Physical and Psychological Qualities of a Salesman
Salesmanship is not a child’s play. It is a competitive game. To play this competitive game successfully, a salesman should have a pleasing sales personality.
How important fragrance and colour are to a flower, so important is the personality to a salesman. It is the sum total of all his abilities, traits, etc., which impresses the prospects and the customers, inspires confidence in them and influences them favorably.
Qualities of a Successful Salesman
Since a salesman’s future lies in successful salesmanship, he has to develop a host of qualities. Those qualities are absolutely necessary to ensure a successful career in selling. First and foremost, a salesman must have a willingness to learn, work, and possess a tremendous amount of self-confidence.
Determination, and self-confidence will take him to new heights eventually. The common qualities expected of an ideal salesman are listed below
- Integrity.
- Honesty.
- Politeness.
- Confidence.
- Firmness.
- Enthusiasm.
- Persistence.
- Self-analysis.
- Maturity.
- Drive.
- Communication skill.
- Human Psychology.
- Inter-personal skill
- Sound health.
The above traits improve overall personality of a salesman and make him successful. The qualities of a salesman may be classified into four categories. They are Physical, Psychological or mental qualities, Social and Moral qualities. Here we shall see some of the Physical and Psychological qualities of a salesman.
Physical Qualities of a Salesman
A tidy appearance of a salesman is essential for gaining an entry during a salesman’s visit to the premises of prospects and also for successful selling. The various physical qualities of a salesman are
1. Good health
A salesman must have good health. A sound health gives him more strength and enables him to work hard. Further, there can be a sound mind only in a sound body. Hence, physical health is a pre-requisite to mental health. Good health can be maintained by a salesman by good food, regular food habits, physical exercise, relaxation, and periodical medical care.
2. Good appearance
A salesman must have a good appearance. It is an asset for the salesman. A good appearance of a salesman attracts the customers towards him and helps him to do his job successfully. Good appearance can be enhanced through cleanliness, i.e., through proper care of the face, hair and hands.
3. Good dress
A salesman should be well dressed as it creates a good impression about him and attracts prospects. On the other hand, a shabby dress drives away the prospects from him.
4. Good posture
Good posture means an upright bearing and carriage. Good posture of a salesman reflects his self-confidence and helps him command respect from others. On the other hand, a poor drooping posture shows lack of self-confidence and alienates (i.e., detaches) prospects from the salesman.
5. Pleasant voice
Good voice is quite essential for a salesman. His voice must be clear, pleasant and well-modulated so as to hold the attention of the prospect.
6. Fluency in speech
A salesman should be a fluent speaker. Fluent and forceful speech are necessary if the salesman is to sell his point of view and convince the customers and the prospects. Powerful speech always inspires listeners.
Psychological or Mental Qualities of a Salesman
Mental Qualities also improve the personality of a salesman and help him to do his job better. The important mental qualities required of a salesman are:
1. Intelligence
Intelligence is the mental capacity to understand quickly. An intelligent salesman understands various business situations and various types of customer quickly and alter his presentation suitably.
2. Resourcefulness
A salesman must be resourceful. Resourcefulness means mental ability to think out alternatives. In other words, it means the ability of a person to conceive new ideas or device novel approaches to make people do what he wants them to do. The resourcefulness of a salesman helps him to think out every selling situation with a view to tackling it successfully.
3. Imagination
Imagination is the power of visualizing things. A salesman should have rich imagination. It enables the salesmen to see the difficulties and the problems of the prospects through their eyes and to device the ways and means of solving them. In short, good imagination helps salesman to understand the minds of the prospects easily.
4. Cool Temperament
A salesman must have a cool temperament. He should not lose his composure under any circumstances. He must always remain calm.
5. Initiative
Initiative means the ability to think and decide for oneself without any guidance or prompting from anybody. In the initial stages, no doubt, a salesman has to work under the guidance and the supervision of others. But in course of time, he must develop the habit of thinking and deciding for himself. This initiative helps him to take quick and correct decisions.
6. Alertness
Alertness makes a salesman keenly alive to a sales situation and helps him take concrete steps to tackle any situation.
7. Keen Observation
A salesman must be a keen observer. The power of observation enables him to understand any situation, various kinds of people, products, etc.
8. Sharp Memory
A salesman must have a sharp and retentive memory. He must be able to remember the faces and names of customers, the products they usually use and also the features, grades, quality and the prices and other details of the products he sells; This will help him to impress his customers.
