5 Things the Best Salespeople Never Do

by Ken K.
-The Sales Side
November 20, 2014

If you’ve worked more than one sales job then you’ve had more than one top sales rep as a co-worker. There is one (or more) in every organization. Usually their numbers are insane while everyone else is wondering how they did it. Well the best salespeople all have some things in common, and it’s usually not something they’re born with. Here are five things that the top sales reps at a company never do:

1) Complain – Sales floors are filled with people who complain about everything from leads, to the comp plan, to working weekends. You could say it’s a completely natural part of sales culture and comes with the territory. While some complaints are legitimate, you won’t hear the best salespeople at an organization complaining since they are too busy focusing on finding solutions. Venting makes people feel better, but it rarely helps your numbers and the top sales reps understand this well.  

2) Count their deals before they close - A great salesperson can read people well, but knows enough about sales to understand that a deal isn’t a deal until the deal closes and is signed sealed and delivered. While many sales reps (especially new ones) will believe a customer who says they will sign in a few days, or be back next weekend, the best sales reps won’t use the “be backs” as an excuse to get their manager off their back. The best sales reps take responsibility for themselves and, more importantly, face reality.

3) Keep doing things that aren’t working – While sales involves lots of processes, many of which are repetitive such as calling leads, explaining product benefits etc., the best salespeople focus on the details and identify what isn’t working for them and adjust accordingly. This can be something as simple as tweaking a few words in a sales pitch that is falling short, or realizing that certain types of prospects aren’t the best use of their time and resources. The best salespeople stop doing something when it’s clearly not working and keep trying until they find something that does.  

4) Let their performance affect their mood - One thing that nearly all top salespeople have in common is that they don’t let their numbers impact their emotions. If they’re crushing it, they stay humble and keep plugging along without acting elated or running around the office happier than ever, and if they’re in a slump they don’t mope around looking for sympathy or get angry. Their mood is consistent which makes their performance better.

5) Forget to close - We have seen countless sales reps over the years who will build amazing rapport with a customer, thoroughly explain the features and benefits of a product only to let the customer get away without asking for their business. There is nothing more important in sales than closing, and the best salespeople live this day in and day out. They put themselves in the customer’s shoes, listen to what the customer is saying they want, and then they give it to them and go for the close. If you want to be #1 on the board in your office or company but you don’t know how to close, watch the best salesperson in your office and see how they do it.