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In a recent survey conducted by a BIG benefits management company, 365 CEOs and sales management executives were asked: “What are the three key factors that separate high-performing sales professionals from moderate- to low-performing sales professionals?”

Both CEOs and C-level sales executives (all people who don’t sell, but rely on their salespeople to produce sales so that they can get paid), ranked “self-discipline/motivation” as the most important.

Next in line were “customer knowledge,” “innate talent/personality” and “product knowledge,” and further down the list were “experience” and “teamwork skills.”

Totally bogus.

These are qualities of corporate greed, not value, service or help – the three things that customers require to give business and maintain loyalty.

MAJOR DUH: When survey companies ask questions, why don’t they ask the people actually doing the work?

I’m a writer, but I’m also a salesman. I make sales and sales calls every day. If you’re interested in the most important factors of a high-performing salesperson, let me give you a realistic list of success characteristics.

1. Perpetual, consistent, positive attitude and enthusiasm. This is the first rule of facing the customer, facing the obstacles, facing the competition, facing the economy and facing yourself.

2. Quadruple self-belief. Unwavering belief in your company, unwavering belief in your product AND unwavering belief in yourself are the first three rules. But here’s the most critical one: You MUST believe that the customer is better off having purchased from you.

3. Use of creativity. Creativity to present ideas in favor of the customer, and creativity to differentiate you from the competition.

4. Ability to give and prove value. To prove the value of your product or service, and your ability to give value beyond the sale to the PROSPECT so you can earn the order, the reorder and the loyalty.

5. Ability to promote and position. Personal use of the Internet to blog, e-zine, utilize social media, and achieve Google top ranking, so your customers and prospects will perceive you as a value provider and a leader in your field.

6. Exciting, compelling presentation skills. Not just solid communication skills, but superior questioning skills, listening skills and a sense of humor. The innate ability to engage and capture the imagination (and the wallet) of customers and prospects.

7. Ability to prove your value and claims through the testimony of others. Testimonials sell where salespeople can’t. The BEST salespeople use video testimonials to support, affirm and prove their claims. BUT, the reality is – you don’t get testimonials, you EARN them. Same with referrals.

8. Ability to create an atmosphere where people want to BUY (because they hate being SOLD). This is done by engaging and asking, not presenting and telling.

9. Ability to build a relationship, not hunt or farm. I wonder if the “executives” talking about the factors of great salespeople are the same morons dividing their salespeople into “hunters” and “farmers.” Great salespeople are relationship builders who provide value and help their customers win.

10. Unyielding personal values and ethics. Great people have great values and great ethics. Interesting that 365 CEOs and executives don’t deem these characteristics to be in the top 10.

10.5. The personal desire to excel and be their best. This is a desired quality of every salesperson, BUT the best salespeople have mastered the other 10 elements. And the key is that all 10 must be mastered in order for this quality to manifest itself.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2009 Jeffrey H. Gitomer