As you can imagine, I am often asked by sales leaders, anxious to recruit the best salespeople they can afford, just what is it that makes a consistently top performer; what are their characteristics; where are their strengths, and what differentiates them?

Over the past thirty-five years I have recruited, managed, lead, trained and developed thousands of sales professionals, from foundation right up to “master craftsman” level and this has given me the opportunity to formulate an accurate profile of a “Top 5% Achiever.”

So what is it that top 5% players do? Here are the ten most common characteristics

They:

Position themselves with the real decision-makers and avoid those without ‘approval power’. They are able to first identify and then access the formal decision making unit.

Not only get the order but a satisfied customer, repeat sales, enthusiastic reference sites and constantly increase sales penetration within their accounts.

Know how to minimise the uncertainties of a cold call on a new account, by careful planning and rigorous opportunity assessment.

Recognise when to treat an old account as a new prospect and keep the relationship fresh, alive and maintain profitability

Never entertain business they do not want because they recognise that it takes just as long to work an unprofitable opportunity through the sales funnel, only to lose it at the death, as it does a profitable one. They trust their own judgement but also rely heavily on objective assessment.

Readily identify and know how to deal with the four different buying influences present in every sale i.e. Economic Buyer, Technical Buyer, User Buyer, and Ally.

Understand how to prevent sales from being sabotaged by an internal enemy. They insulate themselves by developing strong allies within.

Are able to recognise fail-safe signals that indicate when a sale is in jeopardy. This comes from experience but also information supplied by their allies.

Are rigorous in tracking account progress and are able to accurately forecast future sales because they use proven methodology, which allows them to weight every opportunity in the pipeline.

Avoid ‘dry-months’ by allocating time wisely to their critical selling tasks i.e. Prospecting for new business, covering the bases with existing opportunities and finally closing the best few.

In summary, the very best sales performers do not achieve that status overnight. They work tirelessly to develop and hone their skills-sets, insist on regular top-up coaching, and seek out those who are outperforming them, so that they may learn and improve still further. They have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of their industry and sector.

Finally, they concentrate on eliminating any weaknesses and are anxious to be assessed and receive feedback on a regular basis.

News:

Greatest Gold-Mine of Sales Wisdom Ever

 I want to take just a couple minutes to let you in on something special…

…something that could easily make this your BEST YEAR of sales EVER!

 Eric Taylor and David Riklan, the Creators of the “Mastering the World” book series, are releasing their newest masterpiece…

It’s an INCREDIBLY valuable resource for ANYONE working in Sales.

( The complete details are here: http://www.masteringtheworld.com/  )

One look and you’ll quickly see why I call this “the best of the best”.

Because whether it’s the classic wisdom of Napoleon Hill, Robert Cialdini, and Zig Ziglar … or up-to-the-minute advice on using the power of “Sales 2.0” technologies…

You can take absolutely ANY nugget from within this book’s 385 pages, and IMMEDIATELY apply it to solving your most pressing real-life sales challenges.

This is truly the most powerful and relevant single-volume collection of sales strategies, persuasion tactics, and training advice you’ll find ANYWHERE. Bar none!

*** And I should know, because they’ve also included a chapter with my Sales Strategies.

Jeffrey Gitomer, author of “The Little Red Book of Selling”, says:

“This book is all about what is working NOW [in] business, sales, service, and personal development for the second decade of the twenty-first century.”

Look, I’m not even going to TRY listing all the topics covered, and all the experts contributing. Even on the webpage, they don’t list quite everything.

But I guarantee you’ll be well-impressed when you see what they CREATED!

http://www.masteringtheworld.com/  

David and Eric are also celebrating the book’s release date with an incredible, exclusive give-away of $2,686.00 worth of hand-picked FREE Gifts. (You’ll have to visit their webpage to get all the details, and see how you can qualify.)

http://www.masteringtheworld.com/

I know anyone purchasing this book who doesn’t experience a major boost to their bottom line … hasn’t actually USED it.

It’s that well-written … and that powerful!

http://www.masteringtheworld.com/  

Look – I want you to go to the book’s website, and see for yourself what all the fuss, and all the excitement is about!

PS – I should mention: All those thousands of dollars worth of gifts David and Eric have set aside for you will be offered to someone else – someone perhaps a bit more motivated – if you don’t grab yours by Midnight Tonight. Go to http://www.masteringtheworld.com/

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