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Being a great salesperson is a challenge, especially because of the  rejection. There are many competitors selling the same thing. People frequently  buy from the cheapest seller, which makes it harder when a lower price isn’t  something you can offer. Avoiding the following qualities will put you in the  best position to be a top salesperson not just in your company, but in your  industry by helping with the biggest issues.

1) Inability To Have Hard Conversations With Clients

Everyone wants to be the hero, but sharing good news is no problem. Keeping a  client’s trust after telling them something they didn’t want to hear is more  important to the survival of any business.

Do This Instead: “Diffuse bad situations with action,”  Carleton Dufoe, Senior VP of Trade at Fusion Worldwide says. “One of our sales reps did that and  turned a bad situation into a relationship that was worth ten times more than  what we had been doing with the same client.”

Learn how to deliver bad news in an honest and responsible way. If something  is your fault, be upfront about it, and show how you will make it better. If  it’s something that can’t be controlled, make sure there really is nothing you  can do, and let the client know just how you tried before bringing the problem  to them. If you can prove that your best interests are in-line with the  client’s, they will be more likely to understand your predicament and trust your  judgment.

2) Impatience

Some companies don’t move quickly, and clients can also be slow to react at  times too. A lot of sales require multiple calls to get the contract signed and  the items shipped.

Do This Instead: Acknowledge that even in today’s connected  world, there are some people that work more slowly, whether they’re a large  corporation, a small business owner or somewhere in between. Use the downtime to  make a few new calls, check in with another client or read up on some of the  latest trends and information on your products. You’ll be able to get the most  value out of each day that way, even if business is slow with a few clients.

“When times are slow, we check with our commodities team to make sure we have  both what we need and what we will need in the future,” says Fusion’s Jordan  Silver, a Senior Sales Representative.

3) No Confidence

People can easily hear a self-conscious person on the other end of the phone.  If you’re not confident when pitching your product or service, they may not  think you have the ability to follow through with what you’re promising.

Do This Instead: Work until you get another “yes” from  a client, then document what you did differently to get it. Use that strategy in  any similar situations that you come across in the future. Keep track of all of  your successes, and talk to a client you’ve worked with to hear what they like  most about you. Once you have a record of the quantity and quality of your work,  you can bounce back quickly when you’re in a rut.

4) Desire To Know It All Before You Start

There is an endless amount of information about the various products on the  market, and there are also new items being created continually.

Do This Instead: “You need to sell as you learn,” Luke  LeSaffre, a Fusion Worldwide Senior Sales Representative says.” If you digest  every last bit of news or background info before you sell, you’ll be ready to  retire before you pick up the phone.”

Achieve a broad understanding of the industry, then start making calls. As  you learn more of your clients’ and potential clients’ questions, look into  answering those (and similar questions/issues) to have actionable knowledge  about the necessary products.

ALSO AVOID: Being Easily Distracted

If you get derailed by one bad call or celebrate too much after a sale, you  will waste hours of your day on things that don’t help you or the company.

Do This Instead: Realize that each “no” gets you closer  to a “yes,” and use the momentum from a recent success to create another one  right away!