In his talk he gave this week, Mr. Evan Addams spoke about five different types of salespeople you meet in the sales world. While none of the five are bad, some are definitely better than others, with them all building up to the Challenger salesman model.
The first of the five is called the Hard Worker, a person who is self-motivated, doesn’t give up easily, and is interested in feedback and personal development. The Hard Worker gets things done and is a good team player, for they are most interested in finishing the job.
The second is the Relationship Builder, a salesman who focuses on building long-term relationships to make big sales on a later date. This one is the classic consultative rep, one who builds advocates internally and creates deep relationships with prospects. Relationship Builders don’t go for short-term sales that require little work; in fact, they go for the exact opposite, focusing on fostering relationships that can render sale after sale in the future.
The third is the Problem Solver, which has a lot in common with the Hard Worker but is more detail-oriented. Problem Solvers are wildly reliable, especially when responding to stakeholders, and their detail-oriented spirit means that they ensure that all problems are solved before a sale goes through. Though they don’t always have the speed in responding to problems that other types of salespeople may have, Problem Solvers will get things done with an unparalleled thoroughness.
The fourth is the Lone Wolf, probably the most risky of all five types. Though the Lone Wolf salesman finds success in many settings, they fall apart in team scenarios and thus don’t always prove to be the best employees. The Lone Wolf follows his or her own instincts, is self-assured, and always delivers results (though they are difficult to manage).
The fifth, and final, type of salesman is called the Challenger, and is arguably the best kind of salesman. The Challenger pushes boundaries and holds different views of the world. They love to debate and push the customer to see things differently, and because of that, they typically have a strong understanding of the customer’s business. The Challenger combines areas from all of the other salesmen that come before, but on a more balanced level that gives a well-rounded sales approach.
BoweryJE22
I like that these are all broken down so simply. I haven’t ever seen sales people talked about this way until Evan Adams talked about it the other day during class. I think it is important to figure which kind of person we are so that we can know what we can work on and grow in.
Great post, and I hope you have a wonderful week!