In January, I was in West Palm Beach heading back to the airport from a training. I had a great conversation with my Uber driver on the way there. He had retired from sales many years ago— and I told him about my work. He asked me a great question: what qualities makes a great salesperson? We bounced some ideas around and together, we came up with a list: The 3 P’s of Selling. Here are the 3P’s, and some ideas for how to put them into practice.

Persistence: You’ve heard the saying, “Persistence pays off.” And that’s definitely true in sales. If you’re wondering how persistent you are, here are some good questions to ask yourself:

• When it comes to meeting my sales goals, do I have a plan in mind?
• Do I know where I am right now on the journey to fulfilling my goal?
• What do I need to do to make my goal happen?
• Am I willing to do those things, even if they are difficult and take time?

Being persistent isn’t just about making a plan for meeting your goal and sticking to it. It’s about pushing forward with the same optimism and motivation you had at the beginning— even when it gets tough. Persistent salespeople don’t get derailed by one failure, they keep doing what they love (no matter how difficult that is) until they succeed.

Passion: Being good at sales is more than just having a passion for the product or service you provide. It’s about connecting what you offer to the passions of others. When people become passionate about your brand, product, or service, they’ll buy it— and they’ll keep coming back. When working on your branding, ask yourself:

• What’s my ideal client passionate about?
• Are there any values or passions we share?
• If so, what are they? And how can my brand and my approach to sales demonstrate that working with me is a way for them to live their life with more passion and engagement?

Bottom line: passionate people make strong connections— and strong connections are definitely good for business.

Patience: How many times has a teacher, parent, or mentor told you “Good things come to those who wait”? There’s truth to that— but true patience isn’t just twiddling your thumbs. When it comes to sales, patience has to be very action-oriented. One of the key ways patience pays off is lead nurturing. The more effort you put into your relationship with a potential prospect before they buy, they’re more likely they are to buy– and to keep buying.

• Take a look at your lead nurturing strategies: are you in it for the long haul? If not, how can you build it out?
• Do you know how long your ideal customer’s buyer journey is, and does your sales strategy allow for that?
• Putting patience into your sales strategy is a great way to generate happy, trusting leads that become loyal customers. And we all know loyal customers are the best kind.

Which of these characteristics do you want to build into your sales strategy? Are there any that I left off the list?