By Jim Berkowitz, CRM Mastery

In How to Identify Great Salespeople it's noted that:

There are three kinds of salespeople. There are those who sell, and those who really try to sell, but never quite make the grade. The third kind? Well, we hope we never accidentally hire one of these, and the list of things that sent them packing is far too long to talk about here. We are going to concentrate on the first two, with the aim of helping you help your company rise to the top.

What's the difference between the first two kinds? What does Sally Success know or do that Joe NotSoSuccessful doesn't know or do? Is it how to talk to a prospect?

Is it charisma? Education? Is there such a person as a "born salesperson"?

It is suggested that you start your search for a winner by having in-depth discussions with your top salespeople. Your goal is to obtain specific answers to six specific questions (see the article for the detail).

Then you ask the identical questions of your other salespeople in the same order (as you asked your stars). You've got to write down what they say in both cases so that you can compare their answers.

If you follow the guidelines in the article then it is sugessted that you just might learn that there are two main differences between the successful and the not-so-successful:

1. The successful salesperson knows just about everything there is to know about your industry, your position in that industry, your product/service line and how it stacks up against the competition (in detail).

2. The successful salesperson can identify his/her top 12 customers, including what they are going to buy and when, and why.Your successful salesperson can talk in-depth with target customers, selling them the exact product they need when they need it, and selling your other products or services when things are slow. He/she will be able to differentiate between your product and your competitor's product, knowing that this year it may only be a small item, but next year will be the "big one."