June 2019

Are Top Salespeople Born or Made?

Is someone born for sales? Anyone who has been in sales for any length of time has heard or engaged in the discussion of what makes a great sales person. Are they born or self-made? Does an individual have sales success genetically marked in their DNA? Or do they get to the top of their profession through training, learning, practice, persistence and hard work? It could be one or the other. For me, it is some of both.

On the naturally born side, there are certain personality traits that should be inherent in any successful sales professional. For the most part, someone who is averse to talking to people would not be a good candidate for a sales career.


Having the right salespeople on your team is critical to a company’s bottom line. But how do you hire?

Over the years some companies have made sales prospects take a personality test. They look for key personality traits that directly influence top performers’ selling styles that are supposed to be indicators for success. While the majority of top sales performers share natural traits, you also need to be wary of good test takers. Scores do not necessarily equate to top performance.

Companies who hire salespeople based solely on experience aren't always going to find great salespeople. Consider that every company has a different culture where an agent may or may not mesh with the company’s required sales process. How successful was that experience? If a prospective agent is currently selling, it would be wise to observe them in action. One effective way is to hire LeBlanc & Associates to mystery shop them. This would give you an objective perspective on how that agent actually sells vs. reading an enhanced resume.

People with experience may have the skills to do the job but not necessarily the attitude. Skills can be taught and learned while the ‘can do’ attitude is extremely difficult to teach. If a company uses characteristics as their main measurement to hire, the most important characteristic should be the right attitude. Are they willing to learn? Positive? Enthusiastic about the process? Have the desire to succeed?

Unfortunately some companies haphazardly hire salespeople based on ‘good vibes.’ The Beach Boys has a great song about Good Vibrations. That approach, while at times helpful, needs to be left to making friends or music. It can’t be your sole measurement for someone to sell millions of dollars worth of inventory.

Whether it is a pre-hire situation or when you need to confirm who has the right skills and attitude in your sales centers, LeBlanc & Associates can be your partner to identify how an agent represents a company and its brand.

Our Video Profiles will allow you to see the beauty of a top performer. You will also see which agents need to keep nurturing their sales skills. And yes, the Video Profiles will document those individuals who need an attitude adjustment.

So let’s start identifying who in your sales team has what it takes to succeed. Connect with us. It’s easy!

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Top 10 Cities With The World’s Best Gardens
Spring is in the air and it’s a great time to garden. Fortunately, National Geographic has done the work for us and put together this list of some top locations around the world.
1. Versailles, France. Château de Versailles.
2. Richmond, England. Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
3. Wicklow, Ireland. Powerscourt Gardens.
4. Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Butchart Gardens.
5. Tivoli, Italy. Villa d'Este.
6. Washington, D.C. Dumbarton Oaks.
7. St.-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France. Gardens of the Villa Éphrussi de Rothschild.
8. Warminster, England. Stourhead.
9. Suzhou, China. The Master-of-Nets Garden.
10. Potsdam, Germany. Sans Souci.
List by National Geographic