If I told you that one of the most important characteristics of sales excellence in today’s hypercompetitive business environment was not to be a salesperson, would you think you subscribed to the wrong magazine? Well, I have a good reason for saying it.
I’m not really saying you shouldn’t be a salesperson. I’m saying that to be a top sales professional, you have to be a businessperson — because businesspeople make the most effective salespeople. And why is that true? Because what you are really selling is business improvement.
In terms of selling, what do I mean by “businessperson”? A businessperson is someone who can transcend the product or service she is selling to reach higher ground — the ability to understand, articulate, and drive the contribution her business can make to the client’s business.
What is the business value of your product or service? To communicate this to your prospect convincingly, you must be more than a sales rep. You have to be a businessperson and, using business competencies, view and present your offering as platform upon which your prospect can achieve their business plan going forward.
Characteristics of a Businessperson
Being a businessperson not only means developing these business skills, such as the ability to read and interpret financial statements, but it also involves a way of thinking and being. Here are some of the behaviors and traits I have observed in sales winners — people I would also consider businesspeople:
uThey know that if they give their customer what he needs, they will then get what they need.
uThey make rational decisions, rather than allowing emotion to guide them.
uThey follow orderly procedures and processes, rather than taking random actions.
uThey plan for the future and have the discipline and motivation to execute that plan.
uThey seek out the truth through insightful, probing questions, rather than blindly accepting what they are told.
uThey accept responsibility for their own actions and for those who work on their behalf.
uThey know how to use technology to improve not only their own but their customer’s business position.
uThey work for a win-win solution, knowing that anything else will ultimately be lose-lose.
If you don’t want your client to treat your product or service as a commodity, you have to differentiate your offering from your competitor’s. It comes down to perception. If your clients see you as just a salesperson, they won’t respect you the way they would someone they viewed as a businessperson. Here’s how they think: A businessperson is a professional; a businessperson is there for the long haul. Salespeople are all the same, interchangeable; they’re just after a quick buck. This perception, common among top executives, is unfair, but it’s a fact of life. That’s why people who sell for a living adopt titles such as Marketing Representative, Business Development Manager, and Client Acquisition Executive on their business cards.
Take a good look at yourself. Read the list of behaviors again. Can you identify areas where you need to improve? What should you do?
First, accept the fact that you, and you alone, are responsible for your own personal and professional growth. No one is going to barge through your door and change you. You’ve already recognized that a change is needed. That’s the toughest step.
Expand Your General Business Knowledge
How much do you know about business in general? Do you know how businesses operate? What about your company? What about your three best clients? Can you articulate their visions? Can you identify their short- and long-term strategies?
To survive and thrive in the information economy, the most important skill you’ll need is good, old-fashioned business know-how. You should know how

Before founding The Stein Advantage, Inc., Dave Stein was employed in a diversity of executive sales and marketing roles. Dave consultants, coaches, speaks and trains on competitive sales strategies. He is author of How Winners Sell: 21 Proven Strategies to Outsell Your Competition & Win the Big Sale. Dave was an early adopter of technology and is a recognized expert on technology sales, marketing, and service. More info: www.HowWinnersSell.com.