Top qualities of salespeople at high-performing sales organizations

Consumers are more intelligent than ever, many of whom are ready and willing to do their research before making any purchasing decisions. Buyers are in the driver’s seat of the sales process. With access to comparison shopping, customer case studies, and product guides available at the click of a button, what really sets a company apart is the people.

People buy from people. Regardless of technology and advanced selling tools, the human touch and the relationship between buyer and salesperson can go a long way. Top-performing salespeople that establish a trusting connection, overcome objections, and close deals will bring success to your company.

So, what are the characteristics of high-performing sales teams, and what should you look for when building high-performing sales organizations? Keep reading to learn all about the top qualities of salespeople and how to implement sales training programs that capitalize on them.

The top characteristics of high-performing sales teams

Even as technology and sales processes continue to evolve, salespeople are still a business imperative. Sure, when people are at home deciding which commodity to purchase, they will research and probably make their own decision. But for much larger purchases, especially B2B purchases, personal research isn’t usually enough to make such a significant buying decision – customers need to interact with a salesperson.

High-performing sales organizations hire salespeople for their unique combination of technical and power skills. Then, those new hires go throughsales training programs to ensure everyone has the knowledge and resources to succeed.

So, precisely which types of characteristics should hiring managers and leaders look for when building sales teams? Though individual technical skills will vary depending on the industry you’re in, the characteristics of high-performing sales teams are usually the same.

Here are some of the top qualities of salespeople you should look for in your next hire.

1. Self-motivated

High-performing salespeople with strong self-leadership skills have an internal drive to succeed and meet personal and company goals. They are self-motivated, self-leading, enthusiastic self-starters committed to exceeding client expectations. They work as a team while playing to their individual strengths.

Top-performing salespeople hold themselves accountable throughout the sales process, and they innovate change within their teams. These are the team members that can be relied upon to help lead the rest of your sales team, become mentors, and set examples for new hires.

2. Skill agility

A great sales team consists of diverse individuals with unique and complementary skills, experience, talents, and expertise. Skill agility is the ability to acquire new skills in response to changing business needs. It’s all about empowering your team to react immediately and strategically to business challenges, uncover opportunities, and rise to previously untapped levels of success.

Top-performing salespeople are constantly evolving, adapting, and fine-tuning their skills—they’re agile. They don’t settle or stay stuck in their old ways, even when those ways have been successful for them in the past.

3. Problem-solution vs. features-focused

Customers don’t just want to know what your product does. Instead, they want to know how it will solve a problem and improve their quality of life. To close deals, the best salespeople show customers genuine concern and care for their pain points. They won’t demonstrate a product’s features exclusively; they will demonstrate solutions through product benefits. Top-performing salespeople help the customer visualize the value and impact a particular product or service will have.

4. Goal-oriented

High-performing sales organizations and top-performing salespeople are goal-oriented. They are driven to succeed by internal motivation and aim to overperform. The best salespeople are laser-focused on meeting quotas and closing deals. But not just their personal goals; they’re team players. Top-performing salespeople understand that their performance contributes to the bigger picture: the company’s success.

5. Teachable

Even with the best traits and qualities, the best salespeople don’t think they’re the best. They display humility, knowing there’s always room for improvement. High-performing sales organizations inspire their salespeople to grow by continually offering them opportunities for self-development, learning, and upskilling. Continuous training creates a culture of learning, encouraging teachability.

Implement powerful sales training programs with Unboxed

High-performing sales organizations promote upskilling and skill agility to ensure their salespeople rise to the challenges they’ll inevitably face. Top-performing salespeople are self-motivated, goal-oriented, and teachable, desiring to keep learning and improving. They also focus more on pain points and benefits than features.

Now that you know and understand the top qualities of salespeople and the characteristics of high-performing sales teams, the next step is to implement effective sales training programs.

At Unboxed Training & Technology, we take the concept of skill agility and turn it into a reality. Our LMS, Spoke®, emphasizes microlearning, gamification, coaching, and analytics, making gaining new skills collaborative, engaging, and fun for salespeople.

With Unboxed, you can choose from turn-key training and customized learning paths or mix it up! Give your sales team access to relevant content while organizing your resources and training all in one place.

Are you ready to make a name for your company as one of the most high-performing sales organizations in your industry? Contact us today to request a sales training demo and see how Spoke® can take even your top-performing salespeople and make them better at what they do.