The 3 Salesperson Behavioral Traits Buyers Value Above All Others [New Research]

In today‘s hyper-competitive B2B sales landscape, cutting through the noise and winning the trust of potential buyers is more challenging than ever. With an abundance of information at their fingertips and an increasing number of stakeholders involved in purchase decisions, modern buyers are more discerning about who they choose to work with.

So what sets top-performing salespeople apart in the eyes of buyers? What are the key traits and behaviors that really move the needle? DoubleCheck Research set out to answer these questions by surveying over 100 business executives involved in high-stakes buying decisions.

While each sales situation is unique, the study revealed three consistent themes that buyers value above all else: knowledge, empathy, and transparency. Salespeople who embodied these traits were significantly more likely to earn the buyer‘s trust, win the deal, and build lasting partnerships.

Let‘s unpack each of these critical traits and explore how sales organizations can cultivate them within their teams.

Knowledge: Bring Relevant Insights

Topping the list of desirable sales rep characteristics was a deep understanding of the buyer‘s business and industry. An overwhelming 82% of executives said this knowledge was "very important" in their evaluation of potential vendor partners.

In practice, knowledge means doing your homework before engaging a prospect. It means understanding their market landscape, key business objectives, and core challenges. Most importantly, it means being able to articulate how your offering is uniquely positioned to help them achieve their goals.

Consider this real-world anecdote from the DoubleCheck study. One buyer recounted a meeting where a seemingly promising vendor relationship quickly went south. The reason? The sales rep spent the first 15 minutes droning on about his company‘s accolades and product features, without any acknowledgement of the buyer‘s context.

Frustrated, the executive interrupted and asked point blank: "Tell me, what do you think our biggest problem is that you can help solve?" Met with a blank stare, the rep sheepishly admitted he didn‘t know. He was asked to leave the meeting shortly after.

The lesson here is clear. Buyers don‘t want to hear a generic pitch. They want to work with salespeople who can serve as knowledgeable peers and trusted advisors. In fact, a separate study found that 88% of B2B buyers expect reps to be deeply knowledgeable about their business.

To meet this expectation, leading sales teams are investing heavily in sales enablement and training to equip reps with the insights they need to credibly speak to each buyer‘s world. Tactics can include:

• Developing detailed buyer personas and industry primers
• Providing reps with relevant case studies and success stories
• Training on effective pre-call research and insight generation
• Leveraging technology to surface key buyer insights from marketing automation, CRM, and conversational intelligence platforms

By arming your reps with knowledge and encouraging them to lead with insights tailored to the buyer‘s needs, you‘ll immediately differentiate from the pack. According to Forrester Research, 74% of buyers choose the rep that is first to provide value and insight. Knowledge, when properly applied, is a powerful sales accelerator.

Empathy: Seek First to Understand

Coming in a close second to knowledge was empathy. 77% of buyers in the study said they strongly preferred working with salespeople who demonstrated high emotional intelligence and an ability to view things from the buyer‘s perspective.

In an era of automated email cadences and high-volume outreach, empathy has become all too rare. Many buyers perceive salespeople as more concerned with hitting their quota than truly understanding and solving the buyer‘s problems.

Top-performing reps take a different approach. They listen more than they talk. They ask probing questions to uncover the buyer‘s underlying needs and motivations. They demonstrate curiosity and strive to look at the world through the lens of the buyer.

As one executive put it: "The best salespeople I‘ve worked with are those who seek first to understand, then to be understood. They don‘t jump straight to pitching their product. They take the time to really internalize our challenges and goals. That‘s when I know they have my best interests in mind."

This empathetic mindset is at the heart of a consultative, solution-oriented sales approach. Rather than just pushing product, empathetic reps focus on co-creating value with the buyer and serving as a trusted resource.

Empathy also means being attuned to the buyer‘s communication preferences and buying process. It means not forcing your own agenda, but rather adapting to the buyer‘s timeline and decision criteria. A LinkedIn survey found that top sellers were nearly 3x more likely to provide a buying experience that reflected the prospect‘s preferences.

