If You Like it or Not, You Are in Sales.

By, Nicole Crimaldi

While researching for this post, I came across a great article called “10 Characteristics of Successful Salespeople.” Reading the article proved my theory that the qualities of a successful salesperson apply to almost any professional role.

“But Nicole, I’m a CPA! I hate sales. I would never ever go into sales!”

In today’s competitive job market and with technology advancing faster than we can say the word “Twitter,” employees and business owners alike must make themselves indispensable to those around them. And let’s be honest: sometimes perception is reality. This means that your attitude, work ethic, and ability to relate to others are all more important than ever.

Let’s go back to the CPA who says he is not a salesperson. If promotion time is coming up and we are comparing 5 CPA’s within a firm, I would put money on the person with the best “sales tactics” to get the promotion. I’m sure every one of those CPA’s are great at using Excel, staying organized, being precise with their calculations, etc. but it is the person who can relate to their clients, listen, set goals and achieve them, and be persistent that will get ahead.

After reading several articles, here are my ten favorite qualities of top sellers. Think about how these apply to getting ahead in any field:

1. Sold on themselves.
2. Innovative.
3. Trusted by the Customer.
4. A desire for success.
5. A willingness to learn.
6. Follow up!
7. Ask Quality Questions.
8. Listen.
9. Passionate.
10. A sense of urgency.