Who Sells More: The Quiet Rep, or The Aggressive Rep? by lisafugere

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Who Sells More: The Quiet Rep, or The Aggressive Rep?
by lisafugere
No matter how formulaic your hiring strategy, one question comes up time and again: does this candidate have the personality to be a sales representative? It?s a good question to ask, but what is a sales personality, exactly? Should you hire the candidate who exudes aggression and confidence, or should you hire the one that displays patience and an eagerness to listen? If you have to choose, what should you decide?
When you break down loud aggression and bashful modesty into a few other traits, you get the opposite ends of the scale.
Flexibility
An aggressive, overconfident sales rep is not likely to quickly adapt his or her style. If you believe you?re killing it, why would you? The pushier you are, the less likely you?ll be to let up on price and deal size. A shy sales rep, on the other hand, may be more open to change and suggestions, as well as to alternative pricing solutions. If you sell a complex product to a number of different clients, a quieter sales team may work well for you, and if you can?t afford to offer flexible options to your clients, an aggressive team will serve you well.
Listening
You can?t talk and listen at the same time. If you spend the majority of a conversation thinking what you?ll say next, do you ever really hear what the other party says? Aggressive personalities don?t like to listen; shy personalities don?t like to demand. Listening comes in handy during a few stages of the buying cycle, and during other stages, talking is more important. When you sell to people who?ve never heard of your product and have not yet identified the need that it fills, a confident, silver-tongued sales rep can have them convinced in minutes. When you reach a prospect that is actively seeking a solution to a problem they have already identified, a sales rep that is willing to listen and understand their needs will be able to fit your offering in where the client needs it to go rather than creating a new need the client wasn?t aware they had.
Sensitivity
Outspoken arrogance rarely heeds sensitivity. When your sales reps regularly deal with customers for renewals and upsell opportunities, an aggressive sales rep may overstep the boundaries of the customer relationship. A more timid rep may tread with more caution and put the relationship ahead of the sale.
Tone of Voice
Every customer will react differently to a specific tone of voice. Some may perceive an aggressive sales rep as cocky, inconsiderate, and ignorant, while others will view a shy sales rep as weak, inconsistent, and unknowledgeable. Consider your reps? personalities when you assign territories. Sometimes prospects? reactions to tone of voice can be regional. For example, would you ever assign a meek sales rep to a financial territory in New York?
At the end of the day, every sales team is different, and every sale ream requires different personalities. Choose the traits that best suit the roles that you specifically need, and all your reps will sell more.