Six Traits of a Star Account Manager

So you’re a Branch or Sales Manager, do you want to make your job much easier?

Then hire yourself a Star Salesperson or Account Manager. It may be the single most important decision you will ever make. Nothing will make you look smarter than hiring a superstar. The superstars won’t require as much of your time as most Account Managers. They are driven to succeed and will work hard and smart to do so. The Star Account Manager will seek out the customer’s needs and objectives and find the solutions.

Our most successful Account Managers can out sell 2 or 3 average Account Managers and they are my best sources for providing me with accurate market information.

There are six traits or qualities you should start looking for when hiring an Account Manager or building up your Sales Team.

I was introduced to these traits several years ago by a Sales Coach we hired to help work with our Sales group. I have made some modifications to fit the quickly changing world of sales but for the most part these traits I think should stand the test of time.

You may be surprised, as I was that “good” looks and product knowledge are not on the list. If good looks was a requirement I would never have been hired as a salesman. Good looks may help on the initial contact but is not a necessary trait to be a Star Account Manager.

Product knowledge can be learned. Some product knowledge is probably desirable but if I can learn what I needed to know somebody else can learn as well.

The Six Traits that Make a Star Account Manager or Salesperson:

1. Honesty and Ethical Principles – This is the most important trait. You will be asking your customers to trust your Account Manager and they must know they will be treated honestly and fairly. This will also help insure that in the future you will not be dealing with a salesperson that’s done something unethical that gets you and your company in trouble.
2. High Energy Level – You need to look for an individual that has the energy and willingness to make that early morning sales call and still have the energy to schedule a call for 4:30 in the afternoon. In many cases sales is a numbers game and the more sales calls that an Account Manager can make the more likely they will be successful.
3. Ability and Eagerness to Learn – I’m not talking only about gaining product knowledge but in today’s sales environment an Account Manager must always be learning, inquiring and improving their sales skills. There are always changing products, new applications and changing technology. To keep up with all these changes the salesperson must be able and willing to learn, understand and change as needed.
4. Capable to Build Strong Business Relationships – The successful Account Manager must be able to build strong trusting business relationships with many different types of people. This requires the ability to listen to the customer’s needs, be able to recognize the customer’s emotions and be perceptive to what the customer may or may not be telling them. They must be able to build trust and be able to show a real interest in their customers.
5. Successful self-image of themselves – This may be the hardest trait to identify. It seems that people always live up to the image they have of themselves. I see Account Managers with all the potential and ability in the world, but they never live up to their potential because of a poor self-image. If they can’t imagine themselves being a superstar Account Manager then they probably never will be.
6. Internal motivation – You want to find that person who has an internal drive to succeed. As Managers we can provide the external motivation by offering money, trips, bonuses and recognition but without the internal motivation to be the best they can be, the exterior benefits will be short lived. I think it is the internal motivation and the want to succeed that helps the Account Manager overcome the disappointments and rejections of being in sales.

As it was taught to me, these traits are not only yes/no. Everyone has these characteristics to various degrees. So it is not a question of if they have these traits but to what degree they have them. You may want to rank each of the qualities from 0 to 10. This should make it easier to compare your sales candidates.

If you are lucky enough to find that perfect candidate for the sales position, hang on because you will be in for a very profitable and interesting ride.

If you would like, please leave a comment below or email me at feedback@wewaonthenet.com.

Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!