • Sales Jobs
    • Search Jobs
    • Post Jobs
    • Post Resumes
    • Login
  • Community
    • Join
    • Login
    • Search Members
    • Blogs
    • Groups
    • Events
    • Polls
    • Webinars
  • Sales Resources
    • Sale Articles
    • Sales Blogs
    • Sales Experts
    • Sale Events
    • Sale Publications
    • Sale Training
    • Submit an article
  • The Sales Store
    • Featured
    • Sales eBook
    • Sales Audio
    • Sales Books
    • Sales Management
    • Sales Meetings
    • Presentation Skills
    • Cold Calling Lead Generation
    • Hiring and Recruiting
  • Free Stuff
    • Free Sales Stuff
    • Free Publications
    • Free Sales Hiring Trends Report
POST AN ARTICLE
SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend
Featured Sales Blogs
  • Jeb Blount
  • Lee Salz
  • Drew Stevens
  • Bill Guertin
  • Women In Sales
  • Sales Careers

In Partnership Wth:

DiversityJobs.com

JustJobs.com

MAIN MENU
  • Featured Articles
  • Articles Index
  • Submit-an- Article
  • Sales Podcasts
  • Sales Blogs
  • Sales Videos
  • Best of Sales
  • Sales Jobs
  • Webinars
  • Sales Experts
  • Get Our RSS Feeds
  • Contact Us
  • Sales Community
  • Administrator

What is the Ultimate Indicator of Sales Success

  •  Email
Written by Dave Kahle
SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend
More Gravy
Are You A Sales Professional? Really?

As a true Sales Professional you have to approach your career just like the professional athlete does.  You have to continuously refine your sales skills, continue to search for new sales methods and new technology, adapt to an ever changing landscape and be open to learn new strategies from the leading sales experts.

.

Share


One of my clients recently mentioned to me that, when hiring prospective sales people, he looks for a “passion for sales” in their personality.  The idea struck me.  I had never really thought in those terms before.  What is a ‘passion for sales?’  What does it look like?  Is it really an indicator of a successful sales person?  And, how do you identify it?

Perhaps the reason it struck me is that for 20 years I have been working with sales people who, for the most part, never really started out wanting to be sales people.  I think that is true of the overwhelming mass of sales people.  They really didn’t get there by following a well defined, intentional career path.  Most sales people sort of slid into sales as a result of being “nice” people, and showing some skills or knowledge which their bosses considered helpful for sales.  They found the increase in income and the freedom to organize their day as they saw fit to be attractive aspects of the job.  The next thing you know, they were a sales person.

But a “passion for sales?”  Rarely, in my experience.  Here’s a test to see if you, or your sales people if you are a sales leader, have a passion for sales.

Do you (or they) invest in your own development as a sales person?  I am convinced that only one out of 20 sales people has actually spent $25.00 of his own money on his own improvement in the last 12 months.  I believe that is an indication of a person’s interest in the profession of sales.

Here’s an example.  I am a mediocre golfer.  But I really like it.  Since I have a “passion for golf,” I invest in my golfing ability.  I subscribe to the magazines; I buy a golf book every now and then; I follow a couple of golf websites; and I take lessons every couple of years.  I go to the driving range and practice almost every week in the summer.  This year, I did a bit of a study on which golf ball I should be using, and made an informed decision.  While I readily admit that I am not a good golfer, at the same time I will absolutely assert that I am getting better, always better.  If I live long enough, I will become an excellent golfer.

There is nothing unique in that.  What’s true for me and my passion for golf is true for everyone and their passions.  It is certainly true of sales people.  If they have a passion for the profession, they will invest their own time and money in it.  They’ll subscribe to the magazines and Ezines, they’ll buy the books, go to the seminars, network with other good sales people, and practice as much as they can.  Their money and time will follow their passion.

Is it an indicator of sales success?  I think so.  It may be the ultimate indicator of eventual sales success.  Just like me and golf.  Eventually, I am going to be a good golfer.  My passion for it will lead me to learn, and eventually I will figure it out.  So, too, for sales people.  Given a modicum of talent, their motivation will drive them to learn, and eventually they will absorb enough of the principles and practices of effective professional sales, they will incorporate them into their routines, and they will be successful.

How do you identify it?  Pre-hire aptitude assessments can uncover it.  I remember taking a battery of psychological tests as part of the hiring process for one of my employers.  The report that resulted pegged me as having “a singular intense attraction for persuasive activities.”  In other words, a passion for sales.  The pre-hire assessments that we sell provide a measurement of a candidate’s sales inclinations.

But, probably the best way is to examine their investments in themselves.  Have they invested in their own growth as sales people?  A number of years ago, I discovered that my alma mater, the University of Toledo, had a world-class sales school in the college of business.  Young people actually take a major in “sales” and learn to sell in college.  For a number of years, I have been donating a day a year, speaking to the classes of this number one rated sales school.  How encouraging!  An academic institution devoted to developing young people who have a passion for sales.

But few are fortunate enough to have been educated in the sales profession in college.  That doesn’t stop those with the passion.  The ultimate question is, “Have they invested in themselves?”  Have they bought the books, attended the seminars, read the newsletters, etc.?  If they have, you can be pretty sure they are passionate about the profession.  If they haven’t, the opposite is true.

