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.
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

Salesman’s Prayer

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