I love analyzing stuff. Recently, I’ve been fascinated by the findings of psychological studies on the buying process and how the priming effect can have a significant impact on your customers final decision.

As Ryan Taft trains across the country he sees a tendency in sales professionals to solve customers’ problems too fast. You are probably thinking, “Dude…that’s our job.” I know. Technically, solving problems is your job , but what if you’re prematurely trying to solve a problem before you truly understand it? If you do, you’re likely to provide an incorrect solution for your customer.

There are a lot of salespeople out there, and sadly, there are a lot of bad salespeople out there. But what about the great salespeople. Here are nine attributes that I think make a truly great salesperson.

Buyer objections are a challenge. They sometimes make salespeople feel antsy, panicky, defensive or even annoyed. Amy O’Connor explains that when the salesperson experiences any of these negative emotions it often shows up in their nonverbals. Here’s the big problem, buyers pick up on these (sometimes not so subtle) cues.

In my observation, both as a sales professional and as a consultant/trainer, customers display a common reaction when they see a deal-killing objection. They walk. So what does it mean when a customer standing in front of you rattling off objections?

Most major decisions in life involve some level of compromise. Think about the home you live in and the car you drive. Your customers are going to have to compromise as well. Your job as a sales professional is to help customers work through their compromise points to get to the sale.

I recently received the following email from Jennifer, a real estate salesperson in Michigan. It’s an interesting case study in dealing with difficult customers. It happens…every day. The question is whether you will allow their behavior to change your attitude.

Why are salespeople so scared of customer objections? When we sidestep buyer objections we lose sales. Amy O’Connor shows us that as salespeople we must learn to embrace buyer objections and recognize the benefits of confidently dealing with them.

Customers often start out thinking their wants are actually their needs. But as is so often the case in life, money (or the lack of it) clarifies the difference. As salespeople, we must ask the clarifying questions that help your customers recognize reality. They might not get everything they want, but you can help them get what they need.

Ryan Taft loves to observe peoples behaviors, one of the behaviors I’ve observed during the sales process are salespeople who actually stop the sale. Obviously your goal is to help your customers and close a sale (no duh). That being said, here are three behaviors you absolutely must avoid if you want your sales to explode.