The Sales Trait That Cannot Be Practiced

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Sales is a very personal game, there is a lot of emotion involved, both good and bad, a lot of ups and downs; at times it is like the old Wide World of Sports intro, remember, “the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat”, it’s all there in a sale.

Which is why it is odd when people say don’t take it personally; mind you they usually say that when you lose a deal, everyone likes to celebrate a win.  Of course one has to take both personally, if you did not get involved you would be short of one ingredient that you do need to win consistently.

Call it attitude, passion, the will to win, or other names; it is at the core of good selling, it is often the differentiator in the eye of the buyer.  After all, if all things are equal, you’ll go with the winner, the one who projects success, and demonstrates the substance to deliver it.

Some say that all thing being equal, the deal will be decided on price; another school say that if all things are equal, including price, the deal will go to those who have demonstrated greater knowledge.  But if this is equal as well, then what?  In those cases it will go to the rep who wants it most, the ones that are able to demonstrate that they will use all the resources to make the deal happen by taking an extra step at every stage of the sale.  From the initial image and message they project through the phone on the first call, the additional question they use, the patience they use to get inside the buyers’ decision process.

Unfortunately this is a trait that cannot be captured in a chapter or two of a slick sales book, it cannot be practiced or rehearsed, it comes down to doing.  It is the ability to make that extra mile seem that much longer.  Often when I am asked why I won a specific deal, the only answer I have is “I wanted it more than the competition”; how often do you?