Sales Ability: 40 Useful Performance Feedback Phrases

Sales Ability is the skill to understand your product's features and being able to present their benefits accurately and persuasively to the customers.

Sales Ability: Exceeds Expectations Phrases

• Understands the customers' desires and adopts them; finds out what the customers really need and why they need it
• Takes the time to learn about own products and competitors' products in order to be in the best position to convince a customer why own products are the best
• Writes down contact information of own customers and follows up with a brief note to make sure that they are happy with the purchase
• Pays close attention to customers' reactions and facial expressions in order to understand and respond tactfully to the part of the product he/she is objecting to
• Knows the company's objectives, needs, strengths, and weaknesses and the resources available for one to address the market
• Allows customers to choose the items that they feel good about in order to uncover their real motivation for buying
• Adopts new tools and technologies to meet and communicate with prospects as well as eliminate bottlenecks
• Is goal-oriented; is able to clearly articulate own goals and assign realistic timelines
• Is self-driven; does not rely on the sales manager or own supervisors for sales directions or guidelines
• Possesses a great sense of urgency; pushes oneself and others until a sale is successful or until a situation is brought to resolution

Sales Ability: Meets Expectations Phrases

• Allows own customers to lead interactions and asks questions to identify their desires
• Has an expert knowledge of the industry that one operates in; easily builds important contacts and recognizes worthwhile opportunities
• Possesses the self-discipline to serve customers and develops business relationships with customers on successive sales calls
• Is responsible for own actions; refrains from making excuses or blaming others when a sale fails
• Accepts constructive criticism or suggestions from others in order to improve performance
• Focuses on new opportunities and solutions and is persistent in persuading others even in the face of rejection
• Enjoys competitiveness and constantly looks for ways to measure oneself against other sales persons
• Is able to understand customers' problems and offer suggestions that solve the issues effectively with respect to products or services one sells
• Is able to express own feelings confidently and clearly to both clients and prospects
• Handles difficult situations easily and is able to remain calm and composed even when working under pressure

Sales Ability: Needs Improvement Phrases

• Gets frustrated and discouraged when a sale is unsuccessful instead of learning what could have been done better and approaching new opportunities
• Has difficulty building rapport with different personalities and is shy to ask for referrals from customers
• Experiences difficulty in adapting own personality style to other people who have different and non-complimentary styles
• Needs to have well-defined performance standards and objectives and occasional reminders for what one is supposed to do
• Needs follow up and external assistance from the sales manager or own supervisors in order to stay on track with the sales objectives
• Tends to get involved in behaviors or relationships that distract one from meeting short or long-term objectives
• Tends to blame others, external factors, and other circumstances when something is not completed on time
• Does only what one is required to do and does not go beyond own comfort zone to meet customers' expectations
• Easily gives up when one faces rejection and therefore suffers from inconsistent performance
• Tends to get upset when someone criticizes own performance instead of looking for ways to improve it

Sales Ability: Self Evaluation Questions

• Describe a time when you have landed your most successful sale by making a cold call. How did you go about introducing yourself to the client?
• Describe a time when you have faced the worst rejection. What was the problem? Did you later manage to convince the person to buy your products/services?
• What do you like most about being a sales person? What is your greatest strength and weakness?
• How often have you exceeded your sale's targets? Describe times when you have been awarded for consistently exceeding the set sale's targets
• How much time do you spend looking for new clients versus cultivating customer relationships? Explain your answer
• What social media channels have you used to look for prospects? How has social media improved your sales ability?
• What personal and professional information do you look for when researching a prospect? How do you tailor your communication before meeting the prospect?
• Is there a time when you have turned a prospect away? If yes, why? What did you learn from the experience?
• When do you stop calling or pursuing a client to buy your products? Explain the last time this happened
• In your opinion, what is more important: - an excellent customer service, or a quality product? Explain your answer