As a sales professional, you know that being an A-player takes more than just being good at your job. It takes a mindset of continuous growth and development. Just like the best athletes in the world, you must have a plan for your personal development, evaluating your processes, and taking steps to make changes to reach your full potential.

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In this blog we will highlight what the interview traits are of an A-player, so that those looking to nail their job interview can demonstrate themselves as such. We will also highlight these traits so that hiring managers and sales leaders looking to hire the right individuals, will know how to spot an A-player when they see one.

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Outline your Skills:

To start, create a development plan that outlines the skills you feel you currently have. Rank them from best to worst. Take the bottom 60% of skills which you need to improve and write out a plan on how you will improve them. This plan should be just as important as hitting your metrics and quota. Evaluate your data to see where you can improve your conversion rates and take action.

Don’t forget to look at your top 40% of skills, and find ways in which you can be 1% better everyday. Maybe you are a great cold caller, or fantastic at creating video content for prospects. Look at ways you can maximize a minimal time spent to get slightly better over time, while focusing the majority of your time on the bottom 60% of skills.

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Do Elite Preparation and Research:

It's important to avoid certain pitfalls during the hiring process. Don't focus solely on a candidate's past success without taking into account their potential for growth. Don't overlook candidates who may not fit the traditional mold of a successful salesperson but have unique qualities that could contribute to the team's success.

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As a candidate, you need to demonstrate you are the right person for the job by asking the right questions. Jim Rohn used to say, “If you want better answers, ask better questions.” If you are in an interview asking about things that are already clearly listed on the Job Description, or that a simple Google search would tell you about the company, you will not go very far. Especially in this economic climate.

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Come prepared with your own potential market strategy on how you would talk about, or approach prospects with the offering of the company you are interviewing with. Try to understand their goals (just like you would a sales process) with the metrics that are important to their business. If you see a company just raised a $10M Series A (which you can easily find on Crunchbase), then ask them: “is this role part of a hiring strategy that is leveraging this investment, and how else are you planning on using those funds to invest back into the business?”

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Adopt a Growth Mindset:

One of the best ways to continuously improve is to adopt a growth mindset. You must be willing to learn from mistakes and not be afraid to make them. The best A-players are those who are not only successful on their own but also help others become successful.

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When it comes to finding A-players, sales leaders should prioritize candidates who have a growth mindset and a hunger for continuous development. During the interview process, ask questions that reveal a candidate's ability to learn from mistakes, their willingness to take on challenges, and their commitment to personal development.

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Take Time to Make Time:

As a sales leader, your focus should be on the success of your team and helping them grow and develop into A-players themselves. One of the best ways to facilitate this is to create a professional development budget for each person on your team. Even $50 a month can be a great way to get them a head start on developing their learnings.

This could help them purchase sales and personal development books that help them increase their aptitude. Another great way could be leveraging The Sales RX Community. It’s a great way to connect with like-minded folks, seek mentorship from those who have been there and done that, and also deliver educational learnings in their current job either as a sales rep or sales leader to help them maximize performance.

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In conclusion, becoming an A-player in sales requires more than just hitting your metrics and quota. You must have a plan for personal development, a growth mindset, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

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As a sales leader, focus on the success of your team and prioritize candidates who share your values and commitment to growth. By adopting these practices, you can become the best of the best in your industry.

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