As an experienced sales trainer who has educated tens of thousands of sales people and their leaders, I can tell you that my job is so much easier when I have a room full of committed, passionate sales people.  And so much more difficult when they really don’t care.

As for me and my company, I’ll take a passionate sales person every day of the week.


Dave Kahle
About the author:

Dave Kahle is one of the world’s leading sales educators. He’s written nine books, presented in 47 states and seven countries, and has helped enrich tens of thousands of sales people and transform hundreds of sales organizations.  Sign up for his free weekly Ezine, and visit his blog.  For a limited time, receive $547 of free bonuses with the purchase of his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime.

.
Related Articles:
  • Are You Busy, Busy, Busy Doing The Wrong Things?
  • Don't Become a Sleeping Beauty
  • Deal or No Deal? Six Tips for Getting Back on Track Now!
  • Confirming Sales Appointments: Are You Asking For The Cancellation?
  • Forget Closing The Deal | Get The Appointment!
  • Rocks, To Do’s and Intentions
  • Consistency and Sustainability in Selling
  • The Art of Effective Follow up
  • The Powerful Sales Person
  • Five Lessons I Learned at Starbucks
  • Find Your Hidden Wealth
  • The Secret Lives of Sales Bees – How to Successfully Retain Customers
Articles by this Author:
  • A System to Nurture Your Prospects and Create Success Stories
  • Personal Goals vs Company Goals: What do you do when they don't match?
  • Do You Focus on the Highest Potential Customer?
  • Dicover the Hidden Path to Sales Success
  • The 3 Most Commonly Made Sales Presentation Mistakes
  • When Is The Right Time for Sales Training?
  • The Top Five Practices of Super Star Sales People: Can WE Learn From THEM?
  • What's The Most Important Skill To Be Successful In This New Economy?
  • Avoid The Popcorn Effect And Create A Powerful Sales Marketing System
  • What Is A Professional Sales Person?
  • You Do Need A Game Plan for Success! Develop A Selling System
  • Lackluster Sales: The Reason Behind Mediocrity
  • If You Are Going to Present Effectively, You Must Prepare Thoroughly
  • Are You Wasting Your Customers' Time? Add Value to Every Sales Call
  • Finessing the Customer: Handling Objections
  • Gaining an Advantage by Collecting Information about your Competitors
  • Shaping the Salesperson's Character
  • Popcorn Marketing
  • Is Telemarketing Feasible For My Business?
  • The Ultimate Survival Skill
  • Can CSR's Become Proactive?
  • Don't Fire All the Salespeople Just Yet!
  • Myths of Sales Management
  • What is a Professional Sales Manager?
  • The Three Most Common Mistakes Sales Managers Make
  • The Sales Blitz!
  • FIP Principle
  • Are There Best Practices for Salespeople?
  • Why Good Salespeople Often Turn into Mediocre Sales Managers
  • Is An Uneducated Sales Force Draining Your Profits?
  • Just Listen!
View all articles by this author
  • Don't Bring a Knife to a Gun Fight
  • Attack Yourself
  • Confirming Sales Appointments: Are You Asking For The Cancellation?
  • I Just Called to See How Things are Going
  • Use the News: How to Create New Opportunities Fast
  • 5 Secrets to Effective Email
  • 5 Ways To Keep Your Prospect Talking
  • The 5 Best Openings
  • What Not To Do On a Cold Call eMail
  • Protect Your Time
  • Yes You Can!
  • Secrets Buried In a Sales Person's Resume
  • Define What You Want And Write It Down
  • 10 Rules for Pricing Confidence
  • There's a Pony In Here Somewhere
New Members
Cortney Walker
Miko Javier
Melissa Childress
Tawny Bridges
Randal Nicholson
Lynn Beck
See More..


Hot Sales Jobs
Job Title
Location
Sales Professional Lehigh Acr
Sales Professional Estero
Sales Professional North Ft M
Sales Professional Naples
Sales Professional Bonita Spr
Sales Professional Cape Coral
Sales Professional Ft Myers
Commercial Telecov Center val
Search More Sales Job..

Popular Job Titles: Sales Jobs | Sales Person | Account Executive | Account Manager | Account Representative | Advertising Sales | Agent | Area Sales Manager | Assistant Manager | B2B Sales | Banefits Consultant

Popular Cities: Chicago | Atlanta | Baltimore | Boston | Charlotte | Dallas | Denver | Hartford | Independence | Jacksonville | Las Vegas | Los Angeles | Memphis | Miami | Nashville

Sales Gravy, Inc. is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Job Listing & Advisory Services in Thomson GA

Sales Community

  • Join
  • Community Login
  • Browse Members
  • Blogs
  • Groups
  • Events
  • Polls

Sales Training Products

  • Featured Products
  • Sales Books
  • Sales eBooks
  • Sales Audio CDs and MP3
  • Sales Management Resources

Sales Blogs

  • Jeb Blount
  • Lee Salz
  • Bill Guertin
  • Career Blog
  • Women in Sales
  • Member Sales Blogs

Sales Talent Sourcing

  • Post a Job
  • Employer Login
  • Media Kit
  • Contact

Advertising

  • Media Kit
  • Reach Sales
  • Contact

More Information

  • About Sales Gravy
  • Press Releases
  • Contact
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Statement
  • Report Abuse