The sixth and final quality is the most difficult to spot, and the quality which drives all the others to optimum use — PERSONAL MOTIVATION.

The best salespeople all have within them a drive to excel. All of us are motivated at one time or another by different things. And as sales managers and business owners we’re aware of the need to motivate our employees, especially our salespeople. So we provide money, trips, bonuses, recognition of all types, fringe benefits, profit sharing, stability and security, involvement in decision-making, etc., as exterior means of motivation. By “exterior” I mean motivation that comes from outside the person, that is directed or provided by someone or something else. And, depending on the person and the circumstances, all of these work to some degree or another.

But that’s not the kind of motivation I’m talking about. The star salespeople are relatively unaffected by the presence or absence of any of these exterior factors. Their motivation, their reasons for getting up at 5 AM instead of 6:30, for making that extra call at 4:30 on Friday afternoon, for taking that sales training class on Tuesday evenings, for thinking about that little account that nobody else wants, etc., is an interior, personal drive to succeed, to be the best, to excel.

The best salespeople are beyond the reach of all these programs of exterior motivation because they march to the beat of an internal drum, an inherent hunger for success no matter what the circumstances.

It’s that internal motivation that lights the fire that distills all the other qualities. And that drive to succeed is far more potent than any of the other qualities. Given a strong internal motivation, I believe that sooner or later the individual who is driven to success will succeed. It’s only a matter of time.

Now, couple that internal drive with an ability to learn, an image of success and achievement, a high energy level, personal integrity, and add the ability to create strong business relationships, and you have the ingredients of a superstar salesperson.