March 2008 :: Inagural Issue

3 Attributes Of Memorable Sales Folks
Experts weigh in with their thoughts

Over the course of last week we used the LinkedIn Answers feature to take the pulse of executives and get their views when asked:

What 3 attributes make sales professionals MEMORABLE? Why?

We received a host of replies and one thing is crystal clear, we all agree on the concept – most sales professionals are indeed forgettable. Our experts contributed both favorable attributes and those attributes for which so many in sales have become infamous. For this article we will focus on positive actions.

So what’s on the minds of sales executives? Here’s a sample:

The messenger’s delivery balances belief, passion, and professionalism so the audience concludes the messenger is trustworthy and someone to do business with over long periods of time.

Adam Rochlin, SVP, MF Global

Always take the high road, never disparage others, especially your competition, use the finest moral compass as that inner light will always shine through.

Patti Branco, President, Management and Training Solutions

Jumping on opportunities to prove yourself and delivering as promised (preferably delivering a miracle) is the best way to be memorable.

Rob Allen, General Manager, Lewis-Goetz & Company, Inc.

They are warrior like in their work ethic and their approach in getting customers information, follow-up, and most importantly ideas……that will bring value.

Jim Ogle, Investment Services Practice Leader, PrincetonOne

1) Winning Personality
2) Winning Personality
3) Winning Personality
Without a winning personality no one will pay attention to you long enough to buy anything.
Chris Radford, President, VSR Financial

The thoughts shared above from Rob Allen really resonate here at shorespeak, especially when he says ‘delivering as promised’. We believe that one fundamental act can catapult Memorability. It is not the only one but it undoubtedly is our most important one.

Do what you say you will do when you say you will do it.

To live this mantra each and every day will increase your MQ. The very act of keeping your spoken and/or written word is a concept that is frequently lost in sales today. The true test of your ability to live this concept is to ask if you felt any guilt when you did not perform as your word said you would. The worse the guilt, the more attuned to the concept you likely are. The sales professional that consistantly delivers on this statement will find an abundance of success.

Thanks to our LinkedIn experts for their contributions. We were unable to accommodate all the responses we received due to size considerations but we will use these valuable insights in other editions of 960.