What buyers look for in a sales person

We were hosting a sales workshop recently with some senior account managers and project managers and they seemed surprised at the characteristics buyers look for from their partners and suppliers.

As a result I asked a director of IT who holds a size-able budget what characteristics he looked for in the vendors/service providers. His answer

• Expertise
• Listening skills
• Someone who isn't too pushy
• Someone who is willing to say they don't know the answer buts knows someone who doea
• People who follow up professionally

The message: people want to meet experts not know it alls, people who are confident in their ability and people who know what they don't know.