Acquirent starts every work day with an 8 a.m. meeting/rally where we stand together on the sales floor as a company and read through the wins from the previous work day, make company announcements, hear from civic and business leaders and introduce potential clients to our team to showcase the Acquirent sales culture. The 8 a.m. meeting is an especially energizing way to start the day when it ends in a loud, perfectly executed single clap.
One ongoing staple of this meeting as it is so important to always remember and refresh on is to round robin around the room and have different teammates list off the Four Pillars of Success that ACQ has built our teams and business on the following pillars; Positive Attitude, Ask Good Questions, Shut Up and Listen and Know Your Product and Industry.
Recently it’s come to our attention that we need to add a Fifth Pillar of Success and that is Grit. Angela Lee Duckworth’s 2014 TED Talk was the inspiration for this change. Her conclusion’s on self-control and grit to determine how they might predict both academic and professional success were very revealing. And although positive attitude can have a huge impact in sales, it takes a tremendously gritty salesperson to succeed.
Below is our newly edited Five Pillars of Sales Success, enjoy and Happy Selling!
Acquirent has been hiring sales professionals for close to a decade now and we realize that great sales people come in all different sizes, shapes and backgrounds. That said we do believe there are certain characteristics that successful sales people hold in common. These characteristics are:
1. Have a positive attitude. Sales is tough! We believe people can sense your passion and commitment to what you’re selling (either in person or over the phone) and respond accordingly. If you don’t have a positive attitude in sales, you will not succeed. I believe when you get out of bed in the morning, you have two choices: you can be a victim or you can make it a great day, we hire the latter.
2. Ask great questions. Acquirent sells sophisticated and complex products and services; we believe without asking great questions a sales professional cannot uncover the true pain that a prospect is feeling and discover how our solution/product can address their needs.
3. Shut up and listen! A sales person can ask the best questions (open ended, of course) in the world but if they do not shut up and listen to what their prospective client is saying they will never learn what the prospect needs or wants.
4. Be a product and industry expert. Finally, you need to know your product, your competition, the industry and many other important factors. Once you become a product expert, you move from being a “sales guy” or “sales gal” to becoming a trusted resource with whom your prospect feels comfortable and sees value in speaking with.
5. Be Gritty. Yes, positive attitude can have a huge impact in sales, but some sales cycles can be long, upwards of 12 months long, and some products and services can be hard to sell. Those salespeople with grit show a tenacity and perseverance to keep at their goals and not quit in the face of failure, rejection or other obstacles.
There you have it, the new and vastly improved Five Pillars of Success. Hopefully you can make it to our 8 a.m. meeting and hear this in person, followed by our notorious single clap.
Click here to watch Angela Lee Duckworth’s 2014 TED Talk on Grit
Click here to watch Joe’s recent ACQU training on Grit[/fusion_text][/fullwidth]