Personality Types in Sales

In our last class discussion, a large focus was placed on the concept of personality types. Specifically, much time was taken to explain extroverts, introverts, and ambiverts, and the differences between the three. It was discussed that within selling conversations, extroverts are geared more to respond to what the potential customer is saying and introverts to inspect what they truly feel. While I had not previously thought of these concepts in relation to sales, upon reflecting on my own experiences I can clearly see where they tie in.

Growing up, I tended lean more toward the introverted side, I was very shy and not comfortable talking around people that I was not familiar with. Due to this, if I had been placed into a sales role earlier in childhood, I would not have been very successful, as I never would’ve reached the point of closing a sale with the customer. However, as I got older and shifted over into being an ambivert, I have found these things to be less of an issue. In addition to other things, this shift has helped me specifically in the world of selling, as I am no longer afraid of meeting with new people and trying to persuade them. This became especially useful when I took my job at a local coffee shop, where being personable and talking with tons of new people began to be how I made tips.

While there certainly is not one specific personality that is superior at selling, I have found that branching out and taking on more of an extroverted side as significantly helped me. Now as an ambivert, I have found that I’ve been able to balance both sides of my personality based off who I am talking to, and allow any person to feel comfortable while in a “sales” conversation with me.