Practical Wisdom from Kahle Way Sales Systems

Great business leaders require a certain set of character traits to unleash the potential of the enterprises they lead. In this series of seven posts, I articulate my view of the seven character traits essential for great business leaders. In this post, I describe the trait that energizes and ignites all the others – courage.

Good salespeople are not good talkers. Rather, they are good listeners, good thinkers, and hard workers. Good talkers generally make mediocre sales people.

In this sixth of a series on the character traits of great business leaders, I identify one that might be surprising, yet is incredibly powerful – humility. Humility is often misunderstood. In this podcast, I describe it, and show how it is a powerful leadership trait.

Over my 35 years of helping B2B sales forces to sell better, I have noticed a certain set of beliefs that crop up pretty regularly. These are unquestioned beliefs that serve to hinder a salesperson's performance. This is the second in a series where I expose those beliefs: Good salespeople are good problem solvers.

Great business leaders exhibit many of the same character traits. Here's number five in the series describing the top character traits of great business leaders – integrity. It is both good morals as well as good business. See how you measure up.

Over my 30 years of experience working with B2B salespeople, I have discovered that there are certain common beliefs that most sales people never question, and yet which hinder their performance. In this first of series, I identify and discuss one of the most common: "I must believe in a product in order to sell it."

Sometimes it is so frustrating. You know you have a better product than that which your prospect is currently using. Your price is attractive, your service is outstanding. If the prospect would switch to your solution, you know they'd be delighted. You'd save them money, smooth out their processes, reduce their inventory and generally make their life simpler.

So, why won't they switch? Are people really that stupid? Or, is it you? Did you do something to put them off?

While there are some circumstances where the answers would be yes to the questions above, the most likely answer is something totally different. The reason they won't switch is likely not their IQ, nor your deodorant. It is the risk!

The best business leaders have acquired a similar set of skills. Without this set of character traits, it is difficult to lead a growing organization. In this series, I uncover a key set of character traits for great business leaders. This is number four – Unwavering self-control.

The sales profession is replete with myths that salespeople tell themselves, and then believe, that hinder their performance. This is the first of series on these myths. In this piece, we look at the idea that "I have great relationships with my customers."

We've all seen the contestants on American Idol – some of which are horribly self-deluded. They think they have talent when they don't. Unfortunately, that trait of self-delusion is common among more than American Idol contestants. Join with me as I dig into this issue and see to what degree you may be suffering from it.