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Writer's pictureFlorian

Who sells better? The introverts, the extroverts... or the ambiverts?

We live in times when we all sell something, in one way or another, whether we are talking about a service, a product or an image. It can be said that we have a greater power than ever to make people do what we want. Today's excess of information turns some people into prisoners of social networks, where they are the product and where they do what those who have something to sell want them to do. However, in our turn, each of us sells ourselves, in what will ultimately be a domino effect. We sell our attention, we sell our time, we sell ourselves because if you want to sell, you have to sell yourself.


But what about humanity and empathy? When we communicate and when we determine a consumption behavior, we should think about a paradigm shift. In other words, we can talk about success in sales, regardless of the field in which we operate, as something that can no longer be obtained according to the old principles. The orientation is now directed towards reporting to the client and changing the mindset. After all, now people have to sell differently than they did before, so not necessarily according to a different strategy, because it doesn't change, but by making changes at the level of their own structure. We can say that the era of aggressive sales is over, and this understanding currently makes the difference between profitable businesses and those that struggle to make things work, insisting on staying in the same structure.


So, we notice that the benchmarks have changed, so, in the end, who is in charge of sales? According to a study conducted by Adam Grant at the University of California, the ideal people for sales are not introverts, because although they are good listeners and very empathetic, they lack the enthusiasm and courage necessary to communicate effectively and to advance in the waters in which only extroverts can do. If you thought that the ideal people for sales are extroverts, it seems that you were wrong. Extroverts focus more on their own person than on the client's. They like to be the center of attention and dominate the conversation. They always want to be in the "spotlight", when, in fact, the customer should be there. Their enthusiasm and assertiveness could undermine their credibility. Customers feel pushed from behind in the presence of an extrovert and, therefore, back away.


Therefore, the ideal sales person is made up of both introverts and extroverts, that is, ambivert(a term used since the 20s). This category of people are the ones who know when to listen and when to speak. The bottom line is that you don't have to stress about being too extroverted to get good sales results or to convince your bosses, colleagues to adopt an idea or a project. He listens with interest and offers solutions when the time is right. This is an aspect related to that client login you need.


A few decades ago we could clearly talk about an asymmetric type of information, but the present brings access to information for absolutely any person. Separating the useful and valuable information from the background noise is a good exercise that can even become a daily practice. If we were to transpose this principle in the sales area, then we could talk about the difference between being able to solve the client's problem and the ability to identify the problem. Currently, predicting people's behavior means, first of all, trying to be as humane as possible, more attentive to the needs and concerns of those around you, more willing to listen and understand. Only then will you be able to sell.


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