5 Sales People You’ll Meet in Heaven

Evan Addams gave a good outline of the 5 different main kinds of salespeople, and their advantages and disadvantages. There are the hard-workers, the lone wolves, the relationship builders, the challengers, and the problem solvers. Here are the main points that go along with each type of salespeople:

• The Hard Worker
  • Doesn’t give up easily
  • Self-motivated
  • Interested in feedback/personal development
  • Show up early, stay up late, extra effort
  • Bursts through brick walls instead of going around or building doors
• The Lone Wolf
  • Deeply self-confident
  • Follows the instincts instead of the rigid sales process
  • Avoids limitation
  • Often brings in big wins and are indispensable to the company
  • Not loved by many, but they don’t care, they are on a mission
• The Relationship Builder
  • Causes strong relationships and advocates across customer base
  • Generous with their time and ensure customer needs are met
  • The most beloved sales person by a client
  • Could get too concerned with the relationship to not make a sale
• The Challenger
  • Have a deep understanding on a client’s business, with a habit of pushing the client to think differently about how to solve a problem
  • The consultant who sells his expertise, product, and partnership, as opposed to selling a low price or commodity selection
  • Don’t limit Challenging mentality to clients, but even push back against internal practices, managers, and status quo
  • Differentiate themselves by helping the client figure out the best solution, as opposed to giving the client whatever they ask for
• The Problem Solver
  • Highly reliable and detail oriented
  • Sometimes considered a customer service agent in a salesman’s clothing
  • Prefer to ensure that all problems are solved before they get new sales