What traits do your customers want in a salesperson?

What traits make a superior salesperson? We often ask this question of salespeople and managers and hear many of the following adjectives:

• Outgoing
• Driven
• Hungry
• Competitive
• Tenacious
• Trainable
• Overachiever
• Goal setter
• Results-oriented

Good list – if you are not the customer! What if we considered (in no particular order) what prospects or customers think makes a salesperson great?

• Exceptional listener
• Emotionally intelligent
• Curious
• Punctual
• Reliable
• Good communicator
• Challenges their assumptions
• Trustworthy
• Well organized
• Confident they can help prospects and customers
• Cares about prospects and customers
• Grateful

If you could see two salespeople who might have a solution for your need, from whom would you want to buy? The salesperson with traits from the first list or the second?

Remember these traits this week and ensure that you resemble the second list.