Social and Moral Qualities of a Salesman | Requisites of Good Salesman

Social Qualities of a Salesman

Social qualities contribute to the personality of a salesman in no small measure. The important social qualities required of a successful salesman are:

1. Courtesy

A salesman must be courteous in his behavior. Courtesy costs nothing. But it can do wonders.

2. Good Manners

A salesman must have good manners. It is his manners that make or spoil his chances of success in selling. In this context, he should avoid all mannerisms (i.e., the petty habitual gestures), such as smoothing hair, clasping and unclasping hand, toying with the watch, ring, pen, fingers, looking up, down laughing artificially, etc. These mannerisms are considered offensive and they distract customers.

3. Sociability

Sociability means the capacity of a person to meet people and mix with them freely and easily. A salesman must have this quality, without which he cannot mix with the prospects and customers and succeed in his endeavor.

4. Enthusiasm

A salesman should enjoy his work. Enthusiasm to a salesman, is what patriotism to a soldier. This quality gives the salesman inspiration, zest and a willingness to work hard.

5. Cheerfulness

A salesman should have a smiling face and be cheerful. According to a Chinese proverb, “A man without a smiling face must not open a shop”. A cheerful salesman will be able to draw the attention of the customers towards him.

6. Tact or Diplomacy

Tact is the ability of a person to dominate others without their knowing it and leading them to action without forcing them. In short, it is the ability to say proper words and do the right thing without offending others. Tact is very essential for a successful salesman.

7. Patience and Tolerance

A salesman must have patience and tolerance. A patient salesman will bring laurels to himself and his organist in the long-run.

8. Self-Confidence

A salesman must have self-confidence, i.e., confidence in himself and in his ability to convince others and win over them.

9. Humour, sympathy and geniality

Humour, sympathy and geniality are essential qualities for a salesman. They enable him to face difficult and delicate situations easily.

10. Team-spirit

A salesman has to work with his fellow salesmen, his superiors and also with customers. So, he should believe in team-spirit and the spirit of co-operation.

Moral Qualities of a Salesman

The character or moral qualities of a salesman add to the sales personality of a salesman. The important moral qualities required of a successful salesman are

1. Honesty

A salesman must be honest to his customers. He must be honest in making representations about the products. He must not induce the customers to buy goods by making false representation. It is equally important, that he is quite honest to his employer and carry out all his instructions.

2. Loyalty

A salesman must be loyal to his employer. He must work sincerely for his employer. He must not spoil the reputation of his employer under any circumstances.

3. Integrity

Integrity means uprightness of character. This quality gives a salesman the necessary courage and helps him to succeed in his task.

4. Determination

Determination is the will to go on and try again and again in the face of disappointments until the success is achieved. A salesman should have a strong determination. It helps him to achieve his goal.

5. Courage

A salesman must have courage. This quality enables him to face new customers, new situations and do his work. confidently.

6. Maturity

Maturity means the

• ability to assume responsibility,
• capacity to tolerate criticisms and heap praise gracefully,
• capacity to understand and appreciate the rights of others and to realize one’s own obligations and
• the ability to rise above one’s own narrow, personal and selfish ends. This quality is quite essential for a salesman, if he is to succeed in his career.

7. Reliability

A salesman must be reliable. During his course of interaction with his boss, wholesaler or customer, if he has given an assurance, or promised to do something, then he must stick to his word and honour his commitment.

8. Aspiration or Ambition

Ambition is the desire to do well and achieve something in life. A salesman should have ambition. Then only, he can be successful.

9. Industriousness

Industriousness refers to persistent efforts to achieve something, irrespective of the difficulties involved. A salesman should be industrious. He should take pains to study, understand and solve the problems which he faces in his sales job.

Requisites of a Good Salesman

No doubt, a good personality is quite essential for a salesman. But mere personality alone is not sufficient for a salesman to succeed in his task in the competitive business world. Besides that, a salesman must acquire some additional qualities which are given below:

1. Knowledge of Self

A salesman should have an assessment of his own strengths and weaknesses. Knowledge of his own personality (including his own limitations, if any), will help the salesman to face and deal with the customers effectively. It helps him to depend upon the strong points of his personality and avoid displaying his weaknesses while dealing with others. Further, acknowledgement of his own weaknesses will help him take steps to overcome them in course of time.

2. Knowledge of the Products

A salesman should have a thorough knowledge of the products he sells. He should have a detailed knowledge of the nature of the products (i.e., the type, design, size, colour, grade and quality of the products), materials used in the manufacture of the products, methods of their production, methods of packing and packaging, uses of the products, channel of distribution, terms and conditions of sale, sales promotion methods undertaken, etc.

A thorough knowledge of the products gives him confidence and enables him to explain the merits and superiority of the products to the customers and guide them in the proper selection of their goods. A through knowledge of the products can be had by the salesman from sales manuals, advertisements, visit to the factories to understand the production processes, attending the sales meetings, training and consultation with the seniors, etc.

3. Knowledge of the Firm

A salesman is not just selling a product. He is also selling his firm. As such, a salesman must have a thorough knowledge of the firm which he represents. He should know the history and development of the company, the people responsible for the development of the firm, the top officials of the firm, the achievements and records of the firm, and its standing in the market, the financial structure of the firm, the objects of the firm, the different products of the firm, the distribution policies, services offered to consumers, etc. A knowledge of the firm helps him to do his job confidently and enables him to render better service to the firm.

4. Knowledge of the Customers

A salesman must have a thorough knowledge of the customers. He must be aware of the buying motives of the customers, their nature, requirements and also the art of dealing with the different types of customers. A knowledge of the different types of customer helps the salesman to adopt different tactics while dealing with them.

A knowledge of the buying motives of the customers helps the salesman to know the minds and the needs of the customers and enables him to tailor (i.e., adjust) the selling points according to their buying motives confidently and effectively.

5. Knowledge of technique of selling

A salesman should have a complete knowledge of the technique of selling. He should have a good knowledge of certain basic principles of selling, such as attending to the customers quickly, understanding the requirements of the customers and ensuring that the needs of the customers are met suitably. A salesman can have a thorough knowledge of the techniques of selling through suitable training.