Introverts Can’t Sell
Is this the unspoken message delivered by many companies with products or services to offer?
I ask because although these companies employ both introverts and extroverts, the sales training that they deliver is invariably designed for the strengths of one personality type only; extrovert.
One example is the luxury sector. Specifically, small goods, spa, hospitality, beauty products and electronics. Every day, in various business news reports we read about the financial and customer challenges that exist in these areas. They’re all the same. Revenue is being lost due to customer defection or online sales. Competitors are smaller, nimble and tapped in to the needs of the public. For the luxury sector, the need to maximize the engagement of their customer-facing teams is critical. But the training that their teams currently undergo is not designed to meet that challenge.
It’s not necessarily the fault of senior management, many of whom are in their 60’s and older. They grew up in an era of big personality super salespersons like Zig Zigler or Mary Kay Ash. Hyper enthusiasm and glib conversation was the standard good sales people were measured by. For the mentees of these C-suiters age 50 plus, movies like Jerry Maguire and Glengarry Glen Ross served to perpetuate the image that an extroverted personality was necessary to selling success.
Today however, the internet has made our view of the world and the people in it much broader. We’re not as accepting of “used car salesman” types. We’re seeking out sales people who can listen well and understand our needs. And if we can’t find them, we have the option of making our product purchases on-line.
Savvy companies, must recognize that today’s customers are different, both internal and external. Sales training must be adapted to answer the needs of both. With customer retention one of the concerns that keeps C-suite up at night, employee training which emphasizes engagement is the secret sauce that can help keep clients coming back. When it is designed to build upon the natural strengths of introverts as well as extroverts, it can influence them from not jumping ship.
Why Introverts Can Sell
When I worked at a high end spa I consistently sold $5000 per month without trying. The monthly average was $2000. I’m an introvert so hard selling is not in my nature. I hate the idea of invading my customer’s mental, physical or emotional space.
But what I discovered as my client base grew is that everyone wants to be acknowledged and heard. If you can listen well and respond accordingly, you can sell lots of products. It’s that simple.
The best sales training amplifies these qualities that introverts naturally possess:
Listening Ability: engaging well to determine the needs of customers and matching those needs to a product or service.
Composure: a steady calm and self-control, both of which put potential customers at ease.
Relationship Building: tending to the needs of customers so satisfactorily that it generates long term retention and loyalty.
Focusing upon these in a safe learning space will yield an exponentially more confident employee team and help to generate dramatic retail revenue results.
For more information contact Linda by email: Linda@Moontideconsulting.com. Follow her on Twitter
Linda Harding-Bond