Some practical ways to cultivate greater empathy within your sales org include:

• Training reps on active listening and questioning techniques
• Encouraging reps to map out and align with each stakeholder‘s success metrics
• Formalizing discovery and needs assessment as a distinct stage in your sales process
• Incorporating buyer feedback into sales coaching and win/loss reviews
• Publicly recognizing reps who go above and beyond in serving the customer

When salespeople lead with empathy, the results speak for themselves. A study by Salesforce found that high-performing sales teams were 2.8x more likely to say their interactions with customers were relationship-focused rather than deal-focused. By genuinely seeking to walk in the buyer‘s shoes, reps can transform from vendors to valued partners.

Transparency: Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say

Rounding out the top three traits was transparency. 70% of buyers said they preferred vendors who operated with a high degree of transparency and openness. In an environment of fierce competition and eroding trust, buyers are looking for salespeople they can count on to shoot straight.

Transparency comes into play throughout the sales process, from initial outreach to closing negotiations to post-sale support. Buyers want to work with reps who are upfront about what their solution can and can‘t do, who quickly acknowledge when issues arise, and who proactively communicate both good and bad news.

One executive in the DoubleCheck study shared a telling example. Their team was on the verge of signing a large contract with a SaaS vendor. However, in the 11th hour, the vendor‘s legal team insisted on sneaking in some onerous terms and conditions. When the buyer pushed back, the sales rep went radio silent.

This lack of transparency at such a critical juncture torpedoed the deal and eroded any trust that had been built. As the buyer put it: "If they‘re not going to be transparent with us now, how can we trust them to be a good partner down the road? It‘s a huge red flag."

On the flipside, salespeople who are direct, honest, and reliable stand out. Another buyer shared the story of a rep who won their business primarily because of her transparency. From the beginning, she was upfront about her product‘s limitations and didn‘t try to overpromise. When an unexpected roadblock emerged in the implementation process, she immediately looped in the buyer and presented a clear plan to resolve it.

That level of proactive transparency established a foundation of trust that carried forward. When all else is equal, buyers will choose the salesperson they feel they can rely on.

To foster greater transparency within your sales organization, consider:

• Establishing a clear code of ethics and set of core values that prioritize honesty and openness
• Training reps on how to effectively handle objections and navigate difficult conversations
• Encouraging reps to set clear expectations with buyers upfront, including what success looks like and how obstacles will be addressed
• Instituting regular check-ins between reps and their accounts to proactively surface issues
• Publicly acknowledging and rewarding reps who exemplify transparency

When transparency becomes ingrained in your sales culture, it has a powerful ripple effect. HubSpot Research found that 65% of buyers would be more likely to buy from a "trustworthy" salesperson again, even if they were more expensive or less feature-rich than competitors. By building a reputation for transparency, you won‘t just win more initial deals – you‘ll create customers for life.

The Way Forward

As the DoubleCheck Research illuminates, the days of sales reps getting by on charisma and persuasion alone are over. To cut through the noise and earn the trust of today‘s buyers, salespeople must lead with knowledge, empathy, and transparency.

For sales leaders, this requires rethinking long-held assumptions about what drives sales success. It means evolving your hiring profiles, enablement strategies, coaching practices, and team culture to align with what buyers actually care about.

One organization that has really taken this to heart is Snowflake, the cloud data platform unicorn. From their earliest days, Snowflake‘s sales leaders have focused on hiring reps with deep technical expertise, a tireless commitment to customer success, and a bias for directness. They enabled their team with meticulous industry and persona research, and trained them on a highly consultative sales methodology.

Most importantly, they measured and incentivized reps not just on revenue, but also on customer satisfaction scores and net promoter ratings. The result? Snowflake has achieved net revenue retention of over 170% and an industry-leading reputation for customer-centricity.

While overhauling your sales engine is no small undertaking, the stakes have never been higher. Accenture research shows that 80% of B2B buying decisions are based on a buyer‘s direct or indirect experience with a salesperson, more than any other factor. In an environment of rising customer acquisition costs and intensifying competition, aligning seller behavior with buyer preferences isn‘t a nice-to-have – it‘s an existential imperative.

As a sales leader, your charge is clear. Double down on building a salesforce that leads with knowledge, empathy, and transparency. Equip your reps to be true partners in the buyer‘s success. Measure what matters and celebrate the right behaviors.

Do this consistently, and you won‘t just hit your number – you‘ll build an enduring brand and business. By earning your buyers‘ trust in every interaction, you‘ll enjoy shorter sales cycles, higher conversions, and unmatched loyalty. And that‘s the ultimate aim of any sales organization.