The Traits Of High Performing Salespeople

Alex Opacic • January 16, 2025

The Traits Of High Performing Salespeople

The Makeup of a High-Performing Sales Professional


Sales is one of the most challenging and dynamic careers. It requires a unique combination of skills, traits, and mindset to consistently excel in a highly competitive field. High-performing sales professionals are often seen as natural-born persuaders, but in reality, they possess a powerful blend of traits and behaviors that allow them to thrive. These traits can be broken down into two major categories: the athlete mindset and the CHEC framework. Let's explore both and how they contribute to sales success.


The Athlete Mindset: Resilience, Discipline, Competitive Nature, and Grit

An athlete's mindset can be a game-changer for sales professionals. Just like athletes, top-tier salespeople need to endure setbacks, perform under pressure, and continuously strive for improvement. Here's how the athlete mindset translates into the world of sales:


Resilience: In sales, rejection is a given. A "no" from a prospect can feel personal, and the constant cycle of highs and lows can be draining. However, high performers don’t let failure stop them. Resilience enables them to bounce back quickly from setbacks, learn from their mistakes, and stay focused on their long-term goals.


Discipline: Just like an athlete follows a rigorous training schedule, top salespeople have well-established routines. Discipline is vital in maintaining consistent effort, sticking to a structured sales process, and meeting goals. It’s the ability to stay on track even when things get tough, ensuring that follow-up calls are made, research is done, and relationships are nurtured.


Competitive Nature: A healthy level of competition can fuel performance. High-performing salespeople often see themselves as competitors in a game, where closing deals is the prize. This competitive drive pushes them to work harder, push boundaries, and constantly outperform their own best.


Grit: Perhaps the most essential element of an athlete’s mindset is grit—the combination of passion, perseverance, and the ability to keep pushing forward even when things get tough. In sales, the grind is real, and success is often about persistence. The best sales professionals keep going, even when the path gets steep.


Having an athlete’s mindset means you can handle the demands of sales and maintain a focus on continuous growth, even when success isn’t immediate.


CHEC: The Essential Sales Framework


The CHEC acronym represents four essential qualities that every high-performing sales professional should cultivate: Communication skills, Humble Confidence, Emotional Intelligence, and Commercial Awareness. Each component plays a crucial role in how effectively they connect with clients, navigate challenges, and close deals.


Communication Skills: Sales is all about communication. Whether it’s articulating a value proposition, answering objections, or negotiating terms, strong communication is a foundational skill. High performers know how to tailor their message to different audiences, listen actively, and engage in meaningful conversations. Clear, concise, and persuasive communication builds trust with clients, making them more likely to buy.


Humble Confidence: Confidence is essential in sales. Buyers need to believe that the salesperson knows their product and can deliver on promises. However, humble confidence strikes the perfect balance between self-assuredness and humility. It’s not about arrogance or ego but rather a quiet certainty in one's abilities paired with the humility to listen, learn, and adapt. This quality makes clients feel valued, rather than pressured, creating stronger, more sustainable relationships.


Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, manage, and influence emotions—both your own and others'. In sales, EQ helps you build rapport, navigate difficult conversations, and manage rejection. Salespeople with high EQ can recognize emotional cues in clients, adjust their approach accordingly, and build trust more effectively. They know when to push for a close and when to step back and give a client space, enhancing the likelihood of a successful sale.


Commercial Awareness: To sell effectively, it’s important to understand not just the product you're selling but also the broader market in which your client operates. Commercial awareness includes staying informed about industry trends, understanding competitor offerings, and knowing what drives your clients’ business. Salespeople with strong commercial awareness are better equipped to offer tailored solutions, anticipate client needs, and position themselves as valuable partners rather than just vendors.


Bringing It All Together: A+CHEC

Now, imagine combining the athlete mindset with the CHEC framework. The result is a powerful approach to sales that fosters resilience, continuous growth, and exceptional client relationships. This combination of traits and skills can be summed up as A+CHEC—a philosophy that emphasizes not only the technical and emotional aspects of sales but also the mental fortitude required to succeed.


A (Athlete Mindset) + CHEC (Communication, Humble Confidence, Emotional Intelligence, and Commercial Awareness) creates a high-performing salesperson who is relentless in their pursuit of excellence, adaptable to the ever-changing landscape of sales, and capable of building lasting, meaningful client relationships.


If you're looking to create a high performing sales team in YOUR business through the A+CHEC framework, get in touch with A2B now.

