'Can-do' attitude is key to success
Smart salespeople should have a 'can-do' attitude which makes them dedicated, confident and passionate about their career, says Kenneth Lee, vice-president and head of consumer card products and marketing, Hong Kong, at American Express International.
'A good salesperson must have strong a commitment and persistence in delivering good customer experiences, and driving outstanding results,' Lee says.
'The salesperson should deliver excellent professionalism, and be capable of anticipating customers' needs and exceeding their expectation.
'With expert knowledge about the company's products, astute market sense and outstanding interpersonal skills, the salesperson provides customers with appropriate solutions to fulfil their special needs and requirements.'
The company's Distinguished Salesperson Award (DSA) winners possess these qualities. The DSA winners are: Avis Leung Wai-yan and Kent Ma Wai-kin, who are managers of the premium segment, acquisitions and partnerships; and Winsor Chewan, account manager of premium products. Another account manager of premium products, Christy Tong Hui-kwan, won the Outstanding Young Salesperson Award.
According to Lee, the winners make customers their priority, serving them with a high level of professionalism and sincerity. 'They spend [a lot of] effort in studying and experiencing the products. This helps them develop excellent product knowledge,' he says.
'They have thorough preparation and planning for every task, and have mastered effective problem-solving skills. The winners are willing to take up additional responsibilities with a strong commitment to helping other team members succeed. They are proven high-performing sales professionals in achieving outstanding results.'
American Express provides staff development training programmes for its sales staff to equip them with professional skills for achieving outstanding performance.
'The training programmes include presentation skills, question-and-answer techniques, effective selling and consultative selling skills, peak performer experience sharing and cross lines of business/market best practices sharing,' Lee adds.
A global services company, American Express is an issuer of cards, and a worldwide network which processes millions of merchant transactions daily. American Express also operates one of the world's largest travel agency networks with locations in more than 140 countries.
