She’s a great salesperson.

Why? What makes people say that? I wanted to know, too. I asked the Charlotte area salespeople to tell me why they thought they were great and try to make my Sales Dream Team. They did.

I made a list of qualities that I thought a great salesperson should possess and made selection judgments (with The Business Journal selection committee) based on those characteristics.

All you had to do to make the team was have a strong self-belief system, be self starting, a perpetual student, have a burning a desire to help the customer, show the persistence to make the sale and the ability to go the mile, have lots of experience at the joy of rejection, show resilience and adaptability to change, have a history of success, a great reputation and the ability to be referred. Easy.

The team was also chosen for their perceived qualities. Qualities that could be seen THROUGH the application between the lines of the application. Their passion, their attitude, and their enthusiasm.

Each team member has displayed excellence in performance and perseverance when others might have quit. Each is a talented professional.

Here are the winners and their thoughts on sales success:

Paul V. Halter III, Commerce Casualty Group: I understand that caring is a significant business advantage and that passion persuades.

Terry Brennan, RiteHite Corp: The salesperson with the most creativity wins.

Bob Fink, Dial4Delivery: I believe in a strong self-improvement program. It is up to me to overcome my weaknesses and imperfections. (Bob faxed in for his application and added the words, “Point Guard.” and gained his first big success selling every man’s dream product women’s lingerie.)

Benny Callahan, Telespectrum: My customers view me as a problem solver and a consultant.

Andy Dinkin, Tegra Telephone Systems: Help the customer first and the rewards will follow.

Ellen Milano, The Prudential Carolinas Realty: Volunteer time, talent and energy in the community. I hereby enter my name. I understand that the judging for the Dream Team is purely subjective and whether I win or not, I’m still the greatest!

Donald Stedem, Hyatt Charlotte: Your customers must believe you have their best interest at heart. That’s why I give them all my home phone number.

Chris Cobb, Kinko’s: I love removing obstacles so that a prospect cannot say “no.”

Deke Lincoln, P.E., Penta Engineering: Failure is part of the job and I’m not afraid of it.

Tim Johnson, Johnson Beer Company: I am persistent. I take “no” as a starting point. I view rejection as a way to turn customer-valid responses to objections.

Steve Story, ERA Town & Country: (said of him in a testimonial letter) “I could never articulate how much I appreciate his kindness and generosity. He’s a gem.”

Liz Bruce, Ashland Chemical (said of her in a testimonial letter) “…an outstanding example of a customer driven sales executive.

A few of the dream teams secrets:

Understanding my customers business (almost) as well as they do (Johnson).
Being likable (Lincoln, P.E.).
If you don’t know the answer, admit it, don’t bluff it (Story).
CTC: Control the Conversation. The initials CTC are on the visor of my car. It’s the last thing I see before I go on a sales call (Fink).
To have a reputation for creativity (Bruce).
A great sense of humor (Milano).
Relationships are built on delivering on promises (Callahan).
Treat every customer as if they were my only customer (Brennan)
I love my customers (Cobb). I
f you calculate your commission, your focus is wrong (Dinkin).
The ability to totally focus on listening ((Halter).
Pure honesty (Stedem).

I applaud your selection of the Sales Dream Team. You deserve it.

It’s interesting to note that every person who won, had one characteristic and one phrase in common. All said, “I love sales.” “I love to sell.” What a coincidence that Dream Team winners all have dream jobs. Or is it?