by Christine Galea
May 2006

Which qualities do customers admire most in salespeople? Hint: They are more obvious than you think

Good customer relations are vital for success in business—but you knew that, right? Well, maybe it's time for a refresher course on what customers want from your salespeople. A recent study looking into the buying habits of executives highlights the top qualities purchasers expect from sellers.

"We found that managers were very interested in getting their people to call on prospects higher up the ladder," says Lou Schachter, coauthor of The Mind of the Customer, and senior vice president of design and development at The Real Learning Company, a performance-improvement firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona. "To do that means having a better understanding of what's happening in the executive suite."

Each of the surveyed executives was asked to look over 25 qualities that previous research indicated were possessed by top salespeople. Here are six they thought were most important:

Honesty and Integrity
"Executives need to be able to trust the people they do business with," Schachter says. One way salespeople can demonstrate honesty and integrity is to leave the meeting with the promise of sending a specific follow-up item. But, Schachter stresses, if they promise they'll send an article or other supporting document, they had better do so. He also advises not to make unsupported claims about products or services, and to be honest about any trade-offs that might occur during complex implementation processes.

Accountability
Buyers want someone they can rely on throughout the whole process. This actually benefits the salesperson as well. Schachter says salespeople should not abandon a sale after it's finalized if they want to further a relationship with a client. If they stick around through the whole process, they may be welcomed to the next buying cycle, he says.

Understand the Customers' Business
Salespeople need to do their homework. Executives have said they don't want to be in a meeting educating salespeople; they want sellers to understand their business before they come into the room, Schachter says. "That means specifically knowing what prospects sell, who their customers are, what their value proposition is, and what their goals are as an organization."

Problem Solving
It is widely known through research that major purchases come with problems, so executives want sellers who can jump in and solve those problems with relative ease. "One key is being up-front from early in the sales cycle about problems likely to occur," Schachter says. "A second is sharing stories of typical challenges and how they've been addressed in other implementations. These two steps establish a level of professionalism and credibility."

Partnership
It's important not to throw this word around lightly. You must prove you can add value to the customer's operation before suggesting a partnership. "What purchasers want is a salesperson or selling company with a stake in the outcome, so they are very selective about partnerships," Schachter says.

Customer Satisfaction
Although this may seem obvious, it doesn't mean the same thing as customer service. "Salespeople have to be obsessed with the customers' needs, not with their own internal processes," Schachter says. The sales-customer interchange is not just about being polite and having pleasant interactions. It means that customers' needs and business goals are being satisfied. The focus, in other words, should always be on the customer.