News

By Alex Opacic March 9, 2025
How to Structure a Salesperson's Remuneration Package: A No-Nonsense Guide How do you pay your sales team? What’s the right balance between base salary and commission? What truly motivates high-performing salespeople? I’ve spent seven years headhunting elite sales talent (2018–2025) across industries and seniority levels. This guide breaks down what actually works when structuring a competitive remuneration package that attracts and retains top performers. Base Salary vs. Commission: What Salespeople Actually Want The old-school belief that salespeople are purely motivated by commission is outdated. Security, stability, and guaranteed income (base salary) have become bigger motivators than potential earnings. In major cities, the cost of living is high, and sales professionals—especially experienced ones—aren't taking risks on low base salaries with “unlimited commission potential.” Here’s what top performers expect: Senior-Level Sales Professionals (10+ years experience): $200K+ base Mid-Level Sales Professionals: $150K–$180K+ base Junior-Level Sales Professionals: $90K–$100K+ base ⚠️ The Risk Zone: $110K–$140K for Mid-Level Salespeople This range can be problematic. It’s too high for junior talent but often too low to attract experienced mid-level professionals. If you’re hiring at this level, your commission structure needs to be bulletproof —more on that shortly. Commission Structure: The 60/40 Rule and the Flight Risk Factor Typically, top sales performers expect a 60/40 split (60% base, 40% commission). But here’s the key: ✅ Commission is secondary to base salary. With the right negotiation and rapport, high performers won’t be as focused on commission if the base is solid. ✅ Only ~20% of the market is truly commission-driven. These salespeople are entrepreneurial by nature, meaning they’re a flight risk —likely to jump ship when things get tough or leave to start their own business. If your team is built on commission-heavy hires, expect high turnover and a weak employer reputation. Sales is no longer a “sink or swim” profession. It’s a legitimate career, just like law, engineering, or accounting, and sales professionals expect to be paid accordingly. High cost of living is creating pressure, stress and anxiety at alarming levels. Secure base salary means safety, comfort and piece of mind which is an optimal performance mindset - something career salespeople will fight for, run through brick walls to ensure they keep. Safety motivates people more than potential earnings! (80% belong in this bracket!) 20% are able to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, they live in the risk zone - these are entrepreneurial salespeople and are a flight-risk as employees. Finding and Paying A-Players: What Works (And What Doesn’t) Now, let’s get granular on hiring high-performing salespeople at different salary levels. Scenario 1: You Want a High Performer Who Can Convert Quickly 🔹 Required: Someone with a strong network, high closing ability, and industry credibility. 🔹 Realistic Salary Expectation: $150K+ base, with an OTE (On-Target Earnings) of at least 40% more. A top sales pro who’s already earning well won’t move for the same money. If they have a loyal network that converts, they need a serious financial incentive, as wherever they are now, they should be converting that network into cash. The biggest factor in them moving that network from current company to yours, will be a base salary increase of at least $20-30k. 💡 Hiring Tip: If budget is tight, consider this strategy: Find a strong mid-level salesperson earning $120K base. Offer $150K+ base but delay commissions for 12+ months (performance-dependent). That extra $30K in guaranteed salary is a huge motivator for high performers. ✅ Key Hiring Test: Ensure their 90-day plan includes a clear, convincing strategy for converting their network. If they can’t articulate this, they don’t have a network worth leveraging. Scenario 2: You Need a Strong Salesperson But Can Only Offer $100K–$120K Base 🔹 Common Employer Ask: “We want someone with a network who can convert.” 🔹 Reality Check: At this salary level, that’s unlikely. Well, the network part is unlikely. Salespeople with strong networks who convert consistently earn $180K+ total comp. If someone at $100K–$120K claims they have a high-performing network, be sceptical—they’re likely just good at interviewing. 💡 Better Approach: Instead of chasing an instant network, hire for: Hunting ability (prospecting and new business development) Strong closing skills Some industry knowledge (but sales skills matter more than product knowledge) If you’re relying on a strong commission structure, make sure it’s proven. If fewer than 40% of your current sales team hits their commission targets, your “strong comms structure” is irrelevant to high performers. Scenario 3: Your Budget is $70K–$100K Base 🔹 Best Strategy: Hire for coachability, resilience, and a strong prospecting mindset. 🔹 Key Focus Areas: Prospecting ability (more important than discovery or closing skills at this level). Willingness to learn and be coached. Competence in sales fundamentals. If your time to coach is zero , don’t hire at this level. Even at $100K base, some level of guidance will be needed. ✅ High performers at this level expect commission potential of at least 40% on top of base. If you’re offering lower OTE, expect lower engagement. ⚠️ The Danger Zone: $110K–$140K for Mid-Level Salespeople This salary range can be a tricky spot. It’s too high for junior talent and too low to consistently attract experienced mid-level professionals who are already performing at a high level. If you’re hiring in this range, your commission structure needs to be bulletproof —and you’ll need a compelling narrative around why someone would make the move. Most commonly, high performers in this range are those with 2–5 years of experience , earning around $100K base and consistently hitting or overachieving target . But here’s the catch: 👉 If they’re moving into a similar role, in the same industry, for the same base salary—you’ve got to ask: why are they really leaving? There are exceptions, of course, but be cautious. At this salary range, you’re better off focusing on: Prospecting and closing ability over network Talent from outside your industry who are hungry to break in Sales professionals who bring energy, resilience, and drive —even if they lack specific industry contacts 💡 If industry network and contacts are a must , be prepared to offer $20K–$30K more on base to make the role attractive enough for someone to walk away from a good situation. Bottom line: In this range, don’t get fooled by polished interviewers. Focus on real ability, upside, and hunger. There's a lot of career salespeople at this level who are mostly average, so be cautious. Final Takeaways: What Defines a High-Performing Salesperson? The best salespeople don’t just have “great energy” in interviews—they have: ✔️ Athlete Mindset : Resilience, competitiveness, discipline, and grit. ✔️ CHEC: Communication skills, Humble confidence, Emotional intelligence, and Commercial awareness. And finally— always have a clear, structured commission plan. Especially at the lower salary levels, transparency on commission can make or break a hire. Get the Pay Structure Right, and You’ll Attract the Best 🔹 Base salary is the #1 motivator for top salespeople today. 🔹 Commission matters, but only in a fair and achievable structure. 🔹 Misaligned pay expectations will either push top talent away—or leave you hiring the wrong people. If you get this right, you won’t just attract great salespeople—you’ll build a team of high performers who stay, thrive, and consistently close deals. Want to Hire Elite Sales Talent? I specialize in headhunting top-performing sales professionals with the athlete mindset + CHEC. If you’re looking to build a high-impact sales team, let’s connect .
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