By Michelle Drewek – Posted in Best Practices – Rural Lifestyle Dealer
Product knowledge is crucial for a successful sales department, but it’s only part of the puzzle when training new hires. Vanderloop Equipment salesmen Larry Schamberger and Brian Neuman agree that the list of traits that cannot be taught is significantly longer than those that can. It’s important to hire a salesperson with the attributes best suited for success, such as punctuality, urgency, professionalism, honesty and accountability.
“You can teach them about the product line. You can teach them the differences between the products. But they have to be able to show up, they have to be able to interact, they have to be able to follow through,” says Schamberger.
Punctuality. Being on time is a personal trait that is often ingrained, yet is fundamental to other important salesperson traits like professionalism and urgency.
Urgency. While you can push someone to be faster, a natural sense of urgency—understanding what’s important and acting on it promptly—is difficult to teach. Neuman says that in certain regions, like the Midwest, there’s a cultural sense of urgency and accountability that some new hires from other areas might lack, despite being polite.