The Top 4 Qualities of The Highest Paid Salespeople

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The top 20% of salespeople make 80% of the money.

 It's a fact. (Not just some motivational BS). 

But it’s not just luck or talent. There’s a specific set of traits and understandings that separate the top earners from everyone else.

We did the research to find out what they know that everyone else doesn’t.

And today, we're breaking it down for you.  

Let’s dive in. 

Top salespeople have an almost psychotic desire to win.

They want to be a top rep so badly that they don't give themselves another option.

This goes way beyond saying "I want to be successful" at team meetings or interviews. We’re talking about obsession here. 

Brian Tracy, (who’s trained over 2M salespeople), puts it simply: "Everyone in the top 20% started in the bottom 20%. The difference is burning desire.”

Unfortunate truth: This kind of ambition is hard to train.

It usually comes from natural drive or some early life experience that put a massive chip on their shoulder. Something to prove to the world.

Fear kills more sales careers than bad products ever will.

A lot of reps avoid rejection, tough conversations, and uncomfortable situations like the plague.

Top earners do the opposite. They "go for no" and get comfortable with rejection.

The math is simple: the more "no's" you collect, the more "yes's" you'll eventually get.

Real growth only happens when you're doing stuff that scares you a little bit.

This means volunteering for more responsibility, bigger territories, having tough conversations with prospects, asking for referrals when it feels awkward, and challenging your manager when they're wrong.

The big money lives in discomfort. 

The 80/20 rule applies everywhere in sales. 

The top 20% make 80% of the money because the bottom 80% keep one foot out the door. 

They treat sales like a stepping stone to their next career opportunity. A different job that isn’t ‘as hard as sales’. 

Top earners burn the boats. They fully commit to mastering their craft, building relationships, and hitting their numbers. They don't have backup plans.

This total commitment shows up in everything they do. They work harder, study more, and care more about their results.

Here's the uncomfortable truth nobody wants to admit... the product and company you sell for matters. A lot.

It’s not always fair. But neither is life.

You could be the most talented sales rep on earth, working at a struggling startup with a product that'll never make it. Meanwhile, some mediocre rep at a unicorn company will out-earn you by 300%. 

The highest-paid reps understand this reality and position themselves accordingly.

They do whatever it takes to land roles at the best companies. This means uncomfortable and unconventional tactics like cold emailing hiring managers, getting attention from current reps, and doing things that definitely don't scale.

They're willing to take a short-term pay cut to claim a seat on a rocket ship. Because they know that being average at a great company beats being great at an average company.