Get into Sales if You Have These Unteachable Traits
When you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, you hear the common answers – Doctor, Movie Star, or perhaps Astronaut. But, can you remember a time when you asked that same question and a six year-old answered Account Manager or VP of Sales?
Of course not.
Sales is not the most likely path that children would think to embark on at an early age. Even as you grow up, there simply aren’t many opportunities that expose you to the idea of a career in professional sales. It may not be until you reach the college level that you even hear about the possibility of choosing a curriculum and educational path geared towards a future in sales.
Making it tougher, unless your major is business-related (especially marketing), sales is often something that just isn’t part of a collegiate experience.
So, when would you realize that sales could be a great career choice for you? And more importantly, how do you know?
What is it Like to Be in Sales?
First, it is important to be aware of what a career in sales commonly looks like. Understanding the role of a salesperson, and the unteachable character traits that go along with success in that role, will help you recognize if a career in sales is right for you.
If you talked to 100 salespeople about their daily routine, my guess is everyone’s “typical day” would look different than the next. Very rarely will a salesperson have a 9-to-5 workday. Most salespeople have early mornings and late nights, holding up the idea that “sales never sleeps.” Yet, baked into every sales pro’s day is a common set of activities: they make cold calls, build a potential sales pipeline, and meet with potential prospects, all in an effort to reach a monthly or quarterly quota, or close a sale.
Regardless of what you think a salesperson’s role is, one thing is certain: it is not just about making the sale.
Make no mistake, selling is important. It contributes to most salespeople’s quotas, and it is an essential outcome of the job. But, it takes a salesperson to perform a combination of the activities listed above to ultimately contribute to the sale itself.
This leads naturally to the next question: What kind of traits and behaviors are found in people who continuously thrive with those activities, hit their quotas month after month, and build very successful (and highly compensated) careers in sales?
The Unteachable Traits That Make a Successful Sales Pro
Now that you know a little about the routine activities in most professional sales roles, you need to know the unteachable characteristics people often embody that lead them to this career choice. This list isn’t exclusive, but if you have the traits below, you need to give sales a serious look:
Itchiness
Yes, you read that correctly. Itchiness. This could also be known as a craving as much as an itch, but it translates to having a strong desire. To have the feeling of itchiness as a salesperson is something that cannot be taught. You can never force someone to want something for themselves. If someone truly wants to reach a goal (in this case, let’s say the goal is to hit a sales quota), then they will do anything in their power to hit their numbers.
If it’s the end of the month, and the goal metrics have not been attained, that same itchy feeling will come back. The thought of not reaching that goal will feel unbearable and it will push this individual hard to achieve it.
Ultimately, itchiness is the feeling of being uncomfortable with losing.
Competitiveness
This one is a little more straight forward. If you played sports growing up, then this is probably a trait that comes naturally to you. In sales, you are usually being compared to others in the company, in terms of performance. This aspect of sales may terrify some people.
But, if you’re competitive, you thrive off of competition. Achieving success becomes a game to you. You view it as something you have to win.
And if you enjoy winning, then this aspect of being more successful than your peers will be the ultimate driver towards your goals.
Curiosity
What does it mean to have curiosity in sales? If you think back to your elementary and high school days, do you remember if you were the one constantly raising your hand and asking questions? If you were this person, you know it had nothing to do with getting participation points. You genuinely wanted to learn more about a topic.
This same curiosity can be found in most strong sales pros. As a salesperson, you are constantly learning. Whether you are learning more about a prospect or a product, the more knowledge you have, the better.
If you remain curious in sales, and continue to ask questions, you will always have a leg up on the competition.
Persistence
“No” is a word that salespeople hear a lot more often than the average person. Receiving constant rejection on a daily basis can become extremely tiring for many people. But did you know that a prospect needs to see or hear your pitch seven times before they take interest or action in buying your product or service?
A lot of people would hear “no” and take that as the final answer.
The sales pros who do not take that first “no” for a final answer and continue to follow up with a prospect are the ones who most likely see a reward for their persistence.
Courage
This trait can go hand-in-hand with persistence, as well as the many other traits listed above. As a salesperson, you must have the courage to walk into your work day knowing you are going to hear “no” and it won’t slow you down.
You have to have the courage to ask questions that others may be afraid to ask. A salesperson knows that they are going to have hard days, but they continue to show up every single day until they reach their goals.
Courage does not mean you are not afraid. It means you may be scared, but fear isn’t going to prevent you from moving forward.
What if I Do Not Have Any of These Traits?
If you lack the traits listed above, that does NOT necessarily mean sales isn’t right for you. Everyone is different and we all have our own definitions of what makes us “successful” in sales. Additionally, some people don’t even know that they actually do have many (or all) of the above traits – maybe life hasn’t presented opportunities yet to draw these traits to the surface!
But if you’re struggling to find a career path and you feel like at least one of these traits resonated with you, then you should consider a career in professional sales.
I Have Some (or All) of These Traits, Now What?
If you made it this far, and you’re warming up to the idea that sales could be a great career path for you, your next question may be, “How do I get started?”
Here are some tips to help you get started in professional sales:
- Create a LinkedIn profile if you do not have one already. This is a great way to network with other salespeople and learn more about their day to day.
- If you do have a presence on LinkedIn, update your profile! Make sure everything is up to date, have a professional profile photo, follow sales pages, and update your interests so that they are sales related.
- Read! Here are some books that may help you understand sales and the ways you can succeed:
- Lastly, research the different kinds of sales to see which one sounds right for you: inside sales, outside sales, sales development, etc.
Remember, you have the natural abilities and strengths of a successful salesperson. Today could be the start of your sales journey! If you have that itch for success, go out there and hustle!
If you’re looking to launch a professional sales career right now, we’re hiring new SDRs from coast-to-coast!
