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Show moreBuying decisions surrounding complex, transformational software are not made by individuals but instead by buying teams. Existing research on sales behavior and salesperson traits focuses on one-to-one selling and gives little insight into the training and selection required of a successful sales force. This paper describes the selling style and personal traits of twelve successful salespeople engaged in complex computer software sales to buying teams. What do successful salespeople do and what is it about him/her that distinguishes the most successful? Technology Frames of Reference and Actor Network Theory were used to interpret the methods used in successfully selling to a buying team. Emotional and cognitive intelligence traits of top performers were identified. The results indicate behavior different to that predicted by the literature. There was no evidence that salespeople attempt to create a shared Frame of Reference or that they focus on classic sales ideas such as negotiation or personal relationships. To flourish in complex software sales to buying teams, successful salespeople strive to manage the interactions between members of the buying team; assembling and disassembling the network of relationships to maximize support. The emotional and cognitive intelligences evident in the top performers were consistent with the literature on one-to-one selling however further research on which combinations are the true discriminators is needed. The practices used by successful salespeople can be used as a learning model for new and developing salespeople. Knowing which traits predict superior performance allows a priori selection in the hiring process.
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