Professional Salesmanship

Developing a Sales Personality and the Salesman’s Responsibilities, Duties and

Qualification

Module 002 – Developing a Sales Personality and

the Salesman’s Responsibilities, Duties and
Qualification

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Know and understand the meaning of Sales personality.

2. Explain why it is important to have a good Sales Personality.
3. Discover the different aspects of Sales Personality.
4. Enumerate the different traits that a salesman should possess.

Meaning of Sales Personality

Sales personality can be defined as the sum of all the salesman’s physical,
emotional, psychological, social, and intellectual traits needed to obtain a favorable
response from prospects and customers, in short, for effective salesmanship.

Importance of Sales Personality

If the salesman already possesses a pleasing sales personality, he can now face
bravely every kind of prospect he may meet. The salesman must be able to adapt
himself to various types of prospects whom he may call to offer his product of
service.

Important Aspects of Sales Personality

As mentioned in the definition, sales personality is the totality of the

salesman’s physical, emotional, psychological, social and intellectual traits. Hence,
the PEPSI aspects of sales personality.
 Figure 2.1- Four Buyer Personality Types and how to Maximize Sales on them

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Physical Traits Required of a Salesman

The physical and personal appearance of a salesman is a primary consideration

in building a pleasing sales personality. The favorable first impressions of the
prospect defend upon your personal appearance and the physical traits you
possess.

The physical traits required of a salesman include appearance and grooming,

clothing, poise and posture, voice, language used, manners and mannerisms, facial
expressions, and body movements.

Emotional Traits Required of a Salesman

A star salesman must cultivate and develop not only his physical traits. In like
manner, a salesman must also consider certain emotional traits for promoting
better relationship with his prospect.

These emotional traits that the salesman try to process are self-control, even
temperament, fact, optimism, and enthusiasm. It is truly a must on the part of a
salesman to be emotionally stable so as not to antagonize his prospect. He has to
avoid anger, guilt or revenge.

Psychological Traits Requires of a Salesman

 Courtesy, humility, cheerfulness, dependability, initiative, determination to
succeed, courage, self-confidence, persistence, persuasiveness, reliability,
adaptability, sincerity, and a host of other important traits are what a salesman
must develop in him. If he wants every sales closed, the salesman has to be
psychologically liable. The prospect must be impressed favorably for his orders to
come in.

Social Traits Required of a Salesman

The salesman should be aware of the magic of a smile. A smile can win a
thousand hearts. If your smile is sincere and warm, your prospect cannot resist
you. A smile is contagious.

Call your prospect by name. To a person his name is one of the most beautiful
sounds on earth. Use it often during the entire sales interview; be sure you are
pronouncing his name correctly.

Intellectual Traits Required of a Salesman

The salesman must not only be physically, emotionally, psychologically and

socially fit. He, likewise, must be intellectually fit to become a star salesman. To be
intellectually fit is to be mentally healthy. Analytic ability, problem-solving ability,
to learn quickly, originality, creativity and decisiveness are some of the most
important intellectual traits that a salesman must possess.

Ways of Improving Sales Personality

1. Self-introspection seems to be the least expensive way of improving one’s

personality. All it takes is an analysis of one’s strengths and weaknesses.

2. Your company, at one time or another may be sponsoring seminars and

workshops aimed at sales personality development.

3. Reading pocketbooks and other literature on personality development can also

be of help to you.

4. Tips and advice from your co-salesman and sales manage express deep concern
for you to grow and succeed.

5. As you interact with your prospect, you can also have the chance to improve
your sales personality.

Salesman’s Job

The job of a salesman is to get an order. Money, time and effort spent by a salesman
will prove to be useless if at the end of the day he is not able to make sale getting an
order is the complete realization of the spelling process but actually its real objective is
to provide service.

Salesman as a Communicator
 The sales presentation is a method of informing prospects or costumers about
the product service or idea the salesman must be an expert in communicating to his
prospects the good side of his proposition.

Salesman as a Problem solver

A large segment of our population have come to regard the salesman as a high
pressure persuader whole sole aim is to convince the buyer to purchase something
which he does not need or want

Salesman as an Educator

Patience plays a very important role in the life of a salesman. He must realize
that it is not easy to convince a prospect. He must be ready to point out to explain.

Salesman as a Human Relations Expert

The human factor is important in selling. The salesman must be aware of his own
personality with the people he comes in contact.

Salesman’s Aim

Since all salesmen deal with the sale of products services and ideas certain goals must
be achieved.

1. To sell himself
2. To sell the company
3. To sell the product
 Figure 2.2- Salesman’s Prayer

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Common Duties and Responsibilities

Direct selling – promoting company goodwill.

Advising and counseling – this activity involves the supplying of information to help
solve the costumer merchandising

Handling complaints – this activity requires the salesman to make the adjustment
himself

Attending Sales meetings – they may be held in the branch district or home office
Non-selling

Reporting this activity includes the preparation of daily, weekly, and monthly reports
Collecting some companies require the salesman to collect the payment for
merchandise. Assisting the credit department some company depend upon the
salesman to collect credit information

Famous Five P’s of successful selling

1. Product
2. Personality
3. Perseverance
4. Prospect
5. Picturesque

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF SELLING

1. Speak to people
2. Smile at people
3. Call people by name
4. Be friendly and helpful
5. Be cordial
6. Be genuinely interested in people
7. Be generous with praise
8. Be thoughtful of the opinions of others
9. Be considerate of the feelings of the others
10. Be alert to give service

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals

Arante, Lilia B. & Gomez, Julita R. (2010). Salesmanship (Revised Edition)
National Bookstore

Garcia, Alipio M. & Villanuev, Merla G. (2009). Professional Salesman

Booklore Publishing Corporation

Online Instructional Videos

 Sales Types - Which of the 4 Types of Salespeople are you? By Marc
Wayshak/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxl05kF3U_U/2016/07/13.
Retrieved September 26, 2019