A successful salesperson starts with a vision then creates a blueprint, according to the latest sales book reviewed by MortgageDaily.com. A focused execution completes the sales process.

In part two of Mastering The Essentials of Sales, author Gerhard Gschwandtner tackled the personality traits, mind set and habits salespeople require to become successful.

"Are you just dreaming of success?" Gschwandtner asked readers. "Many people dream big dreams and get excited by possibilities but stop short of taking action."

Follow a map for success, he said, dream big, develop a realistic plan, test several possibilities and invest the energy necessary to make sales soar.

Psychologically, that energy is fueled by comforts of the mind -- fuel of higher meaning, of joy, leadership, goals, teamwork and rewards, he said.

"If you find yourself running on two cylinders, check your reservoirs and replenish them today," he wrote. "There is an untapped reservoir of capabilities within each of us that helps us deal with life's toughest challenges. Once we make the effort to dig deeper, the human brain will organize itself to tackle any challenge."

And it is the concentration and focus that will lead to success.

If you set your mind to reach a goal, you'll make certain that you reach it," he explained. "You'll say no to all distractions, detours, and time-wasting activities."

Gschwandtner challenged readers to think about the dreams they had 10 years ago, whether or not they attained them and if not, then why. Were they distracted?

To stay focused, he recommended developing a to-do list each night before going to bed, making the decision to live one moment at a time, focusing on one person at a time and brushing away any "mental cobwebs" before meeting with the next customer.

"When you start mentally with a clean slate, you can become a solution provider, but when your thoughts revolve around you, you become the obstacle to a sale," he said.

To sharpen the focus when calling on customers, he said to write down the best questions and talking points and to not forget that the most important step of call preparation is to prepare to listen.

Listening is just one component of an effective sales call. Gschwandtner advised that a salesperson not challenge the beliefs of their customer. For example, if a customer says a competitor's product is better, don't disagree with their belief, instead "a more effective strategy is to shift the focus back from the solution to the original problem," he said.

"When customers review and restate their problem, it will often change in their minds," he said. "Once the problem definition changes, chances are that the competitive solution will no longer fit and the effective salesperson can introduce a far better solution." Lastly, he said it is more effective to pull the toughest problems out of a prospect's mind than to push the best solution, and he explained why. "Because a clearly stated problem takes away the customer's confusion -- and as a result, the customer will think of you as the more effective salesperson and buy from you."