The eight most destructive traits of a salesperson are: Deceitfulness, Neuroticism, Impatience, Low emotional intelligence, Pessimism, Lack of grit, Inflexibility, and Indecisiveness.
Quota Crushing or Quota Failing – These personality flaws will quickly destroy any career in the competitive world of selling because they make prospects feel insulated from your company by teaching them that you only care about yourself rather than helping them achieve their goals.
1) Deceitfulness
Deception is never an effective way to get ahead in today’s world. Salespeople who use it tend not only lose business and suffer from terrible reviews; they’re likely to be ostracized by their fellow colleagues whose ethics are much higher than the public often gives them credit for – which means that if you want any chance of success as a salesperson with integrity, then there’s no choice but put your outer skills on display!
2) Neuroticism While being neurotic may help in some detail-oriented positions, in sales, it just creates additional stress in an already stressful job. Effective salespeople know to keep moving forward and not get bogged down in the weeds, something a highly neurotic person struggles with.
3) Impatience
Contrary to popular opinion, salespeople need to be patient (although that patience must be coupled with a sense of urgency). It takes a long time to prospect, pitch, follow up, and get a deal to closing, and there’s a lot of repetition and a lot of work with no immediate reward. As a result, the pathologically impatient will struggle in sales and won’t be able to handle the long-term commitment it takes to succeed.
4) Pessimism
A natural pessimist won’t succeed in sales, because it takes an almost irrational optimism to keep pushing through the adversity every salesperson will face. Selling requires not just a positive mindset – but a consistently positive one. Anyone who sees the glass as half empty won’t convince anyone else that it’s half full.
5) Low emotional intelligence
If you have low EQ, you might be able to close a few deals here and there, but you’ll never be consistent enough to take your career to the next level. Sales is about human interaction, and those who don’t care about humans, or don’t care enough to learn, won’t be able to accommodate them effectively enough to consistently close new business. IQ isn’t enough, you also need EQ.
6) Indecisiveness
Waffling is another reason why some people fail to launch. You’re faced with dozens of tasks and priorities every day, all vying for your attention. If you’re unable to prioritize effectively, or if you can’t commit to a game plan, the month or quarter will end, and you won’t be anywhere near your sales goal. So decide, take action, or you won’t make it.
7) Inflexibility
Rigid thinkers also have a hard time in sales because it takes creativity and the willingness to adjust your game plan to reach your goal. So whether it’s a creative new way to structure a deal, a new approach to wooing a prospect, or having enough self-awareness to adjust your sales techniques when what you’re doing isn’t working, the modern salesperson must be flexible.
8) Lack of grit
In sales, you can’t just work hard every other day; you have to show up and put in consistent effort every day. Grit isn’t easy to develop, but it might be one of the essential traits separating those who rise to the top from everybody else. And if you know that you’re not the kind of person who can motivate yourself to get going every day, then you shouldn’t bother dipping your toe into the world of sales.
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