What do you look for when you’re interviewing new sales people? Do you focus on sales skills, experience, or in-built personality traits? We believe it’s important to get a balance of all three to get a well-rounded, capable person in your team.

Personality traits are those in-built tendencies that we each have. They’re often developed through our childhood, education, experience and the challenges we’ve faced. While some personality traits may hold us back from success, others are fundamental to the way we approach our work – especially when working with other people as we do in the sales field.

“Hiring the right people takes time, the right questions and a healthy dose of curiosity. What do you think is the most important factor when building your team? For us, it’s personality.” —Richard Branson

Here are the top 7 personality traits we look for in potential sales recruits.

1. Motivation/Drive

We don’t want to have to be watching over our team member’s shoulder or micro-managing their every move, so the first personality trait we look for is motivation or an inner drive to succeed. We recommend finding the people who are self-driven and proactive – those who don’t sit back waiting to be told what to do next.

2. Confidence

Your sales team should be able to present your property in a clear and engaging way. They should be comfortable to speak in both one-on-one and group situations. They need to be self-assured and ready to walk boldly into any situation to get the job done.

3. Enthusiasm

A positive mindset and enthusiastic energy will help your sales team to engage in a positive way with your clients. Having someone who is optimistic and solutions-focused (rather than negative) will make them a valuable member of your team and create a better experience for your clients.

4. Resilience

In such a competitive industry, you can’t take “no” personally. Great sales people learn from rejection, look for ways to improve and keep going.

5. Creativity

The ability to think beyond the usual way of doing things will set your sales person up for success. A creative approach lets them stand out from the crowd, and tailor the experience to the client.

6. Adaptability/Flexibility

This trait helps people to think on their feet and create the most effective solutions. Not caught up in rigid thinking, they can tailor their response to the situation.

7. Self-Awareness

A great sales person is able to take responsibility for their work and their impact. Rather than looking for external things to blame when things don’t go to plan, they’re prepared to focus inwards and hold themselves accountable and look for areas for improvement. Self-aware people are aware of their own strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement.

So when you’re next recruiting a sales professional for your team, look beyond the tasks listed on their resume or their descriptions of their skills and look for the personality traits that will help them succeed in your team.