What is it about top performing salespeople who make them so successful? Is it charisma, product knowledge or luck that enables them to land the prized accounts? Does knowing the product inside and out matter more than likability? Or does personality trump expertise? Turns out, the answer lies somewhere in between.

My guest today believes all sales professionals can achieve amazing results if they develop key skills — listening, curiosity and patience — to help them understand their customers at a deeper level. It’s not enough, he says, to know your product or service inside and out. A successful salesperson gets to the heart of a customer’s problems and offers customized solutions to solve those problems.

On today’s episode, I talk to entrepreneur and sales expert Steve Benson about specific strategies for how you can become a top performer and the mistakes he sees organizations make that keep them from getting the results they’re after.