I have been a sales leader for more than 5 years. I have had the pleasure of managing dozens of sales representatives during that time. On field rides with my representatives, I have been part of some exceptional sales conversations, where we effectively closed the customer for the next step in the sales process. I have also been part of some conversations that have soured quickly, and we left the customer’s office empty handed.
The difference in the qualities of someone who can have a productive sales conversation and someone who is less effective may not be what you’d expect. It’s not sales tenure. I have seen some senior representatives have some pretty terrible sales calls. And I have seen some rather “green” reps lead exceptional conversations. Whether the rep is extroverted by nature or a little more introverted also plays little to no role in the outcome of the sales conversation. Instead, the key difference between a polished rep who can consistently move deals forward, and a rep who struggles, is their ability to abide by a sales framework.