Developing the Elite Seller
Mark Foley, VP of Sales, Sandler Enterprise
The Elite Seller is to the sales profession what the Navy SEAL is to military operations, or the Hall of Fame inductee is to a given sporting discipline. These individuals rise above their peers due to a unique blend of talent, expertise, and relentless commitment. They represent a small fraction of the sales force, and their success is rooted in intrinsic motivation, well-honed skills, and disciplined execution. These are the top-tier sales professionals who demonstrate unparalleled skill, adaptability, and results-driven performance – the ones who reliably deliver at high-impact, high-stakes moments.
Much like becoming an elite professional athlete, ballerina, or chef, achieving this level of excellence requires extraordinary time, effort, and dedication – not to mention significant mentorship and coaching support. What follows are some thoughts on the traits, skills, and training strategies necessary to cultivate Elite Sellers, and the delicate interplay between innate talents and learned competencies of which sales leaders must be made aware, based on Sandler’s cumulative experience coaching and developing over 30,000 sellers annually.
Are Elite Sellers Born or Made?
Becoming an Elite Seller means leveraging both innate talents and learned competencies:
Innate Talents: These personality-driven traits, such as ambition, discipline, and learning agility, often serve as the foundation for elite performance. People either have them or they don’t.
Learned Competencies: These include technical sales skills, customer engagement strategies, and situational adaptability, abilities that are cultivated through structured training, deliberate practice, and ongoing coaching.
So, the best answer to the question of whether Elite Sellers are born or made is – Yes. Certain innate talents must be there. At the same time, learned skill acquisition is non-negotiable.
In this sense the development of an Elite Seller is exactly the same as the development an aspiring athlete into an Olympic champion or a dedicated culinary student into a Michelin-starred superstar chef.
What Are the Key Attributes of an Elite Seller?
Elite Sellers consistently bring to the table the following attributes. Note that the first group of attributes falls into the category of “born with,” and the second group falls into the category of “learned over time.”
Talents (Innate Characteristics)
Motivation & Ambition: A relentless drive to succeed underpinned by focus and discipline.
Resourcefulness: The ability to adapt, solve problems, and think on their feet.
Accountability: A willingness to own their actions and results.
Competencies (Learned Skills/Tactics)
Company-Specific, Market-Specific, Person-Specific Messaging. Building buyer trust through tailored, engaging communication.
Creating/Securing Appropriate Next Steps and Fulfilling Sales Process Exit Criteria. Taking control of conversations while fostering buyer comfort and openness. Guiding conversations rather than guiding them.
Pain Diagnosis. Conducting thorough discovery to identify pain points and quantify their impact.
Delivering Personal Value. Demonstrating and delivering value from early on in the relationship through insightful recommendations and tactful challenges.
Keeping It Real. Aligning buyer objectives with realistic timelines and actionable steps.
Being the Grownup in the Room. Managing objections, decision criteria, and stakeholder dynamics with poise.
What I just shared with you may be considered the 30,000-foot view of the Competencies terrain. Closer to ground level, critical skills Elite Sellers master and refine over time include:
- Establishing mutual agreements with buyers on meeting purpose and outcomes.
- Confidently navigating challenging group settings or one-on-one discussions.
- Driving the buyer’s understanding of the cost of inaction versus the value of a solution.
- Proactively addressing potential obstacles, such as procurement or legal hurdles.
- Closing sales as a seamless outcome of a well-executed process.
What Are the Core Functions of the Elite Seller?
Elite Sellers excel across the entire sales funnel, seamlessly managing every phase of the buyer’s journey. Their role includes the following core functions:
- Building rapport and chemistry with diverse buyers.
- Conducting in-depth discovery to uncover client pain points.
- Driving conversations that reveal value-based solutions.
- Consistently and effectively managing challenges related to timelines, decision criteria, and stakeholder alignment.
- Closing deals as the natural culmination of a well-executed process (not as a result of “closing tricks.”)
Their adaptability and precision in performing these functions mirror the artistry of a prima ballerina performing a complex routine or a master chef orchestrating a multi-course meal.
Elite Sellers are not created overnight any more than elite chefs, athletes, scientists, or musicians are created overnight. Just like those who sacrifice and struggle to achieve elite status in other professions, their journey requires:
- Rigorous Training: Regular skill development sessions tailored to real-world scenarios.
- Ongoing Coaching: Focused reviews of calls and deals to refine techniques.
- Deliberate Practice: Continuous reinforcement of best practices.
Like any other form of mastery, sales mastery demands exceptional dedication and effort.
Opportunities for sellers to engage directly with buyers are increasingly rare, underscoring the need for elite execution in every interaction. Organizations must invest in identifying and developing their Elite Sellers to remain competitive in today’s marketplace. With the right combination of innate talent, structured training, and disciplined practice, the odds are that someone on your team can rise to elite status—delivering extraordinary value to buyers and achieving unparalleled results.
