What’s your Sales Style?
What’s your Sales Style? - Intelliverse - Medium
Ask someone to define their style, and they’ll probably start listing off adjectives that relate to the clothes they wear, the music they like, the activities they enjoy and the type of car they drive.For sales professionals, though, style can extend into the way they do business. Knowing what kind of sales style you follow can provide insight into your strengths, where you might need to improve, and how to grow and adapt by using other styles outside your wheelhouse.Here are some of the most common selling styles — where do you fit in?Hardline SellerYou’re an aggressive salesperson whose only concern is the bottom line. Hard and fast is the name of the game, and you aim to close a sale with a single call. These sales reps are usually more prone to being lone wolves than part of a pack, and can become easily discouraged or give up completely if a prospect doesn’t move forward immediately.Areas of growth include recognizing that sales is often a process, not just a phone call!The “What do you need?” SellerThis quick-thinking sales professional focuses his or her efforts on adapting to meet a prospect’s needs. They ask lots of questions, with the goal of figuring out their customer’s core need, and then think fast on their feet to propose a solution.Areas of growth include recognizing that sometimes, sales is about creating a need instead of just fulfilling an existing one.The Product EvangelistIt doesn’t matter if the product is great or not — the product evangelist seller will be able to convince you it is. If you’re a product evangelist, you focus most of your efforts on touting the benefits of your product. Lots of demos are on your schedule, and you’ll use any product update as a reason to reach out to a lead.Areas of growth? Realize that sometimes, it’s not about the product — it’s about the person.The CompetitorThey know every single comparable product on the market, and call tell you exactly why their product is better. The competition-focused seller is a professional who always aims to be one step ahead. They’ll never take no for an answer, and will work extra hours to ensure the sale gets made.As with any hyper-focused individual, the competition-oriented sales professional sometimes needs to slow down and realize there’s more to life — and to selling — than always being the best.The MatchmakerThis is the most common style. Matchmakers are focused on building relationships, and as such, are often the most adaptable sales professionals out there. They flex to fit the client their dealing with, and are usually the most outgoing, good-natured person on your team.Where they can improve is by adding a dash of high-intensity effort where it’s needed, and better recognizing when it’s time to wait versus when it’s time to strike while the iron’s hot.Whether you’re a cool-headed relationship-builder, a fast-moving aggressive seller or the biggest product ambassador ever, we can all learn from each other’s unique styles to grow into better, more adaptable professionals!Originally published at http://www.intelliverse.com/blog/whats-sales-style/